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Baking · American

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

All the chocolate chip cookie, none of the scooping: one pan, 24 chewy bars.

Hands-on
15 min
Hands-off
1 h 30 min
Total
1 h 45 min
Makes
24 bars
Serves
24

Preheating overlaps melting the butter and mixing. About 15 minutes hands-on, 30 minutes baking and at least 1 hour cooling before cutting. Total 1 hour 45 minutes; cooling longer (even overnight) gives the cleanest cuts.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

Pan 23 x 33 cm baking pan (US: 9 x 13 in baking pan)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • bar-cookies
  • bake-sale
  • potluck

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) baking pan · microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan · pastry brush · 2 bowls and a whisk · spatula · wire rack · sharp knife · oven mitts

Contains: milk · egg · wheat

Method

  1. Heat the oven

    Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F).

    Ready when: The oven has fully reached 180°C (350°F) before the pan goes in.

  2. Melt the butter, grease the pan

    Melt the 227 g (1 cup) butter in the microwave on medium power or in a small saucepan over low heat. Brush a little of it over the inside of the 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) pan.

    Ready when: The butter is completely melted, with no solid pieces left.

  3. Mix the wet ingredients

    Let the rest of the butter cool for a few minutes so it doesn't cook the eggs. Then whisk it in a large bowl with the 320 g (1 1/2 cups) brown sugar, 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth.

    Ready when: The mixture is smooth and glossy, with no streaks of egg.

  4. Add the dry ingredients

    In another bowl, whisk the 240 g (2 cups) flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt. Stir them into the wet mixture just until no dry flour is left; don't overmix. The batter will be thick. Fold in the 340 g (12 oz) chocolate chips.

    Ready when: A thick batter with no dry flour left, and chips spread all through it.

    Otto tried this firstOtto beats the batter hard for five minutes "to make it fluffy." The bars come out tough. Stir only until the flour disappears.

  5. Spread and bake

    Spread the batter evenly in the pan, all the way to the corners. Bake for about 30 minutes. In a dark pan, start checking a few minutes early.

    Ready when: The edges are browned and the centre is completely set: it no longer looks wet or wobbles when you nudge the pan.

  6. Cool, then cut

    Set the pan on a wire rack and let it cool completely, at least 1 hour. Cut into 24 bars.

Swaps

  • Instead of dark brown sugar: light brown sugar, same amount Light or dark both work; dark tastes a little more of molasses.
  • Instead of 340 g (12 oz) semisweet chips: a mix of chips (white chocolate, butterscotch) or chips plus chopped walnuts or pecans, same total amount Nuts add a tree-nut allergen.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Bake the day before: the bars cut most cleanly after cooling overnight. Wrap them airtight once cool.
Storage
Wrap the cooled bars airtight and keep them at room temperature for a couple of days.
Reheat
Warm a bar in the microwave for a few seconds, just until barely warm. Let the chocolate cool a moment before giving it to kids.

If something goes wrong

  • The middle is still wet Why: It hasn't baked long enough, often in a light or shiny pan.
    Bake a few minutes more until the centre is set and no longer looks wet.
  • Edges too dark Why: Dark pans bake faster.
    In a dark pan, check at the short end of the time; light, shiny pans need the full time.
  • Crumbly, ragged bars Why: They were cut while still warm.
    Cool completely, at least 1 hour, before cutting.

Good to know

  • Spoon and level the flour; scooping straight from the bag packs in too much.
  • For flat tops, press down the puffed edges with a heatproof spatula right after the pan comes out of the oven.
  • Spread thick batter with a wet spatula or damp fingers.

Safety

  • Don't taste the raw batter: it contains raw egg and raw flour. Only the baked bars are safe to eat. Wash your hands after handling it.
  • Melted butter, the oven and the pan get very hot. Use oven mitts, and kids should let an adult handle the oven.
  • Chocolate chips can contain milk and soy; check the label.