chocolate chip cookie bars

chocolate chip cookie bars elevate a timeless favourite by mixing rich, melty chocolate chips with the indulgent texture of a thick, chewy bar. perfect for sharing (or not), these cookie bars are a hit for their simplicity and that classic chocolate chip cookie flavour that everyone loves.

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these chocolate chip cookie bars blend the unmistakeable charm of a classic chocolate chip cookie into a satisfyingly chewy base. baked to golden perfection, these cookie bars merge the warmth of melty milk chocolate with a tender, moist interior. their simplicity is their strength – perfect for anyone looking for a classic treat without any fuss.

why you will love this chocolate chip cookie bar recipe:

• easy one-bowl recipe: this chocolate chip cookie bar recipe keeps things simple with only one bowl needed for mixing the dough, cutting down on cleanup and prep time.

• bars over cookies – if you don’t have the patience for chilling cookie dough, and then shaping and scooping individual cookies, then this recipe is for you! just mix up your dough, put it in the oven and bake.

• customisable – while these chocolate chip cookie bars are delicious all on their own, you can easily customise them to your preference with a number of different mix-ins. swap chocolate chips for nuts, sprinkles, chocolate bar pieces or swirls of caramel. you could even make a cheesecake filling and bake chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars. anything goes with these cookie bars.

• perfect for sharing – while i could probably eat this whole pan of cookie bars by myself, the bar format makes it easy to cut these up in slices to share. great for when you need to bring a sweet treat to gatherings, family dinners or picnics.

how to make chocolate chip cookie bars from scratch:

to make these chocolate chip cookie bars from scratch, we’re going to start off by melting butter and mixing it with sugar. add an egg, vanilla, and dry ingredients to make a dough, then load it up with chocolate chips or chopped chocolate pieces. bake until golden brown and chewy and we’re done!

ingredients you will need:

• butter – i like to use pure, salted butter for these chocolate chip cookie bars. the salt balances out the sweetness perfectly. you are welcome to use unsalted butter as well, but i would recommend adding a little bit of salt to the dry ingredients to balance out the flavours.

• brown sugar – i’m using light brown soft sugar for this recipe. this is what helps gives these cookie bars their soft, chewy texture and gives them a nice flavour.

• granulated sugar – this recipe uses a mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar. i find that this combination makes these cookie bars the perfect mix of chewy and thick.

• vanilla extract – optional, but will add a nice, subtle vanilla flavour.

• egg – this recipe only uses one egg

• flour – we’ll be using plain flour/all purpose flour for this recipe

• baking powder and baking soda – for these cookie bars, we’re going to use a mix of baking powder and baking soda – this will increase chewiness but also give them a bit of rise.

• chocolate – the best thing about these chocolate chip cookie bars is that they’re loaded with chocolate. i like to chop up a bar of milk or dark chocolate when i make these because i love the pools of melty chocolate, but if you want to go for a more classic chocolate chip cookie feel, chocolate chips will also work great.

tools:

• large mixing bowl – since these chocolate chip cookie bars are made in one bowl, you’ll need a large bowl to fit all of the ingredients in so that it’s easier to mix and handle the cookie dough.

• 8×8 inch baking tray – this cookie bar recipe is made specifically for an 8×8 inch baking tray. using a different size of tray will affect the baking times for these cookie bars so bear that in mind.

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: preheat your oven and line a baking tray with baking paper/parchment paper.

step two: in a large mixing bowl, add butter. put this in the microwave and melt in 30 second intervals, stirring in between every 30 seconds until the butter has melted completely.

step three: once the butter has melted, add brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix those in until the sugar has dissolved in the warm butter.

step four: once the butter and sugar mixture has cooled slightly, add egg and vanilla extract and mix those in. make sure the mixture is not too hot before adding the egg.

step five: add flour, baking powder and baking soda to the egg mixture. gently fold the mixture in, make sure not to over mix at this stage.

step six: once the flour has been folded in, the dough should be thick and sticky.

step six: add chocolate to the mixture and fold that in.

step seven: add all of the mixture to the baking tray that you lined earlier. spread it out into a thick layer.

step eight: top the cookie bar dough with more chocolate pieces/chocolate chips. then, press these into the dough so that they’re not just sitting on the top.

step nine: bake for 18-22 mins until the chocolate chip cookie bars look crispy and golden brown. they should be too soft to pick once out of the oven, so let them cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing and picking up.

step ten: slice up your cookie bars, and let’s eat!

tips and notes

• if you plan to melt the butter in the microwave, make sure to melt in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. melting it in the microwave for a minute straight without any breaks can make the butter explode in the microwave. you can also melt the butter on the stove, in which case this would no longer be a one-bowl recipe.

• you can easily elevate these chocolate chip cookie bars by browning the butter instead of just melting it. i did not brown the butter for this recipe since i wanted to keep these cookie bars simple and classic, but if you’re looking for something a little bit fancier, browning the butter will give your chocolate chip cookie bars an extra toasted, nutty flavour.

• when it comes to adding the dry ingredients and the chocolate, be careful not to over mix. gently fold these ingredients in as too much mixing can cause cakey cookie bars.

• once you melt the butter and add the sugars, mix, and then set this aside to cool slightly. a butter and sugar mixture that’s too hot might cook your egg and melt your chocolate once you add them in.

• make to use a room temperature egg, as this will combine with the rest of the ingredients better.

• if you decide to add extra chocolate on top of your cookie bar dough before baking, press the chocolate into your dough slightly so that it’s not just sitting on top.

• once your chocolate chip cookie bars are out of the oven, they should be too soft to pick up. let them cool for a good 10-15 minutes before slicing up and lifting out of the tray. they should still be soft and gooey, just easier to hold and pick up.

• alternatively, if you want to eat these cookie bars warm with some ice cream, straight out of the pan (my preferred way of eating these cookie bars), then that’s also an option! no need for waiting, just add ice cream and dig in. the cold ice cream works so well with the warm, chewy cookie packed with melty pools of chocolate.

frequently asked questions

1. do i have to use brown sugar to make these chocolate chip cookie bars?

   – you absolutely don’t have to use brown sugar in this cookie bar recipe, but i would highly recommend it. cookie bars made with all granulated sugar will still be delicious, but they won’t be as chewy. they might slightly drier and have a bit of a cakey texture to them. the brown sugar also helps give these cookie bars a lovely golden brown colour that an all granulated sugar cookie bar wouldn’t have.

2. can i use unsalted butter in this chocolate chip cookie bar recipe?

   – yes, you can use unsalted butter. if you use unsalted butter for your cookie bars instead of salted, i would recommend adding around 1/4 tsp of salt to the cookie dough with the rest of the dry ingredients just to balance out the sweetness of the cookie bars.

3. do i have to use vanilla extract to make these chocolate chip cookie bars?

   – the vanilla extract in this cookie bar recipe is optional. i like the subtle vanilla flavour it gives to the cookie dough, but if you would prefer not to use it or don’t have it, that’s also completely fine.

4. my chocolate doesn’t melt, how do i get the melted pools of chocolate in my cookie bars?

   – use chopped up chocolate in your cookie bars over chocolate chips if you’re looking for pools of chocolate. chocolate chips often come with stabilisers and emulsifiers that help them keep their shape, so they are actually designed not to melt in the oven. for the perfect combination of chewy bite and melty chocolate, you could even use a mix of both chocolate chips and chopped chocolate in these cookie bars.

5. why did my chocolate chip cookie bars turn into a cake instead of gooey like yours?

   – there are a number of reasons why your chocolate chip cookie bars didn’t come out gooey like mine. the number one reason is likely because of baking times. you should take your cookie bars out of the oven while they are slightly underbaked as they will continue to cook and firm up as they cool. even if you followed the exact timings in the recipe, every oven will bake things differently so timings will vary depending on your oven. i highly recommend checking on your cookie bars every once in a while, especially towards the end of the written times to make sure they don’t overbake.

6. do i have to bake these chocolate chip cookie bars in an 8×8 inch tray?

   – you don’t have to bake these cookie bars in an 8×8 inch tray but bear in mind that changing tray size will have an impact on baking times. adding the same amount of dough to a bigger, shallow tray means it will cook quicker so the baking times written in the recipe won’t apply, and you will have to take them out earlier than written.

7. can i double this chocolate chip cookie bar recipe?

   – yes, you can double the recipe. if you decide to make a double batch of these cookie bars, then you will need bake them in something bigger like a 9×13 tray. note that doubling the recipe means the doubling the ingredients only. this doesn’t mean that you double the baking times – just bake them for slightly longer.

8. how do i store these chocolate chip cookie bars?

   – you can store these cookie bars in a container and place in the fridge for up to 1 week.

recipe