Ooey, gooey, chewy, thick chocolate chip cookie bars made from scratch in a 9x13 pan - a true crowd favorite! They are made in one bowl, all mixed up by hand, with no machines required!
This recipe went Tiktok Viral with over 13 million views - watch the video here!
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Quick & Easy Cookie Bars!
This recipe for chocolate chip cookie bars is a mom's best friend and will become one of your go-to favorite recipes. It takes minimal effort (no scooping cookies needed!) and it is perfect for a crowd! They're great for a quick after-school treat or any occasion where you need to feed many people in an easy way. It's like a thick, gooey chocolate chip cookie cake without the fancy decorating!
More cookie bars I love: monster cookie bars, Thick & chewy funfetti blondies & s’more cookie bars!
Tips & tricks for the best chocolate chip cookie bars:
- This cookie bar recipe uses melted butter making them super soft and smooth - this is a crucial part to these cookie bars!
- Do not bake for too long or else you will have a dry cookie bar with a crunchy chocolate exterior.
- Experiment with adding different kinds of chocolate chips. Milk or dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips are all great options! You could even add some M&M's or turn them into kitchen sink cookies with caramel and pretzels.
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat!
- Store these bars in an airtight container or freeze for later. They last up to 3-4 days, but they taste best within the first 2 days.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Bars::
This is just an overview of ingredients & substitutions; click here to jump down to the full recipe card for ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Unsalted butter (melted): Salted is also fine here, just omit the added salt. Do not use margarine, as this will be too greasy.
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- 1 egg + 1 yolk
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt
- All-purpose flour: For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free 1-to-1 flour but I personally like them best with half GF flour, half almond flour (like my chewy gluten-free cookie cake).
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I use Nestle or Costco brand): Feel free to make these with your favorite chocolate chips, chunks, M&M's, or dairy-free chocolate chips!
- 9x13 pan (ideally light-colored metal)
Decorating Ideas for Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Make a double batch of my cookie cake buttercream frosting to pipe on a decorative border!
- Top with flaky sea salt for an elevated taste - so, so good!
- Drizzle melted chocolate on top of cookie bars
- Add M&M's, sprinkles, crushed nuts, or almonds inside the dough or on top
Make them and love them? Try my One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies or my single-serve One Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie next!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars:
This is just an overview of ingredients & substitutions; click here to jump down to the full recipe card for ingredient amounts and instructions. Or watch my viral Tiktok video here!
Step 1: Mix Cookie Dough
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and cover with parchment paper (optional but recommended for easy removal).
In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter (¾ cup), light brown sugar (¾ cup), and granulated sugar (½ cup) and mix until combined. Add in egg, egg yolk, vanilla (2 teaspoons), baking soda (1 teaspoon), baking powder (¼ teaspoon), and salt (½ teaspoon). Mix. Add flour (2 - 2 ¼ cups, see "notes section" in recipe card below regarding flour amounts), ½ cup whole chocolate chips, and ½ cup chopped chocolate chips. Stir until combined.
Tip: Adding the chocolate chips at the same as the flour will help the chips be evenly distributed and prevent them from falling to the bottom of the bowl.
Step 2: Press Cookie Dough Into Pan
Press cookie dough into a greased, parchment-lined 9x13" pan. Once smooth, sprinkle the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips on top and lightly press each into the dough. If you see any chocolate chips stuck together or on the edge of the pan, relocate them. This will help create clean edges when cut!
Step 3: Bake
Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes or until cookie bars are lightly golden brown (do not overbake, you want to underbake slightly for a gooey cookie). Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before cutting into squares/bars! Or don't and eat a warm bar with ice cream (just note that they will look too dough & crumble a bit more when hot but will continue to bake in the hot pan!).
Step 4 (optional): Decorate Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
To decorate chocolate chip cookie bars, you can use some of the following:
- Make a double batch of my cookie cake buttercream frosting to pipe on a decorative border
- Drizzle chocolate on top of cookie bars
- Add M'm's or sprinkle crushed nuts or almonds on top
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of chocolate chips should I use in the cookie bars?
