Soft Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Happy national chocolate chip day!
But maybe that was yesterday.
And maybe I meant to post these soft & chewy chocolate chip cookie bars yesterday but I got all into lemon blueberry poppy seed muffins instead. And then lost myself while packing what seemed like 800 cake stands. My kitchen is a stockpile of Home Goods cake serveware and every time I tell myself I don’t need any more polka dot cake stands, a green, orange, pink, teal even though I already have teal, or yellow lands in my cart. Every single time.
Also packing for Salt Lake City this week! Have you ever been there before? I’m going for a couple reasons: (1) book signing on Wednesday night. Would love love love to meet you! and (2) the Everything Food Conference where I’ll be baking lava cakes with a group of bloggers and answering all sorts of blog questions. I’ve only met a handful of fellow food bloggers in the past 5 years, so I’m thrilled to be meeting many more in only a few short days.
Speaking of book signings, I brought these chocolate chip cookie bars to one last month. This is actually a recipe I’ve made a handful of times in the past 3 years and I’m kind of embarrassed that I’ve never shared it with you before.
*runs and hides*
*probably behind cake stands*
Taste testers gave these a big ol’ stamp of delicious approval– and I’m so glad because this cookie dough actually makes my favorite ever chocolate chip cookies too. We’re talking the softest, chewiest, thickest chocolate chip cookies to ever come out of my oven. Baking chocolate chip cookies as cookie bars sort of transforms them into something even better. And then there’s the whole EASY factor because 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 girl’s cookie if you will. Because sometimes we don’t want to lift a finger, right?
And it gets even better: no mixer needed! You’ll use melted butter instead of using a base of creamed butter. I melt the butter to give the cookies a little extra chew, and you’ll get the same irresistible chew in the cookie bars as well. I also add an extra egg yolk for more chew– and chat about it all right over here. I find these cookie bars are extra chewy on day 2 or 3, if you have the patience to wait.
Since we’re not creaming the butter and sugar, the cookie dough comes together entirely by hand. Then you’ll just press it into a baking pan. I like to bake these in a 9×9 square because this size produces super thick bars. A larger pan will thin the bars out, but your cook time will be faster if you’re in a hurry. TIP: I always line my baking pans with aluminum foil. This way you can lift the entire cookie bar mass out then easily cut into squares. Also makes for quick clean up.
You know what I really love though? These cookie bars aren’t cakey. They’re soft, for sure, but oh-so-buttery, dense, and chewy. If you’re an edge kind of person (me! me!), you’ll love the crisp corners. In fact, go ahead and call dibs on all 4 right now.
And the sea salt! A sparkly finishing touch is always welcome. And its little crunch on top is A++++.
Dare I say these are better than their cookie counterpart? I’m going there. And maybe you should add nuts to the cookie dough. Going there too.
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
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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 (280g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (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.
- 9×13 Pan: You can double this recipe to fit into a 9×13 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.
Keywords: chocolate chip cookie bars
This cookie dough in a 9-inch bake pan, same temperature, same bake time. Do it!!
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