Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

All the deliciousness of a chocolate chip cookie in quicker and easier to make bars. These cookie bars whip up so quickly and bake up with a soft and gooey middle and crisp and chewy edges. You don't need to worry about scooping out individual cookies and there's no chance of overspreading - simply drop the dough into a baking pan and be on your way to cookie paradise!

how to make chocolate chip cookie bars

Making chocolate chip cookie bars is an incredibly easy process - and I use the word "process" VERY loosely.

These bars start out with melted butter that's whisked together with both sugars. For the butter, you can use it right away (no need to wait for it to cool down). One of the biggest advantages to baking cookie dough in a pan is that you don't have to worry about overspreading. So using hot butter won't create problems for the cookies!

If anything, I kind of prefer to use the butter while it's still hot. It not only saves time, but it partially melts the sugars and gives these cookie bars an almost brownie like density and fudginess that's just SO GOOD.

After the butter and sugars are combined, the remaining wet ingredients are whisked into the dough - so that's just an egg, vanilla, and some milk. The dry ingredients are then dropped into the bowl followed by the chocolate chips. The dough is then ready to pack into your baking pan and bake!

When making the cookie dough, there are 3 main tips you should keep in mind:

1. Measuring the flour: Whenever possible, it's always best to use a food scale to measure flour to ensure you have the right amount. If you prefer to use cups, don't scoop the measuring cup directly into the bag of flour. This can pack it in and will leave you with more weight worth of flour. Instead, use a spoon to scoop spoonfuls into your measuring cup so it's loosely packed and won't dry out the dough.
2. Room temperature egg: I mentioned above that you don't need to let the melted butter cool before using, so that just leaves the egg. It's important to use a room temperature egg so it doesn't cause the butter to clump up when they're mixed together. A quick and easy trick to bring the egg up to room temperature is to submerge it (shell on) in some warm tap water for 5-10 minutes. It should be perfect to use afterwards! The milk doesn't really matter because we're using so little of it - it can just be straight from the fridge.
3. Mixing the dough: For an extra tender and chewy cookie, avoid overmixing the cookie dough once the flour is added in. Overmixing will overwork the gluten in the flour and this is usually what causes desserts to bake up tough and flat. After the dry ingredients are added into the wet ingredients, stop right before the flour is fully combined (when there are still a few small streaks) then fold in the chocolate chips. As you mix in the chocolate chips, the streaks will disappear and leave you with a perfectly mixed dough!

baking chocolate chip cookie bars

To tell when the cookies are ready to come out of the oven, the edges should be lightly browned and the whole surface should no longer appear wet. The cookie should also be evenly puffed. You can customize how much you bake these cookie bars - slightly underbake for a gooier cookie or slightly overbake for something a bit cakier and firm!

milk in cookie dough

Adding a splash of milk into the cookie dough really takes these bars to the next level. The milk makes the cookie bars a little extra moist, soft, and chewy. It's kind of like adding an additional egg yolk but without having to worry about what to do with the leftover egg white. It's such a simple addition but it makes for a cookie bar that feels extra special and like something you'd find in a bakery.

serving cookie bars

These cookie bars can be served warm for a gooier treat or room temperature for a fully set cookie. Just don't try to pull the cookie out of the pan while it's still hot or it may break! Let it cool until it's just ever so slightly warm or fully cooled before slicing and serving.

But if you DO want a super warm cookie, you can serve these bars straight from the pan while they're still hot - but it will be messy! I would personally use a spoon in that case to scoop out portions... because trying to cut slices won't be very pretty.

FAQs

Can I use light brown sugar instead of dark?
The dark brown sugar makes for a more moist and chewy cookie, so if you can, I'd recommend sticking to it. That being said, light brown sugar will still work in a pinch!

Can I scoop and bake this dough like a regular cookie?
This cookie dough is a tiny bit too soft so the cookies will likely overspread. You can make my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe instead (this recipe was adapted from it!)

Can I bake these bars in a 9x9" pan?
Unfortunately, they'll be a bit too thin in a 9" pan.

Can I make the cookie dough in advance?
Yes! Prep the cookie dough then pack it into your pan. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. You may just need to bake them for up to 5 minutes longer if the cookie dough is cold.

How do I store these bars?
Cool the bars completely to room temperature then cover tightly or keep stored in an airtight container. These cookie bars will keep for about 4 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge.

Can you reheat the bars?
Absolutely! If you want a warm cookie bar, heat it in a preheated 350F oven for about 3-5 minutes or until warmed to your liking. Make sure to only heat however many bars you plan on serving - they'll dry out if you try to reheat them more than once.

check out these other bar recipes!

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
• Cheesecake Bars
• Nutella Cheesecake Bars
• Brown Butter Brownies
• Tiramisu Brownies
• Ooey Gooey Magic Bars

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

Print

Enjoy!

---