Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These chocolate chip cookie bars bake up thick, chewy, and packed with pockets of melted semisweet chocolate in every bite. An easy, one bowl, one pan, no mixer recipe that comes together in no time, when you’re craving chocolate chip cookies.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
If you’re ready to cut loose, these chewy chocolate chip cookie bars are here to kick off the baking fun.
Thick, chewy, and studded with melty semisweet chocolate chips, they bake up in one pan—no scooping, no chilling, just pure chocolate chip goodness.
The edges bake up golden and crisp while the centers stay soft and gooey, which is honestly enough to make anyone want to kick off their Sunday shoes.
One bite and you’ll understand why these bars make it feel like almost paradise for cookie lovers. So go on—everybody cut, everybody cut, these chocolate chip cookie bars.
If chocolate chips are your spirit ingredient, check out my classic chocolate chip cookies, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, and red velvet chocolate chip cookies.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe: An easy recipe with simple steps using ingredients you may already have on hand.
- No fuss: All you need is one bowl and one pan. No mixer or chilling required.
- Perfect cookie texture: Golden, crisp edges with soft and chewy centers.
- Packed with chocolate: Semisweet chocolate chips packed into every bite.
- Quick chocolate chip fix: Satisfies cookie cravings fast without the scooping or waiting—just mix, bake, slice, and enjoy.
Recipe Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – Melted.
- Dark brown sugar – Substitute with light brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda + salt
- Semisweet chocolate chips – Substitute with your favorite chocolate chips or use chopped chocolate.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Make the cookie dough.
Fold in the semisweet chocolate chips.
Spread the cookie dough into a prepared 8×8 inch baking pan.
Press additional chocolate chips in the cookie dough.
Bake and cool the cookie bars.
Cut the cookie bars into squares.
Courtney’s Expert Baking Tips
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper extending past the sides of the pan for easy removal.
- Use dark brown sugar and pure vanilla extract to give the bars that classic chocolate chip cookie flavor.
- Bake the bars in the center of the oven to ensure they bake evenly.
- Press additional chocolate chips into the top of the cookie dough for a bakery-quality appearance.
- Cool the cookie bars to room temperature before cutting them into squares.
- Clean your knife in between cuts to get the sharpest edges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, substitute the semisweet chocolate chips with milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips. You could also use chopped chocolate or chocolate chunks if you prefer.
Yes, feel free to add pecans, walnuts, M&Ms, or toffee bits to the cookie dough or on top of the cookie bars. I would stick to 1 to 1 ½ cups of total mix-ins. The bars would also be delicious with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Yes. The cookie bars will have a lighter color and a lighter molasses flavor, but the recipe will work with light brown sugar.
Yes. The baking time will be slightly less than in the 8×8 inch baking pan, about 25 minutes. The bars are done baking when they are golden brown on the top and edges and slightly underbaked in the center, but not doughy. The bars will be a bit thinner than what is pictured.
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter (melted)
- ¾ cup (165 g) dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (1) large egg (room temperature)
- 3 tsp (3 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) cornstarch
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1 ½ cups (270 g) semisweet chocolate chips (divided – 1 cup for the cookie dough and ½ cup for the top of the bars)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Prepare an 8×8 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until combined and smooth.
- Add in the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a rubber spatula until a soft cookie dough forms. Fold in 1 cup of the semisweet chocolate chips until they are well dispersed throughout the cookie dough.
- Spread the chocolate chip cookie dough in an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Press the additional ½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips in the top of the cookie dough.
- Bake the cookie bars for 26 to 28 minutes, until the edges are golden-brown and the center is very slightly underbaked. Cool the cookie bars in the pan to room temperature. Remove the bars from the pan and cut into squares.
Notes
- Room temperature: Store the cookie bars in an airtight container or resealable storage bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature or heat in the microwave for 10 seconds to melt the chocolate.
- Freezer: Store the cookie bars in an airtight container or resealable freezer storage bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Just happened upon your website and wanted to thank you for the layout of your recipe page. Offering imperial and metric along with being able to upscale to 2x and the 3x is a brilliant way to make a website more user friendly. Cheers, Greg
As for the 4wcipe I can’t wait to make it but I am going to brown my butter first.
Hi Greg! Glad to hear that you have found my site to be helpful! Hope you enjoy the recipes!