Skip the scooping and make your chocolate chip cookies in a pan instead! These buttery, soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars require no mixer, no chilling, and no fuss. Recipe includes a how to video.
Chocolate Chip Cookies, the Lazy Way
These chocolate chip cookie bars are the dessert you’re looking for when you’re having a lazy day and are in need of a cookie fix. When you’re craving all the goodness of a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie, but can’t muster the energy to whip out the electric mixer, let alone the patience to scoop and rotate baking sheets.
With no mixer, no chilling, and no scooping, these chocolate chip cookie bars are your perfect lazy-day dessert. They’re just as soft, chewy, buttery, and delicious as their cookie counterparts, but they take a fraction of the time to prepare.
Whether you’re in need a quick sugar fix, a last-minute party or potluck dish, or you just don’t have the energy to scoop a single cookie, I’ve got you covered. Let’s get right to it.
What You Need
As we’ve already established, making perfectly chewy cookie bars isn’t as simple as dropping a regular cookie dough recipe in a pan. Instead, you want a dough that’s designed to be enjoyed in bar form. Here’s how to make it:
- Melted butter. Melted butter (rather than softened) coats every molecule of the cookie dough for the best, buttery taste. Just remember to let it cool for a few minutes before adding it!
- Light brown sugar + granulated sugar. We’ll use more brown sugar than white for more moisture (softer cookie bars!) and better flavor.
- Eggs + an extra yolk. I added an extra egg yolk for chewier, more tender cookie bars.
- Flour. Use your average all-purpose flour here.
- Cornstarch. This is my secret ingredient for soft baked goods! Cornstarch also prevents the cookie bars from being too cakey–after all, they are cookie bars, not cake bars.
- Baking powder. This recipe uses less leaveners than your average chocolate chip cookie since the cookie bars are contained in a pan.
- Vanilla + salt. Because you can’t have flavorful chocolate chip cookies without these two!
- Chocolate chips. My preference is to use semisweet chips, but if want to use another kind, feel free.
If you’re like me, you might also want to grab some vanilla ice cream to serve alongside these bars while they’re warm. Or, you can let them cool and eat them cookie-style too!
SAM’S TIP: I like to reserve a handful of chocolate chips for sprinkling on top of the bars just before baking. This ensures that the tops of the bars will have a perfectly studded surface!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Combine the cooled butter and sugars. Add your eggs and vanilla and stir until everything is combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough into a parchment lined baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F. Let the bars cool slightly before cutting and serving.
SAM’S TIP: This recipe can be made in a 9×13 or 9×9 pan. I prefer using a 9×9 because it results in thicker, chewier bars. If you make yours in a 9×13, the bars will need to bake about 5-10 minutes less.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This dough will keep in the refrigerator for several days. Just make sure to cover it tightly.
This cookie dough is designed to be baked in a baking pan and is not ideal for making actual cookies. If you tried to scoop and bake this dough, you would end up with cookie pancakes that spread all over your cookie sheet! Try my popular chocolate chip cookies instead! 😊
Yes! Just add them in when you add the chocolate chips. Use approximately 1-1 ½ cups of coarsely chopped nuts. Pecans or walnuts are great options!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter melted and then cooled for at least 5 minutes
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (285 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a 9×9" (23x23cm) pan (see note) by lining with parchment paper (or lightly grease and flour).
- Combine melted (cooled) butter and sugars in a large bowl, stir well.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.2 ¼ cups (285 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips.2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake on 350F (175C) for 35 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden brown.
- Allow to cool before cutting and serving (don’t cool too long, though — these are amazing when served still slightly warm!)
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. These cookie bars may also be frozen.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Riza
Your 1st recipe I tried was pizza dough. 2nd was Blondie & now this.. All a hit! Description easy to follow. Love the taste. The smell during baking wafted through the whole house and until my main door. that guests coming in knew something delicious is in the oven.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you’re loving everything so far, Riza! ❤️
Ritz
I made these in a 9×13 glass pan – baked at 325 for 40 minutes and they were perfectly golden. Substituted peanut butter chips for half the chocolate chips. Perfection!
Jan Marie
Love this recipe. It is such a good base, that we have been making oh so many variations. Note that we substitute Truvia brown sugar. It makes the bars sweeter but does lower the carbs a bit.
Espresso Bars: Hands down favorite at work. You can skip your morning coffee. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of instant coffee powder and substitute espresso chips for chocolate chips.
Chocolate/chocolate Bars: Add 3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa.
Oatmeal/Raisin Bars: Add 2 cups of regular oatmeal (not instant or steel cut) and substitute 1 cup of raisins for the chocolate chips.
Peanut Butter Bars: Add 5 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter and 1/4 cup peanuts. Replace half of the vanilla with almond extract. Leave out the chocolate chips.
Sam
I love all of your alterations! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them so much. 🙂
Mo Qui
These are perfect! I followed the recipe exactly, used a 9×9 with parchment paper. There is just the 2 of us and he doesn’t have a sweet tooth, so I stuck these in the freezer and grab one when I feel like it. They don’t take long to thaw which is good because I prefer them thawed to room temp then microwaved. Microwaved alters the texture.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like the bars! Thanks for coming back to leave a review ❤
Jacqueline
do you get 24 bars from the 9×13 pan if so, would the 9×9 give 12 bars ty am going to try to make these for the 1st time. Just found this site.
Sam
Hi Jacqueline! I’m sorry for the confusion here. This was an older recipe that I failed to update how many servings it makes. Typically if I make it in a 9 x 13 I will cut it into 6 pieces by 4 giving me 24 pieces. They are a little bit smaller than pictured. It really depends how big you want to make the cookie bars. I hope that helps and I hope you love them! 🙂
Cavet Smith
I halved the recipe in hopes it would be easier to get the middle ones done in my 8×8 pan. I remembered to add corn starch this time lol. They are cooling on the counter and smell wonderful! Thank you again
Cavet
First time making cookie bars. So easy and delicious! Oops I forgot to add cornstarch but they still turned out great! Thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy they still turned out for you! Enjoy ❤
Mindy
I just made these and I used semi sweet, milk, butterscotch & white chocolate chips and chopped pecans. I baked them in a jelly roll pan and cut back the baking time a little to accommodate. Also, I was out of unsalted butter so I used salted but cut the added salt in half and YUMMY they turned out amazing!
Pan
I’m just curious, is there a reason you decided not to incorporate maple syrup into this recipe? I really loved the use of it for the cookie version!
Sam
I just decided to go a more traditional route here. It would probably be tasty though. 🙂
Jasmine
I use this website a lot, and I’m never disappointed. You might want to specify that its a square 9×9 pan because I tried it with a circle one the first time, and it was half the size it was meant to be(the inside was raw, the outside was burned). Also, the grease in your madeleine recipie works on everything! I used it on this and I turned the pan upside down and it popped right out.
Samantha
Maybe a silly question, but would mini chocolate chips work well here? It’s all I got and I want cookies!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes, absolutely! Enjoy 😊
Dan
I don’t like changing recipes, but for a more sugar free version I was wondering if you could use allulose or monk fruit vs brown sugar and white sugar?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Dan! Without trying it ourselves, we can’t say for sure how it would go 🙁
Tina
I just made these and they are PERFECT! Easy and quick to make and sooooo yummy! Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you liked them, Tina! Enjoy 😊
Stefanie
Could you make these with red and green M&Ms instead of chocolate chips?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Raul Punzal
If i use a 7×11 pan for the recipe, what adjustments do i make. thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Raul! It will probably be easiest to halve the recipe–but just know your bars will likely turn out thinner than pictured. Enjoy! 😊