The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Ever

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars ever are soft, chewy, easy and loaded with chocolate. You only need one bowl and 30 minutes for this easy recipe!

I am so excited to post this easy dessert recipe! I made these awesome chewy chocolate chip cookie bars for the first time yesterday, and today, they are practically gone. This is one time I can’t blame it on the kids. These tasty treats were calling to me all day–one of the hazards of working from home!

Probably the reason I am so excited about these easy cookie bars is the recipe turned out to be absolutely perfect, and I rarely get that when I do anything for the first time. For this version, I tweaked a basic cookie bar recipe until I thought it would suit our tastes, and we definitely have a new favorite!

The wonderful thing about making bar cookies is they are so much faster to make than regular cookies. As much as we love our favorite chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie bars are easier.

You can make the dough in one bowl, cook it in one pan, and you’ve got the best chocolate chip cookie bars ever in about 30 minutes. This recipe was originally published when I first started blogging, but has now been updated!

How to make the best chewy chocolate chip cookie bars

Start out by melting one half cup of butter. I prefer salted, no matter what the experts say. The other neat thing about this recipe is you can make the entire batch in one large microwavable bowl–my kind of cooking!

Just melt the butter in the microwave, and then add a combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar, and stir until it looks like this.

Then, add two eggs, one at a time, and beat well after you add each egg. Add some vanilla extract, and then add 2 cups of white flour, salt and two teaspoons of baking powder. The dough is stiff, but this is normal.

At this point I added 2 teaspoons of cinnamon–I just love this stuff! I used slightly more than one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and stirred them into the dough.

It looks like a lot of chocolate chips, but trust me, it’s not. Can you ever really have too many chocolate chips? Press the mixture into a 9×13 metal baking pan lined with parchment paper, and pop it into the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. The bars will be soft, so use a toothpick to test if they are done. The center is supposed to be nice and gooey. For extra sparkle, you can add a sprinkle of sugar crystals.

They’re warm, soft, gooey and very chocolatey. You may think it can’t get any better, but the next day, they are even more amazing–trust me. Unlike regular chocolate chip cookies, the bar cookies stay very soft and chewy in the inside.

They are also super quick to make, so if you’re short on time, this is the bar cookie for you! We only had the patience to let them cool slightly. We couldn’t wait anymore.

Can you bake cookie bars in a glass pan?

Yes, but you’ll want to lower the oven temperature to 325 for even baking since the sides tend to cook faster than the center. I’ve baked with both metal and glass pans, and the metal pans work much better.

Can  you turn any cookie recipe into a bar cookie?

You can generally convert most drop cookie recipes into cookie bar recipes. You just have to increase the baking time to about 25 minutes to 30 minutes.

And for the holidays, top the bars with seasonal candies. These are perfect for easy holiday desserts or cookie exchanges.

The best easy chocolate chip cookie bars recipe

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Ever

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars ever are soft, chewy, easy to make and loaded with chocolate. You only need one bowl and 30 minutes for this easy bar cookies recipe! 

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cookie bars recipe, The best chocolate chip cookie bars ever

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 16

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Dee

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• Add the butter to a large mixing bowl, and melt in microwave. 
• Add the brown sugar and white sugar, and mix until well combined.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg is added. Mix in the cinnamon and vanilla., 
• Gradually add flour, one cup at a time, and mix well. Add sea salt and baking powder, and mix until well combined
• Stir in chocolate chips, and press mixture evenly into a parchment paper lined metal baking pan. Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired
• Bake for 25 minutes or until cookie bars are light golden brown, center is set and toothpick inserted into center is fairly clean. Bars will be slightly soft, so don't overbake
• remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then lift parchment paper up, and cool completely on counter or metal rack
• Slice into squares, and store in an airtight container

Nutrition

Serving: 16g | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 102mg | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 4.1% | Calcium: 4.8% | Iron: 5.7%

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I hope you enjoy these amazing best chocolate chip cookie bars as much as we do!