I’m excited to share one of my favorite cookie bar recipes with you! My decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are both indulgent and incredibly easy to whip up! These bars are a true treat! The cookie bars have a hint of espresso which enhances the chocolate – making it much more flavorful! A sprinkle of flaky sea salt just completes them! They deliver a deliciously chewy and chocolate treat!

This recipe became a hit during a LIVE baking demo I did with a group of enthusiastic young bakers! They were so excited to learn and taste their creations, and I’m sure you’ll be just as thrilled when you try these bars!

I also have made these cookie bars multiple times for my family and they absolutely loved them!

Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

If you’re a fan of chocolate chip cookies, you’re going to adore these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

These chocolate chip cookie bars are rich, gooey, and packed with chocolate chips in every bite! The flakey sea salt on top helps to balance out the richness while elevating the flavors in these bars. I also love adding instant espresso powder as it helps to enhance the flavor of the chocolate! Plus, they’re a breeze to make – perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth with minimal effort! Whether you’re baking for a special occasion or just want something sweet to enjoy at home, these bars are perfect!

These chocolate chip cookie bars are:

• Easy to make!
• Have a soft and chewy texture that is so satisfying!
• Loaded with chocolate in every bite.
• Perfect for sharing
• This recipe is versatile and easily customizable!

What You’ll Need for these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars call for ingredients that you already have on hand!

• Unsalted Butter: Melted and cooled, it adds a rich, buttery flavor!
• Light brown sugar: Brings a deep, caramel-like sweetness that enhances the overall taste of these cookie bars.
• Granulated Sugar: For balanced sweetness and texture.
• Egg: Make sure it is at room temperature. The egg helps to bind the ingredients together and adds moisture.
• Instant Espresso Powder: I love adding instant espresso to any recipe that includes chocolate or cocoa powder. You won’t taste the espresso, it just helps enhance the chocolate flavor! It is optional if you would prefer to omit it!
• All-purpose Flour: Provides struct to these cookie bars! Be sure to spoon and level for accuracy when measuring.
• Baking Soda: Helps the bars rise and achieve a soft, chewy texture.
• Salt: Helps to season the dough and balance the sweetness out!
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: I mean whats a cookie with chocolate chips? ( You can definitely swap out semi-sweet chocolate chips for another chocolate of your choice!)
• Flakey sea salt: A sprinkle on top for an extra touch of flavor! It adds that nice sweet-and-salty touch to these cookie bars.

Tips for making these Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

• Unsalted butter: I love using unsalted butter in baking recipes because it allows me to control the salt in my. baked goods! In this recipe, you’ll be using melted unsalted butter. Melt the butter in the microwave, and allow to cool. (Do not add hot melted butter to this recipe as it can effect the texture!)
• Egg: You want to make sure the egg is at room temperature! This helps it incorporate and mix into the cookie batter more easily! You can easily bring eggs to room temperature whenever making any recipe. Simply submerge them into a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes.
• Flour: To measure flour accurately, use the spoon and level method. First, fluff up the flour and spoon it into your measuring cup without packing it down. Next, level the flour by scraping a flat edge, like the side of a knife, across the top of the measuring cup to remove any excess and ensure its even with the rim. This method helps prevent adding too much flour, which can effect the recipe’s outcome!
• Do not over mix: It’s important when making cake or cookies to not over mix the batter. You’ll want to fold in the flour just until all the flour is combined. Over mixing can effect the texture as this causes the gluten in the flour to develop more. This can lead to a dense and tougher cookie bar.
• Baking Pan: For this recipe, I recommend using a aluminum, light colored 8×8 square pan. This material conducts heat more evenly!

These Chocolate Chip Cookie bars are Quick and Easy to Make!

No Rolling or Chilling Required!

This recipe comes together easily! It follows your traditional cookie baking method! Begin by creaming the butter and sugars, add the vanilla and egg, and then fold in the dry ingredients!

Whats great about these cookie bars, is you don’t have to worry about rolling each cooking individually! You also do not have to worry about chilling the dough! Simply make the dough, transfer to your pan, and bake! In a matter of no time you will have delicious cookies in bar form in no time!

Baking Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

When baking these cookie bars you want to ensure that your oven rack is in the middle of the oven! This helps for heat to circulate evenly!

Also, like many other recipes it is important to note that bake times may vary! These cookie bars take about 17-21 minutes to bake!

In order to determine if the cookie bars are ready, here are some things to pay attention to. The cookie bars will begin to:

• Develop a light golden color
• The top begins to puff up ever so slightly
• The edges will begin to lift from the edges

My cookie bars took about 20 minutes to bake!

When can I cut into these cookie bars?

Allow the cookie bars to cool down for about 45-60 minutes! If you cut into them right away they will fall apart. Giving the cookie bars time to cool allows for the baking process to continue just a bit more! It also allows the cookie bars to set up.

How can I store these cookie bars?

Although you may not have any cookies to store (because trust me, they are THAT good!), simply place the cookie bars into an air tight container and store at room temperature. These cookies will be fresh for about 2-3 days!

Making these cookie bars takes me back to that LIVE baking demo! It was the first time I led a baking demo, and it was so much fun! Guiding the young bakers and seeing the photos of their cookie bar creations was truly special.

Baking is all about sharing joy, and I hope these bring a bit of that joy to you too!