Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars - The Recipe Critic (2024)

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Get ready for these chocolate chip cookie dough bars to become a favorite you makeall the time!Perfectly creamy and delicious (and with no raw egg), these bars will get devoured by anyone lucky enough to eat them!

If you love these chocolate chip cookie dough bars, then you must try some of my other favorite chocolate chip recipes! Start with these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, this delicious chocolate chip banana bread and this yummy cookie dough dip!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars - The Recipe Critic (1)

A Reader’s Review

Absolutely delicious! Everyone always loves these when I make them. Turn out perfect every single time!

-Kystalyn

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

Ok. Who is guilty of eating the cookie dough every time you make a batch of cookies? I am pretty guilty of that every single time. The cookie dough is the best part! I figured out a way to get that same delicious, and creamy cookie dough taste in this recipe. The fantastic thing about these bars is that they taste just like cookie dough! And they are egg-less. So they won’t make you sick!

The eggs are substituted with one of my favorite ingredients… sweetened condensed milk. It’s the secret ingredient in these cookie dough bars that give it the best taste and a creamy texture. It takes what you know as cookie dough and brings it up a few notches. Plus, because these are “cookie dough” bars, they don’t require any baking! This recipe is easy and delicious.

Ingredients in Cookie Dough Bars

The best part about these chocolate chip cookie dough bars is that they taste just like cookie dough but don’t have the raw egg that you worry about eating! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements!

  • Butter: I used unsalted butter that wassoftened to room temperature in this recipe.
  • Brown Sugar: Use light brown sugar(packed) to get the best flavor out of these cookie dough bars.
  • Vanilla Extract: Add a splash of vanilla flavoring with this ingredient.
  • Flour: All purpose flour works great in this recipe!
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is the secret ingredient to making these cookie dough bars turn out perfectly creamy and delicious!
  • Mini Chocolate Chips: I use semi-sweet chocolat chips but you could use milk chocolate or dark chocolate if that’s what you prefer.
  • Creamy Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter will mix the best and give the chocolate topping a delicious and smooth texture.
  • Milk Chocolate Chips: These will be melted up and used on the top!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars - The Recipe Critic (2)

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

This recipe is super simple, and you just need to account for the time it takes for the bars to chill and set up! You will be so glad that you took the time to make these! They are worth the wait.

  1. Line pan: Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside.
  2. Combine: In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter and brown sugar until it is fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes. Add vanilla until combined.
  3. Mix and fold: Turn the mixer to low and alternate the flour and the sweetened condensed milk until combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
  4. Add to pan: Press the cookie dough into the bottom of the 8×8 pan. It will be sticky so lightly flour your hands if needed.
  5. Chill: Cover your bars with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight until firm.
  6. Add topping and chill: To make the topping, combine the peanut butter and 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Stir every 30 seconds until smooth. Pour and spread over the top of the chilled dough and chill at least for 1 hour until firm.
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Variations

Like with baked cookies, you can change up these chocolate chip cookie dough bars to make them your own! Here are a few ideas for you!

  • Mix-ins- You can easily swap out the chocolate chips for another mix-in of your choice! Try some heath bar bites, some mini m&m’s, or even some delicious Reese’s Pieces!
  • Add Oats: If your very favorite cookie dough is oatmeal chocolate chip then try making that with these cookie dough bars! Try using 1/2 cup of flour and 2 cups of quick oats instead of the 2 cups of flour. YUM!
  • Topping: Sprinkle on some course sea salt on your melted chocolate topping before it sets. This adds a delicious savory flavor to go along with the sweet cookie dough taste.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars - The Recipe Critic (4)

How to Freeze for Later

You can make some extra of these chocolate chip cookie dough bars and freeze them for later! Then you can have them on hand whenever you want. Place any extras in an airtight container and label it with the date. Put it in the freezer and they will last about 2-3 months. When you are ready to eat them then take them out and let them thaw in the fridge.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars - The Recipe Critic (5)

More Delicious Cookie Dough Recipes

If you are all about the taste of uncooked cookies then boy do I have some delicious recipes for you! I absolutely love cookie dough so I can’t get enough of trying out new recipes for it. Here are some recipes that you MUST try!

Desserts

Monster Cookie Dough Cupcakes

30 mins

Desserts

No-Bake Cookie Dough Chocolate Cups

20 mins

Desserts

Irresistible Edible Cookie Dough

10 mins

Desserts

Cookie Dough Brownies

40 mins

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

5 from 5 votes

By: Alyssa Rivers

Get ready for these chocolate chip cookie dough bars to become a favorite you makeall the time!Perfectly creamy and delicious (and with no raw egg), these bars will get devoured by anyone lucky enough to eat them!

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

1 hour hour

Total Time: 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 Bars

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside.

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter and brown sugar until it is fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and bet until combined.

  • Turn the mixer to low and alternate the flour and the sweetened condensed milk until combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

  • Press the cookie dough into the bottom of the 8×8 pan. It will be sticky so lightly flour your hands if needed.

