These further smooth and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars are extremely simple to make. No mixer, dough chilling, or rolling into balls required! Sprinkle with flaky sea salt for a little bit one thing further.
I initially revealed this recipe in 2016 and have since added new pictures, a video tutorial, useful success suggestions, and extra flavors.
Style testers have all the time given these chocolate chip cookie bars a stamp of approval—and I’m so glad as a result of this dough makes my favourite chewy chocolate chip cookies, too. We’re speaking the softest, chewiest, thickest chocolate chip cookies to ever come out of my oven.
And in the event you can imagine it, baking chocolate chip dough as cookie bars transforms them into one thing even higher. Plus, we don’t have to sit back the cookie dough and we don’t have to roll the dough into particular person cookies. So, they’re selfmade smooth and chewy chocolate chip cookies, solely simpler to organize. A lazy (I name it “drained”) gal’s cookie if you’ll. 😉
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Dense and buttery
- Further chewy and additional smooth
- Similar to chocolate chip cookies, however they don’t unfold
- 100x simpler than making cookies—no particular person cookie dough rolling
- No electrical mixer wanted
- A fast no-chill cookie recipe
- Can simply be doubled for a bigger pan
- Topped with sea salt for a little bit one thing further
- Nonetheless smooth and chewy on days 2 and three (in the event that they final that lengthy!)
Key Components & Why You Want Every:
In the event you’ve tried my beloved chewy chocolate chip cookies, you’re already aware of the convenience of this recipe. We’re utilizing virtually the identical cookie recipe, however baking them as bars. Right here’s what you want:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the bottom of this recipe.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps these bars rise as they bake. Bear in mind the essential distinction between baking powder and baking soda?
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch offers the cookie bars that extremely smooth consistency everyone knows and love. Plus, it helps maintain them splendidly thick.
- Salt: Salt provides taste.
- Butter: Use melted butter on this recipe for the chewiest cookie bars. As a result of we use melted butter, there’s no have to get out your mixer.
- Sugar: I like to make use of a mixture of brown sugar and white granulated sugar this recipe. Extra brown sugar than white granulated sugar guarantees an additional smooth and chewy cookie bar as a result of there’s extra moisture in brown sugar. I barely diminished the sugar within the bars; it made no distinction between the model examined with 1/2 cup sugar (100g).
- Egg & Egg Yolk: 1 egg binds every part collectively and 1 further egg yolk provides richness and chewiness. You’ll lose quite a lot of moisture by skipping that further egg yolk.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract provides taste. When you have any selfmade vanilla extract, use that!
- Chocolate Chips: 1 cup of chocolate chips ensures tons of melty chocolate in every chew. As an alternative of semi-sweet chocolate chips, attempt utilizing darkish, milk, and even white chocolate chips. Or swap half of the chocolate chips for M&Ms like we do in these smooth M&M cookie bars.
Flaky sea salt (I take advantage of and love this model) is a stunning contact that offsets the sweetness, however it’s completely optionally available.
Methods to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
The dough is extremely easy. Whisk the dry components collectively, then the moist, after which mix. It’s a thick, slick cookie dough:
After you put together the cookie dough, press it right into a baking pan. There’s no threat of cookie spreading with this recipe as a result of the sides of the pan utterly comprise the cookies from overspreading. I like that.
One batch of those chocolate chip cookie bars suits completely right into a 9-inch sq. pan. I like utilizing this measurement of pan as a result of it yields a pleasant, manageable batch—about 16 thick bars. If you’d like a bigger batch, double the recipe and bake the bars in a 9×13-inch pan. (See recipe Observe.)
Success Tip: I prefer to line my pans with parchment paper. This manner, you’ll be able to carry the whole cookie bar mass out after which simply reduce into squares. Additionally makes for fast cleanup! I do the identical when making rice krispie treats, too.
Do NOT over-bake these bars. Err on the aspect of under-baking as a result of in any other case the cookie bars will style dry and cakey.
Can I Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars?
Sure! If you wish to amp up the depth of taste through the use of browned butter, you completely can! My crew and I’ve examined it, and it is advisable begin with an additional 2 Tablespoons of butter to make up for the moisture loss that happens throughout browning. In any other case, the bars will style dry.
Methods to Freeze Cookie Bars
Home made chocolate chip cookie bars freeze fantastically in order that they’re an ideal make-ahead dessert choice. Observe these directions and nobody will know they aren’t freshly baked the day you serve them:
- Bake and funky the cookie bars utterly.
- Slice the bars into squares. In the event you lined your baking pan with parchment paper, merely carry the slab of bars out of the pan, place onto a reducing board, and reduce 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 one another and that the tops of the cookie bars keep intact.
- Label the container with a “finest by” date 3 months out. Cookie bars style finest in the event that they’re frozen for simply 3 months or much less.
- Thaw bars in a single day within the fridge after which convey to room temperature earlier than serving.
Extra Cookie Bar Flavors
And don’t miss my recipe for chocolate chip cookie bark!
Description
No mixer required and there’s no ready for cookie dough to sit back with these smooth & chewy chocolate chip cookie bars! Don’t over-bake these bars. Err on the aspect of under-baking as a result of in any other case the cookie bars will style dry and cakey.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch sq. baking pan with parchment paper, leaving sufficient paper across the sides to simply carry the bars out of the pan. Put aside.
- In a big bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt collectively. Put aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar collectively till no brown sugar lumps stay. Add the egg, further egg yolk, and vanilla extract. The combination will likely be thick. Pour the moist components into the dry components and blend collectively till mixed. The dough will likely be smooth and slick, but thick. Fold within the chocolate chips. The chips could not follow the dough due to the melted butter, however do your finest to mix them.
- Switch dough to the ready baking pan and press into an excellent layer. Flippantly sprinkle the highest with flaky sea salt, if desired. Additionally, I prefer to press just a few extra chocolate chips on prime of the dough earlier than baking; that is only for appears to be like.
- Bake for 30-34 minutes or till calmly browned on the perimeters. Err on the aspect of under-baking and do NOT over-bake, or the cookie bars will style a little bit dry and cakey. Use a toothpick to check for doneness; if it comes out largely clear from the middle of the pan, the bars are finished.
- Enable the bars to chill within the pan set on a wire rack for not less than an hour. As soon as comparatively cool, carry the bars out of the pan utilizing the parchment and reduce into squares.
- Cowl and retailer leftover bars at room temperature for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You can also make the cookie dough and chill it within the fridge for as much as 3 days or freeze for as much as 3 months. Enable to come back to room temperature and proceed with step 4. Baked cookie bars freeze nicely for as much as 3 months. Thaw bars in a single day within the fridge and convey to room temperature earlier than serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): 9-inch Sq. Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Flaky Sea Salt
- Double in a 9×13-inch Pan: You may double this recipe to suit right into a 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake for about 35 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Use a toothpick to check for doneness.
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars: If you wish to use browned butter for this recipe, begin with an additional 2 Tablespoons of butter earlier than browning it, to make up for moisture evaporation.
