Description
These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are the ultimate easy dessert! Made with simple pantry ingredients, they have crispy golden edges and a soft, chewy center packed with chocolate chips. Faster than drop cookies and perfect for feeding a crowd, these bars are ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Mix-Ins:
- 1–1¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While it’s heating, grease your 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray. For extra easy removal, line it with parchment paper with some overhang on two sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Make sure everything is evenly distributed – no clumps of baking soda hiding in there! Set this bowl aside for now.
Here’s where the magic starts! In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat for about 2-3 minutes until it’s light, fluffy, and almost looks like frosting. This step incorporates air and creates that perfect texture, so don’t rush it!
Little reassurance here: If your mixture looks a bit grainy, that’s totally normal. The sugars will dissolve more as you bake.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure the first one is fully incorporated before adding the second. Then mix in that vanilla extract. Your kitchen should smell absolutely amazing right now!
Gradually add your dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed or fold by hand with a spatula until JUST combined. You should still see a few flour streaks – that’s perfect! Overmixing develops gluten and makes your bars tough instead of tender.
Gently fold in those chocolate chips with a spatula. I like to save a small handful to press into the top before baking – it makes them look bakery-perfect! Make sure the chips are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Scoop all that gorgeous cookie dough into your prepared pan. Use your spatula (or lightly greased hands) to press it evenly into the corners and smooth the top. It might seem thick – that’s exactly what you want!
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and pulling away slightly from the sides. The center should look just set – a toothpick inserted near the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Remember, they’ll continue cooking a bit as they cool!
This is the hardest part – waiting! Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting. For the cleanest cuts, wait until they’re completely cool, then use a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts. Cut into 9-12 squares.
Notes
- Line your pan with parchment paper leaving some overhang. When they’re cool, you can lift the entire batch out and cut on a cutting board – so much easier!
- Use a pizza cutter for the neatest, most uniform bars. Game changer!
- For bakery-style bars, press extra chocolate chips on top before baking. They get all melty and gorgeous.
- Mix your chocolates! Try half semi-sweet chips and half dark chocolate chunks, or add some milk chocolate for variety.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American