How many bars does a 9x13 pan hold?

If you double this recipe and make it in a 9x13" pan, you can make up to 36 bars, depending on the size you cut them.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Name: Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ½ cup butter (softened); ½ cup granulated sugar; ½ cup light brown sugar (packed); 1 egg, large; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; ½ tsp baking soda; ¼ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp sea salt; 1 cup chocolate chips

By Laura

Posted Nov 17, 2019, Updated Apr 19, 2023

5 from 153 votes

75 Comments

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These are the absolute best chocolate chip cookie bars. This cookie bar recipe is easy to make (5 minutes to mix, 20 minutes to bake) and results in a gooey, chewy, doughy yet fully cooked chocolate chip cookie bar that is 100% irresistible. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream!

front view of a stack of 4 chocolate chip cookie bars.

What do you do when the craving for chocolate chip cookies strikes, but you just don’t have the time (or energy) to scoop, roll and bake multiple batches of your favorite treat? Enter these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars! They have all the taste (and dare I say even more gooey, doughy perfection), with way less work! A total win!

This chocolate chip cookie bar recipe is seriously the best. It is easy to make, taking only 5 minutes to whip up and 20 minutes to bake!

And the results speak for themselves, gooey, chewy, doughy yet fully cooked chocolate chip cookie bars that are 100% irresistible. Serve the warm with a scoop of ice cream and you have achieved dessert nirvana!

overhead view of 16 chocolate chip cookie bars cut into squares

As you can see, there are only 10 ingredients in this chocolate chip cookie bar recipe, all of which you likely have on hand at all times! We’ll chat briefly about the ingredients and possible substitutions before we jump into the “how-to” make this cookie bar recipe!

overhead view of the ingredients in this chocolate chip cookie bar recipe

All-purpose flour. I recommend using unbleached, all-purpose flour in these cookie bars! For a gluten-free version, use an all-purpose gluten-free baking flour!
Brown sugar. I love the flavor of light brown sugar in this cookie bar recipe. If you like a deeper, molasses taste, then you can use dark brown sugar if you wish!
Granulated sugar. I bake with organic cane sugar (I buy the Kirkland brand at Costco). However any white, granulated sugar works well in this recipe!
Butter. Both salted or unsalted butter work beautifully in these cookie bars. I use salted! If you choose unsalted you might need to increase the sea salt (I recommend tasting the dough and deciding)!
Sea salt. I exclusively bake and cook with pure sea salt. Sea salt is different than table salt (that is iodized), so if you use table salt I recommend using 1/2 the amount called for in the recipe.
Chocolate chips. Choose your favorite chocolate chip variety to use in these cookie bars! I prefer dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you have an excess of candy in your house (think, post-Halloween) try making this Candy-Stuffed Cookie Bar variety!
- Can I use chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips? YES! You can use chopped chocolate in place of the chips!

stack of 4 Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars - the top one has a bite taken out of it.

Ok, now that we’ve chatted about the ingredients in this cookie bar recipe, let’s dive in and get baking! Remember to watch the video for the step-by-step process!

Cream together butter and sugars

Start making these cookie bars by creaming together the butter and sugars until the ingredients are evenly combined

Add vanilla and egg

Next, add vanilla and egg and beat again until the ingredients are mixed well and the sugar is dissolved!

two photos showing how to make this chocolate chip cookie bar recipe

Add dry ingredients

You can either mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before you begin the rest of the recipe – which I recommend to ensure even distribution – or just toss them into the mixer on top of the beaten wet ingredients. Either way, beat them in until they are just combined and the dough is uniform throughout.

two phots showing how to make this chocolate chip cookie bar recipe

Add chocolate chips

Add in your favorite chocolate chips (or other mix-ins of your choice) and stir on low speed until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough!

If you’d like to add different mix-ins to this cookie bar recipe, here are some suggestions:

Sprinkles. Choose your favorite sprinkles to make these cookie bars festive! Red and green for Christmas, black and orange for halloween! You can’t go wrong!
White chocolate. Add some white chocolate chips or chunks!
Peanut butter chips. LOVE this addition!
Cinnamon chips. YUM!

overhead view of chocolate chip cookie bar dough in a standing mixer

Line and grease an 8×8″ baking dish. Transfer the cookie bar dough to the baking dish and use a spatula to press it into the pan until the top is even. If desired, sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top!

two photos showing how to make cookie bars

Bake!

Bake these chocolate chip cookie bars for about 20 minutes. Please note: I use a convection oven (one that uses a fan to distribute heat evenly), so I don’t have to worry about the rack I bake on, hot pockets in the oven, etc.

Note on ovens baking differently

Make sure you know your oven. Does it have hot pockets? Where do things tend to bake most evenly? Invest in a cheap oven thermometer to check the temperature and ensure the internal temperature is actually the temperature to which the oven is set. If your oven is baking too hot or too cold, then the cookie bars might burn on the top and still be gooey in the center

overhead view of chocolate chip cookie bars baked in a square dish

Cool, Cut & Serve

Finally, let the cookie bars cool for at least 30 minutes. The longer they cool, the better they hold up to cutting. If you’re just going to serve them warm with vanilla ice cream, then I wouldn’t worry too much about their appearance, because the taste and warm gooey texture is most important in that situation!

Store/freeze

Store these cookie bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

overhead view of 9 chocolate chip cookie bars

Can I double this cookie bar recipe?

Yes, I have doubled this with tremendous success! Simply bake it in a 9×13″ baking dish for 20-25 minutes (or until the edges are golden brown and the top is lightly browned and set).

How many bars does a 9×13 pan hold?

If you double this recipe and make it in a 9×13″ pan, you can make up to 36 bars, depending on the size you cut them.

Do cookie bars harden as they cool?

Yes, these cookie bars become more “firm and sturdy” as they cool. When they are fresh from the oven they are soft and gooey. But they do harden as they come to room temperature, or if they are cooled in the refrigerator.

What are bar cookies?

A bar cookie is simply a cookie baked in a bar form. You can take almost all of your favorite cookie dough recipes and turn them into bar cookies! They are gooier and easier to make!

How do you cut bar cookies cleanly and evenly?

If you’re cutting these to add to a cookie tray or serve to a crowd, here are my tips on getting clean, even squares:
Let the cookie bars cool all completely to room temperature before cutting.
Use a very sharp, long knife.
Dip the knife in warm water and quickly dry it off before the first cut. Then wipe it clean, dip it in warm water, then dry again before each subsequent cut.
Use a ruler to measure equal pieces. If cutting these cookie bars into 16 squares, you’d want each bar to be 2″ x 2.”

How do you know when cookie bars are done?

These chocolate chip cookie bars are done when the edges are lightly golden brown and the top is set. They will jiggle slightly when removed from the oven, which gives you the nice gooey center pieces. If you prefer a firmer cookie bar, bake longer.

front view of a chocolate chip cookie bar with a bite taken out of it

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