Chocolate chip cookie bars give you the chewy edge and soft middle of a good cookie without scooping a single ball. The whole batch of dough goes into one 9×13 pan, bakes once, and comes out as a thick golden slab you cut into 12 big bars or 24 small ones.
The texture comes from melted butter and a high ratio of brown sugar: 1 cup (226 g) of butter, cooled for 10 minutes, with 1 cup (200 g) of packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup (100 g) of white. Pull the pan at 25 to 28 minutes at 350°F (175°C), while the center still looks a little soft, and let the bars set in the pan for 1 hour. Mixing takes about 15 minutes in one bowl with a whisk and a spatula, no mixer.
At a Glance
- Yield: 12 large bars (3×3 1/4 inch, 8×8 cm) or 24 small ones
- Pan: 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) metal pan with a parchment sling
- Time: 15 minutes prep, 25 to 28 minutes baking, 1 hour cooling
- Difficulty: easy; one bowl, a whisk and a spatula
- Key technique: melted, slightly cooled butter and pulling the pan while the middle is soft
One Pan Instead of Four Batches
A pan of bars uses about the same dough as 30 cookies but bakes in a single round. Pressing the dough about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick gives each bar a crisp, caramelized rim on the sides that touched the pan and a dense, chewy center, which is the part most people want from a cookie anyway.
Melted butter is why the bars stay chewy rather than cakey. Creamed butter traps air and gives lift; melted butter does not, so the crumb stays tight and fudgy. Cool it for 10 minutes first. Butter above about 120°F (50°C) starts to cook the eggs and turns the dough greasy.
Ingredient Notes Before You Start
There are 9 ingredients, with the full amounts on the recipe card below. A few of them decide how the bars turn out:
- Brown sugar: 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar. Its moisture keeps the middle soft for days. Dark brown sugar works too and tastes more like toffee.
- Flour: 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose, spooned and leveled. An extra 1/4 cup (30 g) from scooping straight out of the bag makes the bars dry and cakey.
- Eggs: 2 large, at room temperature, so the melted butter does not firm up into clumps when they go in.
- Chocolate chips: 2 cups (340 g) semisweet. Keep 1/2 cup (85 g) back to press into the top, so the chips show after baking.
- Salt: 1 teaspoon fine salt. A big pan of sweet dough needs it; cut it to 3/4 teaspoon if you use salted butter.
Mixing and Pressing the Dough
Whisk the cooled melted butter with both sugars for about 1 minute, until it looks glossy and thick. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Switch to a spatula, add the flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and the salt, and fold until no dry streaks are left. Stir in 1 1/2 cups (255 g) of the chips.
Line the pan with parchment, leaving the paper hanging over the two long sides as handles. Scrape the dough in and press it out to the corners with the spatula or damp fingertips. It is thick, so work from the middle outward. Scatter the last 1/2 cup (85 g) of chips over the top and press them in lightly.
Doneness: Golden Edges, Soft Middle
The bars are done when the edges are deep golden and starting to pull away from the pan, the top looks dry and lightly crackled, and the center still looks a little paler and soft. A toothpick pushed in 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the edge comes out clean, while one in the center shows moist crumbs. That is usually 25 to 28 minutes in a metal pan at 350°F (175°C).
In a glass or ceramic dish, lower the oven to 325°F (165°C) and add about 5 minutes; glass holds heat and burns the edges before the middle sets. The center sinks slightly as the slab cools. That dip is normal and is where the chewiest bars come from.
Cooling and Cutting Clean Bars
Let the pan cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before lifting the slab out by the parchment. Cut too early, the middle squashes and smears. For the neatest edges, chill the cooled slab for 20 minutes, then cut with a long, sharp knife, wiping it between cuts.
Cut 3 by 4 for 12 bakery-size bars, about 3×3 1/4 inches (8×8 cm), or 4 by 6 for 24 two-inch squares for a party tray. Corner pieces have two chewy edges and usually go first.
Problems and Fixes
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Greasy top, oily edges | Butter too hot when mixed | Cool melted butter 10 minutes first |
| Dry, cakey bars | Too much flour or overbaked | Weigh 280 g flour; pull at 25 minutes |
| Raw, gummy center | Glass dish or cut while warm | Metal pan; cool a full hour |
| Burnt edges | Dark or glass pan runs hot | Lower to 325°F (165°C), add 5 minutes |
| Chips sank out of sight | All chips mixed in | Press 1/2 cup (85 g) into the top |
Swaps and Variations
- Brown butter: cook the butter until the solids turn hazelnut brown, about 6 minutes, then cool it 15 minutes. Deeper, nutty flavor; a little less chew.
- Nuts: replace 1/2 cup (85 g) of the chips with 1/2 cup (60 g) toasted chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Mixed chocolate: half semisweet chips and half chopped dark chocolate, for melted pools on top.
- Flaky salt: a pinch over the top as soon as the pan comes out of the oven.
- Smaller pan: half the recipe in an 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) pan bakes in 22 to 25 minutes.
If you like a crunchier cookie, chocolate chip walnut cookies are the scooped version, and kitchen sink cookies pack in more mix-ins. For another pan of bars, try peppermint chocolate chip blondies around the holidays. A spoonful of warm homemade caramel sauce over a bar with vanilla ice cream turns it into a plated dessert.
Storing and Freezing
Keep the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Layer them with parchment so the tops do not stick. They stay chewy the longest left uncut: cut what you need and keep the rest of the slab whole.
To freeze, wrap single bars in plastic and freeze them in a bag for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for about 30 minutes, or warm one for 10 seconds in the microwave to soften the chips. The pressed dough can also be covered and chilled in the pan for up to 24 hours; add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake.
Bake them alongside oatmeal raisin cookies for a bake sale, and cookie dough cheesecake puts the same flavors on a graham crust.
Quick Answers
Why are my chocolate chip cookie bars raw in the middle?
Most often the pan was glass or the bars were cut warm. Bake in metal until a toothpick 1 inch from the edge comes out clean, then cool for a full hour; the center finishes setting as it cools.
Can I use a 9×9 pan?
Not for the full batch. It makes very thick bars that stay raw in the middle. Use a 9×13 pan, or halve the recipe for an 8×8 or 9×9 pan.
Can I make these with cookie dough from the fridge case?
Yes. Press 2 packages (about 16 oz / 450 g each) into the 9×13 pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F (175°C). They will be sweeter and less chewy than the homemade dough.
Save This Recipe
Pin these chocolate chip cookie bars to a cookie or bake-sale board, so the 10-minute butter cool and the 1-hour rest are easy to find next time.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Chewy chocolate chip cookie bars with golden edges and a soft, dense middle, made from one bowl of melted-butter dough pressed into a 9x13 pan. A full cup of brown sugar keeps them moist, and cooling the melted butter for 10 minutes keeps the dough from turning greasy. Press half a cup of chips into the top so they show, bake 25 to 28 minutes at 350°F until the center still looks a little soft, then let the slab set for 1 hour. Cut 12 big bars or 24 small squares.
Ingredients
Cookie bars
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 10 minutes
- 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- PREP: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13 inch metal pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides. Melt the butter and let it cool 10 minutes.
- SUGARS: Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for 1 minute, until glossy.
- EGGS: Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- DRY: Add the flour, baking soda and salt and fold with a spatula until no dry streaks remain.
- CHIPS: Stir in 1 1/2 cups (255 g) of the chocolate chips.
- PRESS: Spread the dough evenly into the pan, pressing it into the corners. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup (85 g) of chips over the top and press them in lightly.
- BAKE: Bake 25 to 28 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and the center looks set but still slightly soft.
- COOL: Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Lift out by the parchment and cut into 12 large or 24 small bars.
Notes
- Cool the melted butter 10 minutes before mixing so the dough does not turn greasy.
- Spoon and level the flour (280 g); extra flour makes cakey bars.
- Use a metal pan. In glass, bake at 325°F and add about 5 minutes.
- Done: edges deep golden and pulling away, center still slightly soft. Cool 1 hour before cutting.
- Storage: airtight at room temperature 4 days; freeze wrapped bars 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 464Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 300mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 3gSugar: 39gProtein: 5g
