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Chewy, delicious cookie bar recipes are perfect for any occasion, including potlucks and holiday, but the gooey result is well worth the wait!
More Collections: Sugar Cookie Recipes, Brownie Recipes, Easy Cookie Recipes
What’s Not to Love?
We love to make cookie bars, especially when we need to feed lots of people. They taste just like cookies, but are easier and quicker to make.
Some of our favorites include: Pan Chewies (aka Cookie Bars), Sugar Cookie Bars, and 7 Layer Bars.
Why we love them:
- Feed a crowd in no time. Similar to a cookie, but baked in a bar, these whip up even easier and feed a big group!
- The texture! Bar cookie recipes still have that chewy, soft center, and crisp crust making these a must-make dessert.
- A taste for any occasion. With different flavors and toppings, we love to change up classic bars for holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s, and Easter.
Whether your cookie of choice is chewy Chocolate Chips, Sugar Cookies, or Oatmeal Cookies, or Snickerdoodles, we have bar forms of all of these that we know you will love!
Toppings
We love to add different toppings to our cookie bars to change up flavors or enhance the flavors of the bars. Some of these toppings include:
- holiday sprinkles
- chopped candies
- milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips (white or butterscotch chips work too!)
- chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans
- sliced fruits and berries
- frosting or glaze (we love our Sugar Cookie frosting!)
- Caramel Sauce or caramel drizzle
- flaky sea salt
- coconut flakes
Our Top Pan Tip
Lining the pan. No matter what type of pan you use, I suggest you always line the pan with parchment paper or foil. This makes it significantly easier to cut and remove the baked treat with clean, even cuts.
- Leave extra lining so there is enough for you to grab and lift.
- Spray the pan with cooking spray before adding the parchment paper.
- Always allow the treat to cool before removing it from the pan.
For more tips and tricks, check out our How to Line a Pan with Parchment Paper article.
Cookie Bar Tips
- Double it. Some recipes are designed for an 8×8 pan, while others call for a 9×11 or a 9×13. No matter the pan size, recipes can be doubled for extra treats. See the individual recipe for further instructions.
- Room temperature ingredients incorporate better with the other ingredients and add air to the dough which helps create a fluffy, soft texture (check out our How to Soften Butter post if you need softened butter in a pinch).
- Doneness. For cake-like bars, stick a wooden pick in the center of the pan. If it comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, then the cookies are done. Chewy bars will have a dull surface. If you press gently, a slight imprint will remain.
- Clean cuts. Wait at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Best Cookie Bar Ideas
We LOVE to change things up and make cookie bars for family get-togethers. They are easy and feed a crowd! Whip up a few batches and serve them warm with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream, and you won’t regret it!
1 Cookie Bars
2 7 Layer Bars
3 Sugar Cookie Bars
4 M&M Chocolate Bars
5 Carmelitas Recipe
6 Millionaire Bars Recipe
7 Monster Cookie Bars Recipe
8 Christmas Cookie Bar Recipe
9 Snickerdoodle Bars Recipe
10 M&M Chocolate Bars
11 Magic Bars Recipe
12 Cake Mix Cookie Bars
13 Reese’s Pieces Bars Recipe
14 Peanut Butter Cookie Bars Recipe
15 Almond Toffee Bars Recipe
Our Go-To Cookie Bar!
If you love Chocolate Chip Cookies, then you’ll love these chewy chocolate chip Cookie Bars.
We often serve them with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Syrup, and I can safely say EVERYONE in the family loves them.
Here is the recipe:
10+ Cookie Bar Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups chocolate chips semisweet or milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9×13 glass baking dish and set aside.
- Combine brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Gradually add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir until well combined and pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake for 24–28 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting.
Notes
Variations: You can swap out the chocolate chips for a variety of other toppings to change up these bars. Here are some of our favorite combinations:
o White chocolate chips + butterscotch chips
o M&M’s (we love to use colored M&M’s for the different holidays!)
o Chocolate chips + toffee bits or peanut butter chips
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sweet Treats for Sharing!
Whether you’re looking for a treat for a special occasion or an everyday snack, you’re sure to find several new recipes you’ll love on this list!
Be sure to check out all of our Cookie Recipes!
More Collections: Chocolate Cake Recipes, Dessert Bar Recipes, Easy Cake Recipes