I like these chocolate chip cookie bars best with semi-sweet chocolate chips but you can also use milk chocolate chips! Dark, milk, white chocolate chips would all taste delicious in these bars, as well. Or you can always chop up your favorite chocolate bar or leftover Halloween candy for super delicious cookie bars.
Can I freeze the cookie bars?
The cookie bars freeze well after being baked and cooled completely. To freeze, cool the bars completely before placing them into an airtight container or freezer bag for storage. They will keep in the freezer for 1-2 months.
What type of pan should I use?
I used a 9x13 metal baking pan and it turned out to be the perfect size for these thick bar cookies. If you bake these in a smaller pan, you will want to use less dough (freeze the extra and bake into cookies later!) and will just need to increase the baking time.
You can also use glass, just take note that the cookie bars may need longer to bake. In general, I always recommend using metal baking pans for cookie bars.
How many servings are in this recipe?
This cookie bar recipe yields approximately 24 servings, depending on how large you cut them. For cookie platters, I like cutting these in smaller 1-2" bite-sized pieces.
Do you have other cookie bar recipes?
I sure do! Check out some of my other tried-and-true bar cookie recipes:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (not margarine) You will be melting this
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 yolk (i.e. 1 whole egg + 1 extra egg yolk)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour *see notes section below, you can add an extra ¼ cup flour if your dough is too runny
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (½ cup whole chips + ½ cup chopped chips in dough, then ½ sprinkled on top)
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- If you made this recipe prior to 3/28/22, I’ve since made a few tweaks as some readers were having trouble with them being too cakey. See notes section below for what I changed!
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place ½ cup of the chocolate chips in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin or metal mallet to break them down into small pieces. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, melt the unsalted butter (¾ cup, i.e. 1 ½ sticks) for 20-30 seconds until JUST melted. (If your butter is steaming, let it cool down for a few minutes. Butter that is too hot can result in greasy bars and/or will cause the eggs to cook.)
- Add in granulated sugar (½ cup) and light brown sugar (¾ cup) and use a spatula to stir until combined (* do not use a mixer!). Add in eggs (1 whole + 1 extra egg yolk) and vanilla extract (2 teaspoons). Mix until combined.
- Stir in baking soda (1 teaspoon), baking powder (¼ teaspoon), and salt (½ teaspoon). Add in all-purpose flour (2 cups), ½ cup whole chocolate chips, and the ½ cup of chopped chocolate chips. Mix until all the flour disappears into the dough. Immediately proceed to the next step.
- Press dough into a greased or parchment-lined metal 9x13" pan until smooth. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup whole chocolate chips on top and gently press each one into the dough.
- Bake at 350°F for 16-18 minutes until edges and top are lightly golden brown. Do not overbake or your chocolate chip cookie bars will not be soft. You want the cookie bars to be lightly brown on the top and look slightly underbaked (my oven was perfect at 16 minutes). Remove from oven and place entire pan on a cooling rack.
- Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before removing from pan. Slice into 24 squares, then enjoy! To keep fresh, cover pan with saran wrap or place bars in airtight continer for up to 3 days (after that they start to dry out). See notes below for freezing tips.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
It's that easy! Now go and make these ultimate chocolate chip cookie bars! They're super-duper delicious and everyone will love them... guaranteed! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram @designeatrepeat. Enjoy xo!
Hannah S
I have had to make these 4 times this month already! My family and friends keep requesting them! If you haven’t tried these yet, what are you doing with your life?!?
Melissa
I am so glad that your family and friends have enjoyed these, Hannah. Thank you for leaving your review!
Emily
I made these for a family get together. It was a hit!! I used flax egg instead of the eggs as my sister has an allergy, but it turned out amazing!! Warmed up with a scoop of ice cream, this was a hit!
Melissa
That is great to hear Emily, I am glad that you were able to adjust for your sister to enjoy too! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review for us.
gage
i used salted butter and didn’t have the correct pan but they still turned out amazing, had two people break their diets for it
Melissa
Glad to hear that they came out amazing, Gage!
