Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars will beat any sweet craving you have! Whipped up in minutes then baked all at once, no need to spend time scooping each cookie here! You won't miss the cookie shape with these bars!

There are few things in life that I truly go weak at the knees for. One is fresh bread slathered in butter, another is traveling to a new city, and warm chocolate chip cookies.

The trouble with cookies is you have to scoop the dough, roll into a ball, set them just perfectly distanced from one another on a baking sheet, let them cool individually, basically its a lot of work. This is where chocolate chip cookie bars come into play, you make one dough, whack it into the pan and bake. Then slice 'em up!

I love these bars because they are perfectly thick, but not too thick. And as always I prefer to use big 'ol chunks of chocolate rather than chips because a. they taste better, and b. look at that pool of chocolate!

Also, a sprinkling of sea salt on top is fantastic!!! My sister says this is a great recipe and we need to make them more often! Perfect for a potluck.

Let's get to the recipe.

Jump to:

• 🍫 Ingredients
• 📖 How to make the bars
• 🗝 Doubling the recipe
• 🍪 Freezing
• 🍴 More bar recipes
• Recipe Card
• Recipe Ratings & Comments

🍫 Ingredients

Just your standard cookie ingredients here:

• Butter. You can use unsalted or salted, just know that if you use salted I would reduce or eliminate the salt in the recipe. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. I like to just place my butter on the counter overnight or you can take it out of the fridge cut it into chunks for it to soften faster.
• Sugar. Like most cookie recipes I like to use a combination of granulated/ caster sugar and light brown sugar. Brown sugar is made with molasses so it provides more moisture and flavor than plain granulated sugar.
• Eggs. + 1 Large Egg Yolk, at room temperature
• Pure Vanilla Extract. A classic ingredient for that chocolate chip cookie flavor profile. Don't use the imitation stuff.
• All-Purpose/ Plain Flour. Flour binds everything together.
• Salt. Trust me, do not skip it.
• Baking Soda. We want lift baby!
• Cornstarch. Also known as cornflour, this ingredient helps tenderize the baked good.
• Chocolate. Plain chocolate chips work but I much prefer to chop my own chocolate bars to get the best chunks. I also love to use Callebaut Chocolate Callets, because they don't have all the additives of chocolate chips they melt and taste way better. You could also be using butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips.

Roasted walnuts or pecans would be a great addition to these bars.

📖 How to make the bars

With any baking recipe, it is crucial that your oven is properly preheated or you risk ruining your bake. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. You can use an 8 or 9-inch baking pan. I use an 8-inch, but if you use a 9-inch reduce the baking time and expect the bars to be a little thinner.

Line your pan with foil so it overhangs on the sides -- this makes it easier to remove the bars when done baking. Lightly grease the foil then set the pan aside. You could also use parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Some people may just dump all the dry ingredients into the wet but I like to premix them to ensure the leaving agent, cornstarch, and salt are evenly distributed.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer combine butter and sugars.

Mix together on medium speed for around 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all is combined.

Stir in vanilla, egg, and egg yolk, making sure to mix until fully combined. Don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl again.

Gently fold in dry ingredients and chocolate chunks until just combined.

The cookie dough mixture will be thick. Press cookie dough into the prepared pan in an even layer. Sprinkle more chocolate pieces on top, if desired. Bake the cookie bars for 19-26 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and pulling from the edge of the pan, the center will still giggle a bit. Mine baked for around 24-25 minutes.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes then slice and serve.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

*For thick bars as pictured I used an 8-inch pan and baked for 24-26 minutes. For thinner bars bake in a 9-inch pan and bake for 19-22 minutes. The bars should look very set around the edges and not totally set in the center, still have a little sheen. If you do not like a softer almost gooey cookie center bake the bars for an additional 3-5 minutes, just watch carefully not to burn the bars.

Check out this post on my Cookie Baking Tips

🗝 Doubling the recipe

You can totally double the recipe for a 9X13 pan. Just know that the bake time will increase to 33-38 minutes. Use a toothpick to check the center for wet batter. Moist crumbs are okay.

🍪 Freezing

Cookies and bars are great candidates for freezing. Let the bars cool completely then I like to place them in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to three months.

Since the bars are already cut into somewhat small pieces they will thaw quite quickly. Just set them on the counter for an hour.

🍴 More bar recipes

A family favorite are my salted millionaire's shortbread bars, they are a little more labor-intensive but totally worth it.

You can't beat brownies, my cosmic brownie recipe will take you back to your childhood, but better!

Tangy lemon bars are the perfect dessert table accompaniment to chocolate bars.

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★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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