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Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are one of my favorite treats! An easy cookie bars recipe perfect for afternoon snacks or just having a bite of something sweet without needing to spend too long in the kitchen.

Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars on parchment paper

I’m sure we’ve all baked and eaten our share of chocolate chip cookie bars. I usually like them, but I find often want something a little different than just a cookie recipe spread into a pan. That’s how these Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars came to be!

I started with a few of my chocolate chip cookie recipes and then started tweaking. I wanted these bars to be soft and gooey, yet dense and, well, significant. And I’m happy to tell you that these bars are all of that and more!

To make them even better, I packed them with not only two kinds of chocolate chips, but also nuts, peanut butter chips, and toffee. If you love cookies loaded will all kinds of goodness, then you are going to love these cookie bars!

As much as I bake and as many different things as I bake, I tend to enjoy them and then move on to the next thing. But I usually find myself missing these cookie bars after they’re gone. That puts them firmly on my go-to list of repeat recipes. I hope you’ll give them a try soon and add them to your favorites, too!

ingredients for chocolate chip cookie bars, including flour, butter, brown sugar, and various add-ins

What You’ll Need

Here’s a quick run-down of what you’ll need to make these cookie bars. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.

  • Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Wet ingredients: melted unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
  • Chocolate: semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips
  • Peanut butter chips
  • Chopped nuts: You can use your favorite kind of nuts here. My first choice is usually pecans, but try walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or a combination!
  • Toffee bits

Variation Ideas

One of the best things about loaded cookies is how easy they are to customize with your preferred mix-ins. If you want to play around with the ingredients I listed above here are some suggestions:

  • Coconut flakes
  • White chocolate chips
  • Dried fruit: Whatever you like! I think dried cranberries or cherries would be tasty.
  • Butterscotch chips
  • Caramel bits
  • Sea salt: Add a sprinkling of coarse salt on top for a sweet and salty twist.
  • Fewer mix-ins: You can, of course, go the simpler route with just lots of chocolate chips and you’ll still be quite pleased.

There are so many other great flavors you could add to these bars! Just keep the total volume amount of add-ins roughly the same as in the recipe.

stack of Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars on a white plate
  • A note about the dough batter: As you’re making these bars, you’ll notice that the dough isn’t quite what you’re accustomed to seeing with cookies. It’s a bit gooier than you would usually expect from a cookie dough. But that difference is what gives them their fantastic texture and flavor!
  • Measure accurately. Use a kitchen scale to measure by weight if possible.
  • Use a light-colored, metal pan. That will give you cookie bars that are thoroughly baked.
  • Line the pan with parchment paper. While this isn’t absolutely necessary, it does make removing from the pan much simpler.

Even Better the Day After!

If you can bear to wait, these cookie bars are actually better the day after they’re baked. I usually can’t resist a little sample after they’ve cooled initially, but then I do my best to wait until the next day to serve myself a large slice. The fact that they get better after a day makes them a perfect choice for making dessert in advance!

overhead view of Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars on parchment paper on a white surface

Let your cookie bars cool a bit before removing them from the baking tray, then cut them into squares and let them cool completely. Transfer them to an airtight container. You can store them on the counter for 3-4 days, in the fridge for 5-6 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

If freezing these cookie bars I recommend wrapping each serving in saran wrap before placing them in a freezer-safe container to prevent freezer burn. Defrost overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours when you are ready to eat a cookie bar.

Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Yield 24 2-inch bars
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Two kinds of chocolate chips, nuts, toffee, and more make these Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars an instant favorite!

Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars on parchment paper

Ingredients

  • 2 & 1/4 cups (270g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 3/4 cup (150g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (85g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup (85g) milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup (85g) peanut butter chips
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (weight varies by type of nuts used)
  • 1/2 cup (80g) toffee bits

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x 13" pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs by a couple of inches on the two long sides. Grease the paper. (The parchment makes things simpler, but you can also skip that step and just grease the pan if you prefer.)
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Combine the cooled butter, brown sugar, and sugar using a large spoon or an electric mixer on medium-low speed.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
  5. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until a few streaks of flour remain.
  6. Stir in the remaining ingredients, mixing just until combined.
  7. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, and spread evenly.
  8. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges are brown and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  9. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Then use the overhanging parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into bars.

Notes

Use any combination of add-ins that you like. Just keep the total amount around 2 & 1/2 cups.

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    12 Comments on “Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars”

  1. Hi! I want to add oatmeal to these cookies instead of the nuts. What kind of oats are best and should I put in a 1/2 cup? Thank you 🙂

  2. Too many eggs? Came out cakey and not very sweet.

  3. Jennifer, you’ve done it again. These are absolutely delicious! I used peanuts and the sprinkling of coarse salt put these over the top.

  4. I made these today and halved the recipe so that I could put in a 9″ round and bake in my toaster oven. Too hot for the conventional oven, but too yummy looking of a recipe not to try. They turned out great. I baked for about 20 minutes and used butterscotch chips instead of peanut butter chips; no toffee bits. Thx :0)

  5. Thank you for your well tested and wonderful cookie ideas and recipes!

  6. Mahalo for answering my question. I LOVE all of your delectable recipes! I can’t wait to experience this and was even thinking of trying it out using new brownie pan! Mmmmm!

  7. I’d like to cut the recipe in half. Would you recommend an 8” or 9” square pan, and how long should I cook them. Thank you.   

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