These extra soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars are incredibly easy to make. No dough chilling or rolling into balls required! Sprinkle with sea salt for a little something extra.
Taste testers gave these chocolate chip cookie bars a stamp of approval—and I’m so glad because this dough makes my favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies, too. We’re talking the softest, chewiest, thickest chocolate chip cookies to ever come out of my oven.
And if you can believe it, baking chocolate chip cookies as cookie bars transforms them into something even better. Plus, we don’t have to chill the cookie dough and we don’t need to roll the dough into individual cookies. So they’re homemade soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, only easier to prepare. A lazy gal’s cookie if you will.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Dense and buttery
- Extra chewy and extra soft
- Just like chocolate chip cookies, but they don’t spread
- 100x easier than making cookies—no individual cookie dough rolling
- No electric mixer needed
- A quick no chill cookie recipe
- Can be easily doubled for a larger pan
- Topped with sea salt for a little something extra
- Still soft and chewy on days 2 and 3 (if they last that long!)
Ingredients For Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
If you’ve tried my beloved chewy chocolate chip cookies, you’re already familiar with the ease of this recipe. We’re using the same cookie recipe, just baking them as bars. Here’s what you need:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this recipe.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps these bars rise as they bake.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch gives the cookie bars that ultra soft consistency we all know and love. Plus, it helps keep them wonderfully thick.
- Salt: Salt adds flavor.
- Butter: Use melted butter in this recipe for the chewiest cookie bars. Because we use melted butter, there’s no need to get out your mixer.
- Sugar: I like to use a mix of brown sugar and white granulated sugar this recipe. More brown sugar than white granulated sugar promises an extra soft and chewy cookie bar because there’s more moisture in brown sugar.
- Egg & Egg Yolk: 1 egg binds everything together and 1 extra egg yolk adds richness and chewiness.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds flavor. If you have any homemade vanilla extract, use that!
- Chocolate Chips: 1 cup of chocolate chips ensures tons of melty chocolate in each bite. Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, try using dark, milk, or even white chocolate chips. Or swap half of the chocolate chips for M&Ms like we do in these soft M&M cookie bars.
9-Inch Pan of Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
After you prepare the cookie dough, press it into a baking pan. There’s no risk of cookie spreading with this recipe because the edges of the pan completely contain the cookies from overspreading. I love that.
- By the way, if you’re ever having spreading issues with your regular cookies, here are my top 10 tips for how to prevent cookies from spreading.
One batch of these chocolate chip cookie bars fits perfectly into a 9-inch square pan. I love using this size of pan because it yields a nice, manageable batch—about 16 super thick bars. If you want a larger batch, double the recipe and bake the bars in a 9×13-inch pan. (See recipe note.)
Baker’s Tip: I like to line my baking pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper. This way, you can lift the entire cookie bar mass out then easily cut into squares. Also makes for quick clean up! I do the same when making rice krispie treats, too.
How to Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Homemade chocolate chip cookie bars freeze beautifully so they’re a great make-ahead dessert option. Follow these instructions and no one will know they aren’t freshly baked the day you serve them:
- Bake and cool the cookie bars.
- Slice the bars into squares. If you lined your baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, simply pull the slab of bars out of the pan, place onto a cutting board, and cut into squares.
- Layer the bars between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. The parchment paper ensures that the bars don’t stick to each other and that the tops of the cookie bars stay intact.
- Thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
More Cookie Bar Flavors
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- S’mores Cookie Bars
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Magic Cookie Bars
- M&M Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cookie and Brownie Bars
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 16 bars
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
No mixer required and there’s no waiting for cookie dough to chill with these soft & chewy chocolate chip cookie bars!
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional: sprinkle of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan when cool. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be thick. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until combined. The dough will be very soft, yet thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. The chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
- Transfer dough to the prepared baking pan and press/smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with sea salt if desired. Also, I like to press a few more chocolate chips on top of the dough before baking (I do this just for looks!). Bake for 32-35 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. Use a toothpick to test for doneness; if it comes out clean from the center of the pan, the bars are done.
- Allow the bars to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least an hour. Once relatively cool, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to come to room temperature and continue with step 4. Baked cookie bars freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- 9×13-inch Pan: You can double this recipe to fit into a 9×13-inch baking pan. The bars will take longer to cook through, about 40 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I made this in an 8×8 pan with 6 extra cookies. Baked it around 25-30 minutes, I used convection oven so the temp is 325F.
Made these yesterday and it was a hit. I added a bit of sea salt on top and only baked for 30 minutes to make sure it won’t dry out. Came out with a light crisp on top and very soft and chewy middle. The texture even stayed the same the next day. I love that it’s a fast alternative to Sally’s soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies
Didn’t work with Earth Balance. Had to toss the whole thing.
