Next time you are craving chocolate chip cookies, try these chocolate chip cookie bars. Imagine irresistible sweet, soft and chewy cookie bars, made with a gorgeous nutty brown butter cookie dough, filled with gooey intense dark chocolate chunks. A sprinkling of flaky sea salt creates the ultimate sweet and salty finish. Trust me, these are so good.
Freshly baked cookies warm from the oven are up there with the most comforting foods of all time (alongside a classic apple and black berry crumble and school cake sprinkle sponge with custard). There is just something about them that makes everything feel better. However, you do have to factor in shaping and chilling time to get the very best cookies - and sometimes, you just don’t want to wait. That is why these chocolate chip cookie bars are such a winner as they are made in one tin so don’t need any shaping or chilling. In fact, they are pretty much as simple as my dark chocolate and white chocolate brownie and biscoff blondies.
These cookie bars are a cut above the rest as they use brown butter as the base. I know lots of people will be put off by having to make the brown butter, but it really isn’t difficult at all. Plus, it gives these chocolate chip cookie bars the most gorgeous nutty flavour. If you haven’t made brown butter before, don’t panic! Simply scroll down for my ‘brown butter step by step guide’ which takes you through it. There are also some key pointers on what to look out for.
Obviously, these chocolate chip cookie bars are perfect for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon treat with a cup of tea or coffee. They also travel really well so are great if you are taking to a friend's or a bake sale. However, my favourite way to enjoy them is warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle of chocolate sauce for an indulgent pudding…
Jump to:
- Why you will love this recipe:
- Ingredients:
- Substitutions and Variations:
- Here’s how to make Brown Butter
- Here's how to make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Cooking Tips:
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
- Other recipes you might enjoy:
- Made this recipe and loved it?
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Why you will love this recipe:
- They are super easy to make. Perfect for all baking abilities!
- They are quicker to make than regular cookies. No need to worry about shaping or chilling.
- They are full of flavour and texture. Imagine soft, sweet and nutty brown butter cookie bars, swirled with rich and gooey dark chocolate chunks and a hint of salty sea salt.
- They are so versatile - you can switch up the chocolate or add all sorts of nuts for crunch.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Butter - opt for unsalted butter so you can control the salt levels.
Soft light brown sugar - this adds sweetness, moisture and a delicious toffee-molasses flavour to the dough. You can use soft dark brown sugar but it will give much darker chocolate chip cookie bars.
Caster sugar - this adds sweetness to the chocolate chip cookie bars and helps give a slightly crisp top.
Eggs - I recommend large free-range eggs stamped with the British Lion mark.
Plain flour - also known as ‘all-purpose’ flour. This helps create the perfect texture for the chocolate chip cookie dough.
Bicarbonate of soda - this gives make the chocolate chip cookie bars a little rise.
Dark chocolate - this has a rich and intense flavour which works perfectly with the sweetness of the cookie dough. Opt for the best quality you can find and chop into relatively equal sized chunks.
Substitutions and Variations:
Brown butter - browning the butter is an additional step that gives these cookie bars a delicious nutty flavour. However, if you are short on time, you can just use regular softened butter.
Caster sugar - you can swap the caster sugar for granulated sugar or golden caster sugar if needed.
Chocolate - you don’t have to stick with dark chocolate, although I find the intensity complements the sweet cookie dough perfectly. Milk or white chocolate work well too. You can swap them out completely, use half and half or even all three for triple chocolate chip cookie bars!
Nuts - you can swap 100g of chocolate for roughly chopped nuts for extra crunch and a praline flavour. Chopped almonds, macadamia, pecans, pistachios or hazelnuts all work well.
Here’s how to make Brown Butter
Brown butter (A.K.A beurre noisette) is butter that has been heated to the point where the moisture evaporates and the milk solids brown. Don’t worry - it really isn’t complicated or as science-y as it sounds! The name ‘beurre noisette’ actually translates as ‘hazelnut butter’ which is a pretty good way of describing the gorgeous nutty, toasted flavour it has. It is such a simple way of adding lots of flavour to sweet and savoury recipes.
This step by step guide shows you how to make brown butter. If you scroll down, the full recipe with measurements is at the bottom of the page in the recipe card.
ONE: Place the butter into a medium-sized non-stick pan and place over a medium heat. Try to choose a pan light in colour as you want to be able to see the colour of the butter changing.
TWO: Continue to cook the butter as it melts, stirring occasionally. Once melted, slowly bring to the boil while continuing to stir. You will start to see the milk solids separate from the butter and collect at the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking the butter, stirring/swirling gently. You want to keep cooking until the milk solids turn a golden amber-brown. Don’t be alarmed if it crackles/spits and/or foams up during this time - this is normal and what you want to happen. If you are worried your butter is browning too quickly/unevenly, simply turn down the heat.
THREE: The crackling and foaming should start to subside as it gets closer to the ideal ‘brown butter’ stage. At this point, remove from the heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl.
FOUR: Leave to cool a little before using for the cookie bars. If you are worried you have a few too many burnt bits, you can pour through a sieve to strain any burnt bits so it's not wasted.
