Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars loaded with semi sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and pecans. These cookie bars bake up golden and delicious and are perfect for feeding a crowd.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These cookie bars are the chocolate chip version of my super popular M&M’S Cookie Bars. These cookie bars are always a reader favorite, especially the Christmas Cookie Bars! They are easy to make, absolutely delicious and always a hit at parties and potlucks. For this recipe, I use a combination of mini semi sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. The pecans are optional, and can be left out or substituted with walnuts.
Lining the Pan
Line the pan with a sheet of foil and spray with non stick cooking spray. Once the cookie bars have cooled, they will easily lift out of the pan and peel off the foil. Then you can cut the cooled chocolate chip cookie bars into squares.
Can I use parchment paper instead of foil?
You can use parchment paper, it’s just not as easy to use as the foil. The cookie dough is very thick and trickier to spread on parchment paper. The foil is wrapped around the edges of the pan, so it stays in place when spreading the dough. It’s also easier to lift the cooled cookie bars out of the pan with the foil.
Cookie Bars
Cookie bars are my favorite because they can easily serve a crowd. Plus you skip the rolling or scooping step. In a 9×13 pan, I generally cut the bars into 18 bars for a generous serving size. This is the size I would use for a stand alone dessert, a bake sale or packaging gifts during the holidays. For feeding a crowd at a potluck or party, I would cut the 18 squares in half to make a total of 36 servings, which is equal to a single cookie size.
 What pan should I use for chocolate chip cookie bars?
Traditionally, I have used a 9×13 glass Pyrex dish to bake these cookie bars and it works great. I have noticed that they bake up a little more evenly in a 9×13 metal cake pan  so I have switched to using those. Either will work.
Cookie Bar Recipe

Golden brown chocolate chip cookie bars packed with milk chocolate and semi sweet chocolate chips and a sprinkle of pecans.
- 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup of firmly packed golden brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips plus more for topping
- 1 cup of mini semi sweet chocolate chips plus more for topping
- 1 cup chopped pecans plus more for topping
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, leave some overhang to make removal easier. Spray foil generously with nonstick cooking spray.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and continue to beat. Lower speed of mixer and add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Add chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, and pecans to cookie dough and give a final stir.
-
Transfer cookie dough to prepared baking dish. Press additional chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips and pecans into top of cookie bars. Bake between 35 - 40 minutes. Do not over bake. Edges should be golden brown and center should be just set and not jiggly. Cookie bars will continue to bake as they cool. Let cool completely, use foil to lift bars out of pan and cut into squares.
5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
My five FAVORITE recipes for busy families!
- Quick to make
- Light on your budget
- Easy to clean-up
- and...most important...absolutely DELICIOUS
This was just what I was looking for to cure my sweet tooth! So easy and delicious!
Delicious! I added some peanut butter chips to mine – they were so good!
Delicious! Thank you!
These are so much easier than making individual cookies. I love to underbake them a bit. I love that slightly doughy texture.
That sounds great! Thanks Mallory!
Served these at a party last weekend, and they were very popular!!
These look absolutely amazing. I love chocolate chip cookies and bars seem easier!!
Advice on using parchment paper. Crunch it in tour hands first so it is wrinkled…then flatten it…it will cling and form as well as aluminum foil. Learned this for my bread recipes. Works like a charm.
This is such a great tip. Thank you! Can’t wait to try it.
I did dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, shoestring potatoes, pretzels, m&ms….crushed and mixed in. Incredible! These are solid,
definite bars. Chewy and thick. Love this recipe. Thank you so much.
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing!