Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

If you’re a chocolate lover, these double chocolate chip cookie bars are about to become your new favorite dessert. They’re rich, fudgy, loaded with chocolate chips, and bake up in a single 9×13 pan. No mixer needed, no scooping of the cookie dough, and no chilling.

 

I created this recipe because sometimes I want a chocolate cookie, but I don’t want to spend time scooping and baking multiple trays of cookies. Cookie bars are one of my favorite shortcuts because all the dough goes into one pan and bakes at once. Like my congo bars, chocolate chip cookie bars, or my oatmeal cookie bars. But this time I was seriously craving chocolate.

Using Dutch-process cocoa powder gives them a rich chocolate taste, while melted butter helps create a chewy, dense texture that reminds me of the best bakery-style cookie bars.

I also went with a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar. The brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness, while the granulated sugar helps create those slightly crisp edges that make cookie bars so irresistible. Add a generous amount of chocolate chips, and every bite is packed with chocolate.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: spooned and leveled for accurate measuring and tender bars. Or measure using a kitchen scale.
• Dutch-process cocoa powder: You can also use natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter: You can also use salted butter. Reduce the added salt.
• Light brown sugar: If you run out, try my homemade brown sugar.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs: Use room temperature eggs.
• Vanilla extract
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You can also use chopped chocolate or milk chocolate chips.

How To Make Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Prepare the Pan

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides. This makes it much easier to lift the bars out of the pan once they’ve cooled.

Combine the Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

Taking a minute to whisk the dry ingredients helps evenly distribute the cocoa powder and baking soda throughout the dough. This prevents pockets of cocoa and ensures the bars bake evenly.

Mix the Butter and Sugars

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined.

Using melted butter instead of softened butter creates a denser, chewier texture that works especially well in cookie bars.

Add the Eggs and Vanilla

Whisk in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

Make sure the eggs are fully incorporated before moving on. This helps create a smooth dough and prevents streaks of egg in the finished bars.

Add the Dry Ingredients

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.

Once you no longer see streaks of flour, stop mixing. Overmixing can develop too much gluten and lead to tougher cookie bars.

Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Press Into the Pan

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer.

The dough will be thick. I like to use an offset spatula or lightly greased hands to press it evenly into the corners. An even layer helps the bars bake uniformly.

Bake the Bars

Bake for about 20 minutes on the middle rack.

The bars are done when the top looks set but still slightly soft in the center. Be careful not to overbake them. They will continue to set as they cool, and pulling them from the oven a little early helps keep them soft and fudgy.

Cool Before Slicing

Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan.

This is one of the hardest parts, but it makes a huge difference. Cooling allows the bars to finish setting and gives you clean slices.

Once cooled, lift the bars out using the parchment paper and cut into squares.

Storage

Store the cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freezing Baked Cookie Bars

Allow the bars to cool completely before freezing. Place them in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature before serving.

More Chocolate Desserts To Try

My Cosmic Brownies are rich, fudgy, and topped with the classic chocolate frosting and rainbow chips. For a bakery-style cookie, try my Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies, which are soft, chewy, and packed with caramel flavor.

Looking for an easy no-bake treat? My Chocolate Covered Oreos are always a crowd favorite and perfect for holidays or gift giving.

And if you can’t get enough cookies and cream, you’ll love my Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies loaded with Oreo pieces and white chocolate chips.