The Nutella version of these (add about 1/4 cup crushed/finely chopped hazelnuts and 1/2-2/3 cup Nutella to batter, then sprinkle top with coarsely chopped hazelnuts and bake) were SO wildly popular I barely had any to myself. TONIGHT we’re going to add 1/2 c mini choc chips, 1/2 cup regular sized semi-sweet chips, 2/3 cup coconut (sweetened) and 2/3 cup sliced almonds. I will report back!!
Love the recipe but this site’s layer upon layer upon layer of ads is almost too much. It makes me want to find another recipe site.
Hi There. I have been making this recipe for a while now and have loved it. But, lately my cookie bars haven’t been cooking properly in the middle, All the outside edges are cooked correctly. I don’t know what I am doing wrong! Please help! I have ensured butter is not too hot, eggs are room temp and have tried changing my oven to normal bake (not fanbake) but nothing seems to help. What else could it be?
Hi Pip, it’s normal for the bars to sink a little in the middle. If the toothpick came out clean, they should be done and will continue to solidify as they cool. For next time, if you find they still need a bit of extra time in the oven but are starting to brown on top, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking. We’re glad these are a favorite for you!
Sadly, 40 minutes was way too long a bake time for a double batch.
Hi Sarah, every oven can be a bit different, so if you wish to make these again in the future, be sure to keep a close eye on them and feel free to decrease the bake time a bit. Thank you for giving these a try!
Great recipe!! I doubled it and used a 9×13 pan. I made these for my great granddaughters so I cut them kind of small and they were perfect. I did add walnuts.
Hi! We LOVE these bars! Thanks very much for the recipe. Our daughter is visiting and asked whether I can incorporate some oatmeal into them. Your thoughts please? Thank you!
Hi Jackie, we recommend using the dough from our chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies instead for cookie bars. A 9×13 inch pan would be best. We’re unsure of the exact bake time.
I couldn’t find my 9×9 inch pan (it was in the freezer with the lemon cheesecake in it!) so I baked it in a 9 inch round. It looked like a big cookie, but no complaints from the crowd. I would like to say that trying to stir it together by hand was quite challenging and I ended up dumping it into the mixer. Too many bowls to wash, but it was tasty.
Hi, I want to try this recipe for the first time but I only have an 8×8 pan would the baking time change significantly?
Hi Brittany, this is a bit too much dough for an 8-inch pan. You could fill your pan about half way, then use the leftover dough for a few cookies on the side. Hope you enjoy it!
Loved the flavor and bars tested done with clean toothpick but bars sank in middle and were under cooked. I had increased oven temperature by 5 degrees as my oven seems to run low and baked 32 minutes. What did I do wrong?
Hi Pam, it’s normal for the bars to sink a little in the middle. If the toothpick came out clean, they should be done and will continue to solidify as they cool. For next time, if you find they still need a bit of extra time in the oven but are starting to brown on top, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking. Thanks for giving these a try!
I have made this 2 times. Comes out very dry. What did I do wrong??!!
Hi Joan, Make sure you don’t over-bake them, which quickly dries the cookie bars out.
I baked the first batch for 33 minutes and then the second batch for 25 minutes. I have a thermometer in my oven so I know the temperature was correct. Any other ideas? Thank you!
Hi Joan, how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured. Too much flour can soak up all the wet ingredients and make the cookies/bars overly dry.
Yes I measure the flour using a scale. Mine look just like your pictures. ♀️
I love these chocolate chip bars! I sprinkled them with Maldon salt. So good. I have a tip to share that works for me! Parchment paper becomes much easier to work with if you first wet it under running water and then wring it out well and give it a vigorous shake to open it back up. The damp paper molds to the baking pan. Since lining the pan is one of the first steps, the parchment should be dry by the time you add your batter to the pan.
This is such a great bar!! If I want to make it in a 9×13 pan, so would you suggest I double your measurements? Thank you!
Hi Lisa, You can double this recipe to fit into a 9×13-inch baking pan. The bars will take longer to cook through, about 40 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Are there any substitutes for the cornstarch?
Hi Nwando, you can leave it out in a pinch. The bars will still be plenty soft.
I am always looking for a good bar cookie recipe because I get a little impatient with drop cookies! Made this for the first time today. I wasn’t sure whether to spray the aluminum foil but I did just to be on the safe side. Definitely a THICK batter/dough and handling it was interesting. I decided to do the last bit with my hands, and it worked fabulously for incorporating the chips! Then I just plopped it into the pan and pressed it in evenly. I like the smaller size but will try doubling it the next time.
I have tried baking these normally AND adding 3/4 cup (rough measure) Adam’s PB and some mini PB M&Ms to them with FANTASTIC results and today I’m going to attempt them with some hazelnuts and Nutella in additional to everything else. I’m excited!
This is now my go to recipe when I want cookies in a hurry.