If you’re craving a crowd-pleasing dessert without the hassle of scooping individual cookies, chocolate chip cookie bars are the hero treat you need. They deliver everything you love about classic cookies—chewy middles, crisp edges, and pockets of melted chocolate—in a single, sliceable pan. Because the batter comes together in one bowl with pantry staples, you’ll go from preheating the oven to dessert-ready in under an hour, without babysitting batches or rotating trays. That makes chocolate chip cookie bars an ideal choice for potlucks, birthday parties, lunchboxes, and last-minute weeknight cravings.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
What sets this recipe apart is a smart mix of melted butter for plush texture, a touch of brown sugar for caramel depth, and just enough vanilla to make the chocolate shine. A little cornstarch helps the crumb stay tender, while the combination of baking soda and baking powder gives the bars lift without puffing them into cake. The result: chocolate chip cookie bars with shiny, crackly tops and fudgy centers that slice cleanly and hold up beautifully at room temperature. They’re easy to customize stir in toasted walnuts, swap in chunks for chips, or finish with flaky sea salt for a bakery finish.