Soft & Chewy Cookie Bars

Chocolate chip cookies in bars? 

Don’t you love the smell of freshly-baked cookies but you feel it’s too much work to make one? And you can’t be bothered to bring out your hand mixer, and no way you are going to cream butter and sugar at this time? More so have the patience to divide and form the dough into nearly perfect round cookies? 

Well, you don’t have to. These soft, chewy, and thick chocolate chip cookie bars are just exactly what you need. Yep, cookies in bars!

It has the texture of what you want in a cookie – it’s soft and chewy. Unless you want your cookie hard and crunchy, then you may stop reading now. And since it comes in bars, you can enjoy it thick, dense, and have that full to the bite satisfaction!

On top of that, it’s so convenient to make. You need nothing but a couple of bowls and a whisk to combine the ingredients and mix the batter. A square baking pan lined with foil or parchment paper to bake one big, thick, buttery cookie. And a bit of waiting time to cool it down and you’re done.

Want more chocolate chips on your cookie bars? Go ahead and add a few more before you bake it.

Make it taste even more interesting by sprinkling some sea salt on top. 

It’s great for desserts, morning tea, or snacks, and convenient to take with you on the go!

This easy and fuss-free cookie bars recipe is adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Sally is a cookbook author, photographer, and blogger. 

How To Make Soft & Chewy Cookie Bars

Soft & Chewy Cookie Bars

Thick, buttery, soft, and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time32 minutes
Total Time1 hour 47 minutes
Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk room temperature
  • 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a few more for adding on top
  • sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 177°C (350°F). Get a 9-inch square baking pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Leave an overhang on all sides. Note 1
  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk, and then the vanilla extract. Note that the mixture will be thick.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Note that the cookie dough will be thick and very soft.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer the cookie dough onto the prepared pan and smooth out evenly.
  • Press more chocolate chips on top and sprinkle with sea salt. (optional)
  • Bake for 32-35 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. It is done when the toothpick inserted at the centre comes out clean. Note 2
  • Let the cookie bar cool in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour or so. Lift out of the pan when it has cooled down, and cut into squares. Note 3

Notes

Note 1: Use the overhang to lift the bars out of the pan when it has cooled down.
Note 2: Don't overbake the cookie bars. Check for doneness at 32 minute mark or when you see the sides are lightly browned.
Note 3: The total time indicated in the recipe includes the cooling period of at least 1 hour. Store the cooled cookie bars at room temperature in an airtight container. It can last up to a week.
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