Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (2024)

Published: Nov 13, 2018 · Modified: Jan 23, 2024 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 1437 words. · About 8 minutes to read this article.

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Chocolate chip cookie bars are easy to make from scratch in your own home. This recipe requires no chilling time and no mixer - they're ready in less than an hour! These bars turn out perfectly chewy and are filled with melty chocolate chips.

When you don't want to spend all day in the kitchen but need a crowd pleasing dessert, chocolate chip cookie bars are the perfect solution. These chewy chocolate chip cookie bars are ready in less than an hour and made with simple ingredients.

For a chewy cookie bar we're using melted butter and more brown sugar than granulated sugar. Since there's no need to form the dough into balls or worry about spreading, we're using slightly less flour. This enhances the flavors of the other ingredients, like butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Chocolate chip cookie bars make the perfect dessert for just about any occasion. They're perfect for potlucks, birthday parties, and holidays any time of year.

Ingredients and substitutions

Because baking is an exact science, I don't recommend many substitutions in my cookie recipes. Each ingredient is necessary to ensure your cookie bars turn out perfectly.

Unsalted butter - Can be substituted with salted butter. Reduce the amount of salt listed by ½ teaspoon.
Brown sugar - Adds a slightly molasses flavor to your cookies, as well as extra moisture and chewiness. Brown sugar is also slightly acidic, which reacts with the baking soda and helps your bars rise.
Granulated sugar - Gives your cookies a crispy edge and attracts moisture, making your cookies moist. I do not recommend using sugar-free substitutes. Instead, search for a recipe made specifically for the sugar-free substitute you have on hand.
Eggs - Bring eggs to room temperature quickly by placing in a bowl of warm water. They'll be ready in minutes. Adding cold eggs to room temperature batter causes the butter to solidify, creating chunks of cold butter throughout your batter. Room temperature eggs incorporate evenly into the batter.
Vanilla extract - Adds vanilla flavor to your batter. Can be omitted without affecting the texture of your bars.
All-purpose flour - I have not tested this recipe with other types of flour. Other flours (like almond flour or coconut flour) cannot simply be substituted at 1:1 ratio. If you would like to bake using other flours, I highly suggest searching for a recipe that has been written specifically for those ingredients.
Baking soda - Do not substitute with baking powder - these two ingredients are different and cannot be substituted for one another.
Salt - Salt enhances the flavor of your other ingredients and cuts the sweetness of your cookie bars. Not enough salt is added to make your cookies "salty". If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt listed by ½ teaspoon.
Chocolate chips - I recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips because they don't add too much sweetness to your cookie bars. These can be substituted with any flavor baking chips (like white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips).

Tips and tricks

To bring eggs to room temperature quickly- Place whole eggs into a bowl and cover with very warm tap water. Eggs come to room temperature in about 10 minutes using this method.

Properly measure your flour - Too much flour can cause your bars to turn out thick and dry. Either use a kitchen scale to weigh your flour (this is what I do and recommend), or spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off with a knife. Scooping with the measuring cup directly from a bin of flour compacts it into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to the recipe. Check out my flour measuring test on my post 10 tips for baking cookies to see the weight difference of each measuring method!

Don't overmix the flour - This recipe requires only a spoon and bowl. There's no need to mix for a long period of time using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Overmixing the flour can overwork the gluten, causing your bars to turn out tough. Stir gently until you no longer see streaks of flour.

Spread batter into an even layer- Your batter will be thick, so you'll need to use a spatula to spread the batter evenly to the edges of your prepared pan. Either grease a 9x13 baking pan or line with parchment for easy removal after baking.

Pan size - You'll need a 9x13 inch baking pan for this recipe. I recommend lining your pan with parchment paper so the bars can easily be lifted from the pan once they're done baking.

Checking for doneness - Your bars should look lightly browned all across the top of the pan. Use a toothpick inserted into the center. If it comes out with wet batter, your bars need more time. If it comes out with crumbs or nothing at all, your bars are ready to come out of the oven.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make cookies with this recipe?

In short - no. This recipe will not bake into individual cookies. This recipe has more of a batter consistency (like thick brownie batter) rather than cookie dough, which is too thin to form individual cookies.
Check out my chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe if you'd like to make cookies with the same flavor. It utilizes more flour for stability and also requires chilling time to prevent spreading in the oven.

What is the difference between a cookie and a cookie bar?

This bar recipe uses slightly less flour than my cookie recipe since we're not concerned with spreading or holding shape in the oven. Otherwise, both recipes are made with the same ingredients. Bars take considerably less time to prepare since the dough doesn't need to be refrigerated or portioned into individual cookies.

How long do chocolate chip cookie bars last?

Cookie bars will keep for 5-7 days in a sealed container. To help keep bars fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the bars. Replace the bread slice as needed.

Can cookie bars be frozen?

Yes, cookie bars freeze well. They'll keep for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed, freezer-safe container.

Why did my bars turn out dry?

Dry baked goods can happen for several reasons.If any of the moisture-adding ingredients have been reduced, like sugar, butter, or eggs, this can cause baked goods to turn out dry. If too much flour was added (I recommend weighing your flour or using the spoon and level method), baked goods can turn out dry. Lastly, baking too long in the oven can dry out baked goods. Allow your bars to cool completely before slicing and serving, because slicing into hot bars releases steam, which dries them out.

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