These chocolate chip cookie bars are soft and chewy and loaded with sweet chocolate chips. This easy recipe, along with my fudgy Brownies Recipe, is my favorite dessert to take to a potluck or party!
Chocolate Chip Cookies are my all-time favorite dessert and these chocolate chip cookie bars make it easier than ever to get my cookie fix! There’s no dough chilling for this recipe so the cookie bars come together super fast, and you can mix the dough with an electric mixer or by hand.
I use a 4:1 ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar in this recipe, which makes these chocolate chip cookie bars extra soft and gives them a subtle caramel flavor. My other secret for the best cookie bars is to slightly underbake them so that they stay moist and just a bit gooey in the center. I love to add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top for that sweet-salty combo.
Ingredient Notes
Here are a few notes about key ingredients. Find the full ingredient list with measurements below.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works best in this recipe.
- Cornstarch: Adding a few teaspoons of cornstarch to the dry ingredients makes the cookie bars extra soft and tender.
- Egg + Egg Yolk: Using an extra egg yolk in addition to one whole egg adds richness to the cookie bars.
- Chocolate Chips: I love using bittersweet (dark) chocolate chips in this recipe. Semi-sweet also work well, or you can use milk chocolate if that’s your preference.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Make the dough: First whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt). In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet, then stir in the chocolate chips.
Press the mixture into a parchment paper lined 9×9-inch baking pan. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top of the dough, if desired.
Bake in a 350° F oven for 24-28 minutes. Optional: Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top of the cookie bars as soon as the come out of the oven.
Recipe Variations
These chocolate chip cookie bars are pretty perfect as is, but it’s also fun to play around with the flavors. Here are some ideas:
- M&M Cookie Bars: Swap all or half of the chocolate chips for M&M’s. This can be especially fun with holiday themed M&M candies.
- Toffee: Add toffee bits or crushed Heath bars for delicious caramel-toffee flavor.
- Cranberry White Chocolate: Use white chocolate chips and add 1/2 cup of dried cranberries.
- Add Nuts: Add about 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.
Can I Double This Recipe and Bake in a 9×13-inch pan?
Unfortunately, no. A 9×13-inch pan is too small to fit a double recipe. If you want to double the recipe you should bake in two separate 9×9-inch pans.
Tips for the Best Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Don’t overbake the cookie bars or they’ll dry out.
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little bit of overhang that you can use to lift the baked cookie bars out of the pan.
- Measure the flour correctly, either using the weight measurements in the recipe and a kitchen scale, or using the fluff, spoon and level method: Fluff the flour in the container, lightly spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife.
- I find that a metal baking pan helps the bars to bake more evenly, but you can use a glass pan if that is all that you have.
Did you make this recipe? I’d truly appreciate if you leave a comment and star rating below! Your review will help others who want to try this recipe. Thank you! 💛
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour*
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, plus a few extras for adding on top of the cookie bars, if desired
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top after baking, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour*, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Use an electric mixer* to beat together the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix on medium-low speed until well combined.¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips.1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- Press the mixture into an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top of the dough, if desired.
- Bake for 24-28 minutes (I baked mine for 26 minutes in a metal baking pan), until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake, since this will dry out the cookie bars.
- Optional: Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top of the cookie bars as soon as the come out of the oven.
- Let cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. When you're ready to cut the bars, use the parchment paper to lift them out of the pan, then slice into bars with a sharp knife.
Notes
- Either use a kitchen scale to weigh the flour in grams, or use the spoon and level method to measure it to avoid packing too much flour into the measuring cup. First, fluff the flour in the container with a spoon or whisk. Then gently spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off.
- This batter is easy enough to mix by hand, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
