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Chocolate Cookie Bars are what happen when a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie have the most delicious baby imaginable. Soft, fudgy, and double the chocolate, they come together in one bowl with no mixer required. I baked a pan on a rainy afternoon and Lizzie declared them the best thing I have ever made, which is a high bar in this house. If you love an easy chocolate treat, you will also adore our fudgy brownies.
One bite of these soft, chocolate packed bars and you will never go back to a plain cookie again.
Chocolate Cookie Bars Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 bars
- ⚡ Calories: 428kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Rich, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey (a chocolate lover’s dream)
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, no mixer needed, like our fudgy brownies
Quick Answer
To make chocolate cookie bars, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar, then beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in chocolate chips. Press the thick dough into a 9 by 13 pan, top with more chips, and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 to 20 minutes.
Jump to:
- Chocolate Cookie Bars Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Chocolate Cookie Bars FAQs
- Other Recommended Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Soft Double Chocolate Cookie Bars
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Double the chocolate. Cocoa powder in the dough plus a generous handful of chocolate chips means deep, rich chocolate flavor in every single bite.
- Melted butter, no mixer. Using melted butter lets you stir everything together by hand for a dense, fudgy, chewy texture.
- Brown sugar keeps them soft. Brown sugar adds moisture and a hint of caramel, giving the bars their signature soft, tender crumb.
- One bowl, easy cleanup. The whole batter comes together in one bowl, so there is barely any mess to clean up afterward.
- Press and bake. Pressing the thick dough into a pan is faster and easier than scooping out individual cookies.
- Pulled just right. Baking only until the top loses its shine keeps the centers soft and fudgy instead of dry.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste like a cross between a cookie and a brownie, truly the best of both worlds.
- No mixer and one bowl make them quick and easy to whip up.
- They feed a crowd and stay soft for days.
Key Ingredients
These bars use simple baking staples. Here is what each one brings to the pan.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa gives the dough its deep chocolate base. A good quality cocoa makes a noticeable difference.
- Chocolate Chips: Semi sweet chips add gooey pockets of melted chocolate throughout, plus a few extra on top for looks.
- Melted Butter: Melting the butter creates that dense, fudgy, chewy texture without needing a mixer.
- Brown Sugar: Packed light brown sugar keeps the bars soft and moist with a subtle caramel note.
- Flour, Eggs, and Vanilla: The structure, richness, and warm flavor that tie everything together.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These bars are easy to customize, so have fun with them.
- Triple chocolate: Swap in a mix of dark, milk, and white chocolate chips for even more chocolate variety.
- Add nuts: Fold in chopped walnuts or pecans for a little crunch.
- Stuff them: Press caramel squares or peanut butter cups into the dough before baking.
- Sea salt finish: Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top right out of the oven for a sweet and salty bite.
- More chocolate treats: If you love these, try our peanut butter chocolate chip bars next.
How to Make Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda together in a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and brown sugar together until combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth and well blended.
- Stir in the dry flour mixture until a thick, fudgy dough forms.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed through the dough.
- Press the dough into a 9 by 13 dish, top with more chips, and bake until set, then cool and cut into bars.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not overbake. Pull the bars when the top is no longer glossy and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, so the centers stay fudgy.
- Pack the brown sugar. Firmly packed brown sugar adds the right moisture and that soft, chewy texture.
- Press the dough evenly. Spreading the thick dough into an even layer helps the bars bake uniformly.
- Let them cool fully. The bars firm up as they cool, so wait until they are completely cool before slicing for clean edges.
- Use a hot knife to cut. Wipe a knife with a warm, damp cloth between cuts for neat, bakery style bars.
- Add chips on top. A scattering of chocolate chips pressed on top before baking makes them look irresistible.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These chocolate cookie bars are pure crowd pleasers, perfect for everything from bake sales to weeknight cravings. Serve them slightly warm with a tall glass of cold milk for the ultimate cozy treat.
For a full dessert spread, pair them with a scoop of our cookie dough ice cream or a swipe of our chocolate cream cheese frosting. If you love an easy bar dessert, our fudgy brownies and sopapilla cheesecake bars are must bakes too.
Cut them into squares for a party platter, or wrap them up as an easy homemade gift. However you serve them, these soft, fudgy chocolate cookie bars never last long, so you may want to bake a double batch.
Chocolate Cookie Bars FAQs
They are similar but not quite the same. Brownies rely on melted chocolate for a dense, fudgy texture, while these chocolate cookie bars use cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a softer, chewier, cookie like bite. Think of them as the lovechild of a cookie and a brownie.
Yes. These bars keep well, so you can bake them a day or two ahead. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature, and they stay soft and fudgy for several days.
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, or refrigerate for up to a week. You can also freeze them, wrapped well, for up to three months.
Dry bars are almost always a sign of overbaking. Pull them when the top is just set and a toothpick has moist crumbs, since they continue to firm up as they cool in the pan.
Absolutely. Double the ingredients and bake in two 9 by 13 pans, or use a large sheet pan and add a few minutes to the bake time. Watch closely so the centers stay soft.
Semi sweet chocolate chips are the classic choice and balance the rich cocoa dough nicely. You can also use dark, milk, or a mix of chocolate chips depending on how sweet you like them.
Craving more chocolate? Whip up a pan of our fudgy brownies next for another easy, crowd pleasing treat.
Want even more chocolate? These caramel loaded Carmelitas are rich and chewy.
Soft Double Chocolate Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer or in the body of a stand mixer, mix the butter and brown sugar. It will not thoroughly combine, but that’s okay.1 cup salted butter, 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- Add the eggs and vanilla mix to combine.2 large eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stir in the flour; the mixture will be thick.
- Add the chocolate chips and combine.2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Press the dough into the prepared baking dish evenly.
- Add more chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until the top is no longer glossy and a toothpick inserted into the center has moist crumbs; do not overbake.
- Allow to cool completely, and then cut into bars.
Notes
- Use a rubber spatula to spread the dough into an even layer.
- Don’t overbake! The top should look set but not dry.
- Line your prepared baking pan with parchment paper for the cleanest cut.
- Let bars cool completely before slicing for clean cuts.
- For an extra chocolatey treat, sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top right after baking.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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These were so much fun to make and tasted delicious.
You need one pan – what do you mean by three different types of dough?
Uh, excuse me. But 3 different amounts of dough, please tell me what pan size for each. Thanks