  • Cover your bars with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight until firm.

  • To make the topping, combine the peanut butter and 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Stir every 30 seconds until smooth. Pour and spread over the top of the chilled dough and chill at least for 1 hour until firm.

Video

Notes

Originally Posted September 1, 2019

Updated on May 20, 2022

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 7gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 89mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 2gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 306IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

Read More About Me

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

How do you beat cookie dough? ›

Realize that most recipes combine the flour and other dry ingredients before adding them to the butter mixture. Raisins, chocolate chips, other "add ins" and, sometimes oats, are added last. Once dry ingredients have been added, don't beat vigorously or overmix. Overmixing can result in tough cookies.

What is the first ingredient that changes the different look and texture of chocolate chip cookies? ›

1. Granulated sugar. Using granulated white sugar will result in a flatter, crispier and lighter-colored cookie. Granulated sugar is hygroscopic, so it attracts and absorbs the liquid in the dough.

How to improve Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough? ›

  1. Use browned butter (add about 10% more than what's suggested on the box).
  2. chill the dough for at least two hours if you want less spread.
  3. add cocoa powder or espresso powder into the dry ingredients, maybe vanilla extract too.
  4. yes adding marshmallow should be good. Or choco chips.
Nov 2, 2022

Why did my chocolate chip cookies fail? ›

Try decreasing the number of eggs in your recipe, or use egg yolks in place of whole eggs. Too much sugar, not enough flour. Using too little flour will prevent rising, and too much sugar will result in more spreading since sugar liquefies when heated. The baking sheet was too warm or greasy.

Can you over beat cookie dough? ›

Overmixing the dough: Overmixing can lead to tough and dense cookies. It's essential to mix the ingredients just until they come together to avoid developing too much gluten.

Can you beat cookie clicker? ›

There is no end to the game, but some believe getting all the achievements is technically seen as "finishing the game".

What makes cookies chewy vs crunchy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

What makes a cookie cakey vs chewy? ›

chewy vs crispy is a combination of 2 things… ratio of fats to flour, and baking times/temps.. for more chewy cake like cookies, you want something with a high fat, content cooked at a lower longer temperature… for a more crispy or dryer cooking you want a lower fat batter cooked at a high temperature.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

How to spruce up chocolate chip cookie dough? ›

Here are our seven favorite ways to gild the chocolate-chip-cookie lily:
  1. Brown your butter. ...
  2. Whisk coffee grounds or espresso powder into the flour. ...
  3. Use hand-chopped chunks, not chips. ...
  4. Stir crunchy cereal into the dough. ...
  5. Fold in your favorite snack food. ...
  6. Sprinkle dough balls with flaky salt before baking.
Mar 6, 2015

How to make chocolate chip cookie dough taste better? ›

No one will even suspect they're store-bought (and we won't tell anyone!).
  1. Add brown sugar. ...
  2. Experiment with extracts. ...
  3. Mix in different candies and snacks. ...
  4. Add espresso or coffee grounds. ...
  5. Deepen the flavors by refrigerating the dough. ...
  6. Salt before baking the cookies. ...
  7. Reduce baking time for extra soft cookies.

How do you fix failed cookie dough? ›

First, try adding more liquid to the dough. This can be milk, water, or even just a little bit of extra oil. If that doesn't work, you can try kneading the dough for a few minutes to help it come together. Lastly, if all else fails, you can always add in a few tablespoons of flour to help bind the dough together.

What makes cookies fluffy and not flat? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

Why do my homemade chocolate chip cookies get hard? ›

Don't Overbake!

This isn't a revolutionary tip and is probably quite obvious, but if you leave your cookies in the oven for even a few minutes longer than necessary, the mix will dry too quickly and lead to more rigid, dry cookies.

How long do you beat cookie dough? ›

For a hand mixer, you will need to beat for 5 or 6 minutes. If you are using a stand mixer, it will be approximately 3 minutes on medium speed (tested on a KitchenAid, speed 4). If you have a Bosch mixer, use the dough hook and beat for 3 minutes on speed 3.

How do you know if cookie dough is overmixed? ›

You may notice visible pockets of flour, streaks of butter, or uneven coloration. When overmixed, though, cookie dough will feel dense, greasy, heavy, and warm. It may be tough to roll out or work with, just like overmixed pie dough.

How do you beat cookie dough by hand? ›

  1. Soften the butter ahead of time by leaving it at room temperature for a few hours.
  2. Use a large mixing bowl to make it easier to mix the dough by hand.
  3. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to cream the butter and sugar together. ...
  4. If the dough is too stiff, add a little bit of milk or water to help soften it.
Aug 1, 2022

What happens when you overbeat cookie batter? ›

"Overmixing your dough will result in flatter, crispier cookies," Cowan said. If you overmix, you will end up aerating (adding air to) the dough, which causes the cookies to rise and then fall, leaving you with flat cookies.

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