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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (aka Pan Chewies) are our family’s go-to Sunday Night Dessert! It’s your favorite cookie in bar-form, served hot. They’re perfect with ice cream!
If you love Chocolate Chip Cookies, then you’ll love these chewy chocolate chip cookie bars. They’re right up there with our Sugar Cookie Bars and Cake Mix Cookie Bars.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Over the years, we’ve come to find some go-to desserts for family gatherings. It may be a long list now, but today’s recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars aka “Pan Chewies” is one of those deserts.
We’ve decided you really can’t beat Chocolate Chip Cookies in Bar form (go here for even more Cookie Bar Recipes).
We love these because:
- SO easy. These are so simple and classic, we make them all the time.
- Delicious. If you love cookies, then you will love these in bar form.
- Great for gatherings. We love to make these for parties, holidays like Easter and Christmas and family outings.
We often serve them with Vanilla Ice Cream, and I can safely say EVERYONE in the family loves them.
Ingredients
Just a few ingredients and steps are needed to make this chocolate chip cookie bars. Here are the ingredients needed to make the cookie dough:
- butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips
How to Make Cookie Bars
- PREP. Begin by greasing a 9-x-13-inch glass baking dish and setting it aside.
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Mix well with a wooden spoon or a mixer on the lowest setting.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. Gradually add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir until well combined and pour into the prepared baking dish.
- BAKE. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake for 24–28 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting.
- SERVE. Serve warm and eat by themselves or with ice cream.
Recipe Tips
Getting perfectly baked cookie bars:
- Make sure your oven is preheated to 350 degrees before you put your bars in to avoid underbaking.
- When you remove them from the oven you’ll be able to tell that they are done if they have a slightly dull surface that when you lightly touch it a slight imprint remains. The edges of the crust should also begin to harden and slightly pull away from the surface of the baking dish.
- If your bars are undercooked, return them to bake in the oven immediately and check them for doneness at 5 minute intervals.
Variations
- White Chocolate Chips + Butterscotch Chips
- M&Ms – and we change these up with different M&Ms for the holidays
- Chocolate Chips + Toffee Bits
- Chocolate Chips + Chopped Nuts (Peanuts or Walnuts)
Storage Tips
- To STORE, just cover tightly with foil or saran wrap and store on the counter for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, just place in microwave for a few minutes to make them gooey and warm.
- Once cooked and cooled, you can FREEZE these cookie bars by placing a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and freezing for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and reheat in the microwave.
For more Bar Recipes
Cookie Bars Recipe
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-x-13-inch glass baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. 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.
Video
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.
Absolutely delicious! They were a big hit, especially with my grandchildren, ages 10 & 8.
I followed the recipe exactly with no problem.
Thanks for sharing! I’m so happy your grandkids enjoyed them too!
I Googled “Friday night easy desserts,” and this was one of the top results – and I know why! Took no time to prep and bake, and they are deeeelish! No modifications needed. The family loves them & they’ll likely be gone before the end of the weekend. Thanks for sharing! ☺️
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookie bars. They are a favorite over here too!
I added walnuts!!!!
Perfect! Hopefully, you liked them!
I love these cookies, but I got them from somebody else on Pinterest. One glaring mistake you made was that you omitted adding the butter. I sincerely hope nobody ended up with a flour-y, horrible cookie because of that error. Please fix it so others can enjoy this as much as my family does. Also, I mix the chips in with the dough at the last moment & I think it’s much better than sprinkling them on top. Mixing them in the dough creates a chewy brownie-type cookie. Thanks for the recipe. It’s awesome. But please re-write it so nobody forgets the butter that may be cooling across the kitchen & forgot about it. It can happen.
Glad you like them. The butter is there is in the recipe 🙂 They would be horrible without it!
Love these bars so much. Great for potluck!
This is one of the best and easiest desserts. We love it so much that I usually double it. I can’t wait to try it with m&m’s.
I measured the ingredients exactly except for adding 2/3 cup chocolate chips instead of 1/2 cup. Unfortunately, my bars were flat and too moist. Do you think that was the problem or could it have been my oven temp? They were better at the edges than in the center. Thanks for any tips you can offer!
I typed the above before realizing that I remembered the amount of chips incorrectly. I did use 3/4 cup. It was a fudge recipe that I made at the same time where I changed the amount of chips. So, I didn’t actually alter the ingredients. I am thinking my oven temp wasn’t hot enough. They taste great, though, even if they are flat. 😊
I am thinking it needed to be in longer. Depending on where I am baking these, the time varies. Hope you will try them again 🙂
I’ve made this twice now!!! It’s a hit with everyone!!! Yummy
Woohoo!! Love to hear that!! Thank you!
My kids prefer these over cookies. They are thick, soft & chewy, & they make my family happy!
These are delicious and so easy. After i made them the first time my family requested them three More times that week. I Sprinkled sea salt on the top when they were done!
LOL..that’s what I love to hear! Thank you so much!