Natasha
i made these a few weeks ago and my family loved them and the whole thing was gone by the next day. the only thing i found is that even though i used butter i found them still to be fairly greasy l. i will however try to make them again as i said they were a bit hit with my family and really quick to make
Melissa
Hi Natasha! So glad your family loved them! If your dough was pretty wet, feel free to add a little more flour (maybe 1-2 tablespoons). The biggest culprit to the bars being greasy is if the butter was too hot when you added it (although some brands of butter are also naturally greasier than others). Hope that helps - let me know how they turn out if you make them again!
Ginneh Underwood
Super easy recipe to follow and soooo freaking delicious
Melissa
Glad you found the recipe easy to follow Ginneh!
Judy
My new go-to for a group. I cut it one size smaller to set out bite-sized on a platter. The last two times I browned the butter first ( how have I JUST started doing that!) great recipe, thanks so much!!
Melissa
Thank you Judy for taking the time to leave a review, I am glad that you have enjoyed them so much.
Olivia Pattillo
My cookies fell a little when cooling. Super easy recipe to put together. I added semi sweet chips and Reese’s peanut butter chips! Made these for the May baking challenge.
Melissa
I am glad that you were able to customize these Olivia! If they weren't totally cooled, they can tend to fall apart a bit. Thank you for leaving a review!
Nikki K
My entire family plus our babysitter loved these bars. I will definitely be making these again.
Melissa
So glad that your family enjoyed the cookie bars! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Nikki!
Leslie
Super easy to make and they come out so soft and yummy!
Melissa
I am glad that you found these easy to make Leslie! Thank you for leaving your review.
Sara Wittman
Delicious and Easy, the two best things about baking! This recipe will definitely become a staple at my house.
Melissa
So glad you loved them, Sara! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review - I appreciate it so much!
Lauren Gaar
Five stars isn’t enough. This easy recipe was a hit and sooo delish!
Melissa
So glad you loved it, Lauren. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Nickcol
So delicious and chewy:)
Melissa
So glad that you enjoyed them Nickcol! Thank you for leaving a review, I appreciate it!
Jen
So good and SO much easier than cookies. One bowl, no mixer and no scooping is exactly what I have time for these days.
Melissa
So glad that you enjoyed them Jen, and thank you for taking time to leave a review!
Heather
I made these this morning and just cut them up. They are definitely gooey they whole way through. Almost way under cooked. I baked mine for 18 and the top had perfect color.
I will definitely make these again but I will have to adjust my baking time significantly to even look like the bar in the pictures when cut.
Melissa
Hi Heather! Happy to help you troubleshoot. a) Did you use a light metal pan or glass? b) It sounds like your oven may run cool if they were that underbaked after the recommended baking time. My oven naturally runs 25-30 degrees hot if I don't catch it (which would cause the top to look done and the center not), so I highly recommend an internal oven temperature! They're about $4 on amazon and may be worth getting!
Destiny
It was absolutely delicious and 10/10 going to make again❤️❤️
Chanise
These are absolutely delicious! A big hit with the kids and the husband. Along with the chocolate chips I added some chopped pecans to give them a nice crunch.
Norah
wow made this recipe (half choc chips half crispy m&ms). so simple and quick!! they were gone before i could cut myself a slice and i’ve only received compliments about it. Definitely becoming a go to for all celebrations!!
Leah Peterson
Made these for the May challenge! Amazing as always!
Melissa
Thank you for participating in the Baking Challenge Leah, and for leaving your review!
Jess
Also, oops, I forgot to mention that I made these as part of the May baking challenge!
Melissa
Thank you for leaving a review and participating in the baking challenge Jess!
Jess
I made these this evening, and they were absolutely everything I want in a cookie bar. My oven needed the full 18 minutes, and I tend to measure chocolate chips with my heart. Also added m&m's to the dough, and I highly recommend doing so.
The bars are soft, chewy, and are a perfect alternative to chocolate chip cookies. They would be amazing served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Melissa
Measuring with your heart is a great approach Jess! Glad to hear that you enjoyed them and customized a bit too!