Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

All the goodness of chocolate chip cookies made easy in one big easy batch of chewy bars. Top with Valentine's, Easter or Christmas colored M&M's for a special holiday cookie recipe.

JUMP TO RECIPE

I rarely make cookies. It’s not because I don’t love them, it’s because I don’t usually have time to sit around waiting for 3-4 batches to cook.

Plus, I can never stop thinking of the electric meter hula-hooping for hours just for the sake of cookies. The fact that I don’t mind doing the same for a slow-cooked hunk of roasted meat says a lot about where the tastebuds of my heart lie.

These are both reasons I love no-bake cookies so much (you just scoop them all out at once). Speaking of, here are my favorite recipes for no-bake cookies:

• No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies - A tried-and-true recipe for no-bake cookies made with peanut butter and oats topped with an easy cocoa drizzle. 
• No-Bake Monster Cookies - An easy no-bake peanut butter cookie recipe with quick-cooking oats topped with chocolate chips and M&Ms. 
• Triple Chocolate No-Bake Cookies - Classic no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies made with DOUBLE the cocoa and studded with chocolate chips for three times the chocolate goodness! 

I very recently (painfully and reluctantly) turned down an amazing (unbelievably huge, once-in-a-lifetime, life-altering) opportunity because I just couldn't make it work around my family’s busy (chaotic, crazy, wouldn't-have-it-any-other-way) schedule.

But I’m supposed to scratch out 2 hours to bake cookies? Negative.

So THIS is how I make chocolate chip cookies! Throw all the batter in a pan and go for broke!

NOTES ABOUT CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS

• For Valentine’s, Christmas or any other holiday-themed cookies, just throw a handful of seasonal M&Ms on top before baking and you’re golden! Try Reese's Pieces for Halloween cookie bars! If using, stir all of the chocolate chips into the batter then sprinkle candies on top of dough instead.
• You don’t have to fool with reserving the handful of chocolate chips to sprinkle on top in Step 5; it’s just a little trick to make the cookies look swanky. Otherwise, all the chips are mixed in the batter and you don’t really see them much.
• For the "semi-melted" butter, just put the butter in a bowl then pop it in the microwave until about half is melted then stir it up. You just want a very loose, soft consistency.
• If you don’t have any self-rising flour, just combine a scant 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon baking powder.
• Lining the pan with foil is optional but it makes it very easy to lift the cookies out of the pan for cutting into perfect little squares.

Recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Yield: 24 cookies

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

All the goodness of chocolate chip cookies made easy in one big easy batch of chewy bars. Top with Valentine's, Easter or Christmas colored M&M's for a special holiday cookie recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 self-rising flour
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, semi-melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 12-oz. bag chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

1. Line a 13x9 baking pan with aluminum foil then spray lightly with cooking spray; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine butter and sugars in a stand mixer or large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until combined and smooth.
3. Mix in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
4. Add flour then mix on low speed until combined. Stir in all but a handful of chips (about 1/4 cup).
5. Spread dough evenly into pan then sprinkle reserved chocolate chips on top (see notes below if using M&Ms or Reese's Pieces).
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.
7. Once cool, lift up on the aluminum foil to remove the cookie slab from the pan. Cut into 24 bars and store in an air-tight container.

Notes

• If using M&Ms or Reese's Pieces on top of the cookies, stir all of the chocolate chips into the batter then sprinkle candies on top of dough instead.
• You don’t have to fool with reserving the handful of chocolate chips to sprinkle on top; it’s just a little trick to make the cookies look swanky. Otherwise, all the chips are mixed in the batter and you don’t really see them much.
• For the "semi-melted" butter, just put the butter in a bowl then pop it in the microwave until about half is melted then stir it up. You just want a very loose, soft consistency.
• If you don’t have any self-rising flour, just combine a scant 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon baking powder.
• Lining the pan with foil is optional but it makes it very easy to lift the cookies out of the pan for cutting into perfect little squares.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2015/02/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2015

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For another SUPER EASY cookie recipe, check out these 6-ingredient EASY Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sweet Little Bluebird!