Here's how to make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Now you've made brown butter, it's time to make the cookie bars. If you scroll down, the full recipe with measurements is at the bottom of the page in the recipe card.
FIVE: Leave the brown butter to cool slightly. It doesn’t need to be room temperature but it shouldn’t be scorching hot.
SIX: Once the butter has cooled, add the sugars and mix well to combine.
SEVEN: Add the eggs, followed by the vanilla extract, then stir to combine.
EIGHT: Sift in the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda and mix until a smooth dough forms.
NINE: Fold in most of the chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
TEN: Press the dough into the prepared tin. Sprinkle over the reserved chocolate, pushing down into the top. Sprinkle generously with flaky salt. Pop into the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes - or until golden and baked (the exact time will depend on how gooey you like your cookie bars). Leave to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes.
Cooking Tips:
Brown butter: the delicious brown butter (the fancy cookery term is ‘beurre noisette’) adds a nutty flavour to these chocolate chip cookie bars. I know it sounds a bit cheffy, but it is a really simple process. You just need to cook the butter just until it is a gorgeous amber colour and has an incredible nutty aroma. That is the point to remove it from the heat before it starts to burn (by which point, it will turn butter). If you are short on time, you can use regular softened butter, but it is well worth giving it a go at least once!
Chocolate: I like to chop up a bar of chocolate to make chocolate chunks, as these melt nicely and create pools of melted chocolate. Chocolate chips work, of course, so feel free to use them, but they are designed to retain their shape when baked so you don't get delicious melty chocolate. If you haven't tried doing it before with a chopped-up bar of chocolate, I'd recommend you do!
Cooling: I know it is tricky, but try to let it cool at least 20 minutes before removing it from the tin. This allows them time to firm up slightly and form the perfect chewy cookie bar texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
I highly recommend it, but if you are short on time, you can just use softened butter.
Not for this recipe. Normally for cookie recipes, like my triple chocolate chunk cookies, you do. However, because this is baked in one tin and then sliced, it isn’t particularly necessary.
Yes, both have their purpose. The light brown sugar adds moisture and a delicious toffee-molasses flavour. Meanwhile, the caster sugar helps create a crisp top which is key to the perfect cookie bar.
Yes, you should be able to double these with no issues. Just use a bigger tin (maybe 35x25cm - they would just a be a bit thicker) or split across two 20cm square tins.
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
You have two options: you can cover the unbaked dough in cling film and pop the tin in the fridge to chill overnight until you are ready to bake the next day.
Otherwise, you can bake them, cool them and then cover or transfer to an airtight container. They do last about 5 days but are best in the first 24 hours.
The brown butter can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and kept chilled in the fridge (remember to bring to a softened room temperature before making the cookie bars)
Once baked, the chocolate chip cookie bars are best on the day they are made but will last in a sealed tupperware for up to 5 days.
Simply pop onto a microwave-safe plate and heat in the microwave in 10 second blasts.
The baked chocolate chip cookie bars can be sliced, wrapped in cling film and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
If you like the sound of these chocolate chip cookie bars, try my chocolate chunk muffins. Also don’t miss my triple chocolate brownies or my chocolate brownie cookies. For something a bit more celebration-themed, try my No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake.
Made this recipe and loved it?
I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter diced
- 200 g soft light brown sugar
- 80 g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 300 g plain flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 200 g good-quality chocolate chopped into chunks
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan. Grease and line a 20 cm (8-inch) square tin with non-stick baking paper and set aside.
- First make the brown butter: pop the diced butter into a medium-sized non-stick saucepan and set over a low-medium heat. Stir gently until completely melted. Increase the heat to medium and allow the butter to bubble, stirring often. It will bubble and spit - don’t panic, this is normal (just take care!). Continue to cook the butter, stirring to ensure it cooks evenly, until the crackling noises fade and the bubbles subside. At this point, you should see a foam appear on the surface and the colour will change from golden-yellow to light brown to deep amber brown. This can take anywhere between 7-10 minutes, depending on the size of your pan and how high your heat is. Watch the pan closely as it takes just seconds to go from brown to burnt.
- As soon as brown flecks start to appear and you start to smell a gorgeous nutty aroma, remove from the heat. Quickly, but carefully, pour into a medium-sized heatproof bowl. This stops it cooking any further. Leave to cool slightly. It doesn’t need to be room temperature but it shouldn’t be scorching hot. You can make the brown butter up to 2 weeks in advance and keep it chilled in your fridge. Allow to come to a softened room temperature before making the cookie bars.
- Once the butter has cooled, add the sugars and mix well to combine. Add the eggs, followed by the vanilla extract, then stir to combine. Sift in the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda and mix until a smooth dough forms.
- Fold in most of the chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Leave some to sprinkle over the top.
- Press the dough into the prepared tin. Sprinkle over the reserved chocolate, pushing down into the top. Sprinkle generously with flaky salt. Pop into the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes - or until golden and baked (the exact time will depend on how gooey you like your cookie bars). Leave to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes.
- Once cool, remove from the tin and cut into squares.
