Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Craving something sweet? Soft, chewy, and packed with gooey chocolate, these chocolate chip cookie bars are an easy, delicious treat.

Chocolate chip cookie bars

These chocolate chip cookie bars are the kind of super simple, super delicious treat that we could all use more of in our lives. They have perfect puffy tops, lightly crisp edges, and soft, chewy middles that are packed with chocolate chips. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, and brown sugar and vanilla fill them with rich, warm depth of flavor. Though they’re not necessarily faster than regular cookies (make sure to give them time to cool before you slice them!), they are definitely easier. Instead of scooping the dough or rolling it into balls, all you have to do is spread it in a pan and bake. So easy!

I’ve had these chocolate chip cookie bars on repeat over the last few months, and after I whipped up yet another batch earlier this week, I knew I couldn’t wait to share them with all of you. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

Chocolate chip cookie bars recipe ingredients

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these chocolate chip cookie bars:

  • Chocolate chips, of course! I call for one heaping cup here. Feel free to use a little more if you want these bars to be extra-chocolatey!
  • All-purpose flourSpoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
  • Almond flour – It makes these chocolate chip cookie bars soft, chewy, and rich. Spoon and level it, too!
  • Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They help the cookie bars rise.
  • Melted butter – It makes the cookie bars rich and chewy. Melted coconut oil works too!
  • Brown sugar – For sweetness. I especially like dark brown sugar here.
  • Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
  • And sea salt – I mix fine sea salt into the dough and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top. Both accent the sweet, rich, and chocolatey flavors in this recipe!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Hand mixing cookie dough with spatula

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

This chocolate chip cookie bars recipe is SO easy to make! Here’s how it goes:

First, prepare the baking pan. Grease an 8×8 baking dish and line it with parchment paper on all sides. While you’re at it, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Next, make the dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Then, fold in the chocolate chips.

Hand using spatula to press cookie dough into baking dish

Then, bake! Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and use a spatula to evenly spread it to the edges. Sprinkle on the flaky sea salt, and bake for 33 to 38 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

Chocolate chip cookie bars on parchment paper

Now for the hard part: letting the bars cool! Allow them to cool in the pan for at least an hour before slicing and serving. This gives them a chance to set up (and their flavor improves, too!).

The chocolate chip cookie bars keep well at room temperature for up to 4 days, and they freeze perfectly too! If you’re serving a crowd, feel free to double this recipe and bake the bars in a 9×13 pan instead of an 8×8 one. They’ll be slightly thicker that way, so they might take a few minutes longer to bake. Enjoy!

Stack of three chocolate chip cookie bars on plate

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe Tips

  • Line the pan with parchment paper on all sides. Otherwise, it can be tricky to get the cookie bars out! I like to use two overlapping rectangles of parchment – one lines the pan from side to side and the other lines it from front to back. The tabs on each side of the pan help me lift out the cookie bars before I slice them.
  • We’re making dough, not batter. Remember – we’re making chocolate chip cookie bars, not cake! When you stir together the wet and dry ingredients, the mixture will be thick. That’s ok! It’s much more similar to chocolate chip cookie dough than to cake batter. When you transfer it to the prepared baking dish, you’ll need to use a spatula to press it to the edges of the pan.
  • Let them cool. Like brownies, these soft, chewy cookie bars need time to set up after they come out of the oven. Instead reaching for one right away, allow them to cool in the pan for at least an hour before slicing and serving. It can be hard to wait that long, I know, but trust me, it’s totally worth it! These bar cookies have a better texture and flavor after they have a chance to cool.
  • Change the chips. I love to use dark chocolate chips in this recipe, but you do you! Feel free to swap in semisweet chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips if they sound better to you. A mix of chocolate chips and dried tart cherries or cranberries would be fantastic too.

Chocolate chip cookie bars recipe

More Favorite Easy Desserts

If you love these chocolate chip cookie bars, try one of these easy dessert recipes next:

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

rate this recipe:
4.94 from 15 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves 16
These chocolate chip cookie bars are such an easy, delicious treat! They're soft, chewy, and packed with gooey chocolate chips.

Ingredients

  • cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • ½ cup almond flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 packed cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup melted butter or melted coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 heaping cup dark chocolate chips
  • Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8-inch baking dish. Line the greased baking dish with parchment paper on all sides.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and almond flours, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. The mixture will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and use a spatula to spread it evenly to the pan’s edges. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and bake for 33 to 38 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean.
  • Allow to cool in the pan for at least an hour before slicing and serving.

22 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Clare
    05.09.2023

    Can you recommend a substitution for the almond flour for someone with a nut allergy?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.09.2023

      Hi Clare, you could use about 1/3 cup additional regular flour in its place.

  2. Cindy
    03.15.2023

    5 stars
    These came out perfect! Nice golden edges /top and soft but not gooey center. The almond flour is genius, you can’t taste it but it gives a pillowy texture and loft.
    They seem like a great base for experimentation. I’d love to get some buckwheat flour or oats in there, make a snickerdoodle version, etc.
    I did use less sugar but they are still a little too sweet for me. Would halving the sugar compromise the moisture needed from the brown sugar?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.15.2023

      Hi Cindy, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I think they would start to become less chewy with less brown sugar.

  3. Catherine
    08.17.2022

    Can I use all almond flour instead of the all purpose?

  4. Lisa LeCoump
    07.31.2022

    5 stars
    Wow – the almond flour made a big difference! Who knew? What a great recipe. And so easy. Thanks for the post.

  5. Devon
    04.25.2022

    I’m so confused to why they showed me this when I entered the Vegan keyword. This obviously isnt vegan at all…

  6. Joey
    04.07.2022

    This recipe looks so good and is so easy to follow! I can’t wait to make these for my dad’s birthday coming up. Thanks so much for the recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.08.2022

      I hope you enjoy!

  7. Jana
    04.04.2022

    5 stars
    This came out exceptionally well for me. I used 2 4×8 paper lined pans. Didn’t have almond flour so used oats pulsed a few times in the blender instead. Excellent.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.05.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them!

  8. Jordan
    03.21.2022

    5 stars
    Everyone loved these after the first time I made them. I thought they were a little dry though overall. The second time I made them I only used 2 cups of almond flour and I soaked the dates before making the topping. They held t0gether better and had more moisture that way.

  9. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    03.14.2022

    bars are a nice change from cookies, so thank you, I like the texture of a thicker bar sometimes instead of a cookie

  10. Karen
    03.13.2022

    4 stars
    Hello,

    I made these today as well and substituted the brown sugar with coconut sugar. The taste was great and even had a hint of peanut butter for some reason. I did double the recipe and baked for 35 minutes. The color was darker, probably from the coconut sugar, but the texture wasn’t as gooey as I expected…it was dry. Is there a reason why this happened?

    Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.14.2022

      Hi Karen, there is a lot of moisture in brown sugar so I think it was due to the coconut sugar.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.14.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  11. Rosemary
    03.13.2022

    Hello, I made these and they are so dry! I was really disappointed. I am wondering if maybe 2 sticks of butter would be better?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.14.2022

      Hi Rosemary, did you change anything about the recipe and did you use an 8×8 pan or a larger one? If they’re dry, it’s possible they could have baked a little less.

  12. Elizabeth
    03.13.2022

    Hello! Can these amazing bars be made vegan with flax eggs Thank you! Elizabeth

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.