Toll House Cookie Bars

Why you’ll love this chocolate chip cookie bars recipe

• It’s a classic (childhood recipe), but quicker than making individual cookies.
• They’re soft and chewy, loaded with mini chocolate chips.
• Quicker to make than cookies – when you’re in a pinch for time.
• Makes 24 bars from one pan, so it’s great for feeding a crowd.

Ingredients needed 

• Dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Wet ingredients: butter, eggs, vanilla, almond extract.
• Sugar: white sugar and brown sugar.
• Chocolate chips: use your favorite variety, or we use Toll House mini chocolate chips.
• Nuts: optional (walnuts or pecans are delish!)

How do you make these cookie bars?

Make the dough

1. In a large bowl, mix together the softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until well blended and fluffy.
2. Stir in the vanilla, almond extract, salt, and baking soda.
3. Add the flour and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.

PRO TIP: 2 cups chocolate chips is more chocolate-forward, with a slightly richer, sweeter bite.

Bake the bars

1. Prepare a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
2. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
3. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until the bars are golden and set in the center.

PRO TIP: Every oven is not the same. Check baking time as you go.

Cool and cut

1. Let the bars cool in the pan before cutting.
2. Cut into 24 squares and serve.

PRO TIP: If you have extra time and want individual cookies instead, scoop the dough into dozens of cookies and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F.

Sandy’s tips and substitutions:

• Double the recipe: Make a double batch of the dough for an 18×13-inch pan. This recipe is for a 9×13-inch pan. Likewise, you could halve the recipe for an 8×8-inch pan, if you prefer. If you do use a different size pan, the bake time will change, so keep an eye on the bars.
• Chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips work best because they spread evenly through the batter. You can use regular chocolate chips or a mix of chocolate and peanut butter chips if you prefer. Butterscotch, vanilla, toffee pieces, milk and dark chocolate all work. You can even experiment with a combination of these.
• Almond extract: If you don’t have almond extract, you can leave it out or swap it for extra vanilla. The almond extract does add a lovely flavor, so it’s worth keeping in the pantry.
• Make ahead: These bars store well, so you can bake them a day or two before you need them.
• In the refrigerator: Store cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: These bars freeze beautifully. Wrap cooled bars individually or place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. I also love to cut the edges off (sometimes, not always) and then freeze those to add to vanilla ice cream (crumbled, with warmed Trader Joe’s fudge). So the edges go in a separate small freezer bag.
• Reheating: These bars are best served at room temperature or slightly warm. To warm them, place them in the microwave for a few seconds or in a low oven for a few minutes.

Variations:

• Nuts: Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans with the chocolate chips for crunch.
• Sea salt: Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the batter before baking for a sweet-and-salty finish.
• M&M’s: Swap half the chocolate chips for mini M&M’s for a colorful, kid-friendly version.
• Gluten-free: Use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.
• Mixing method: If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can stir the dough by hand, using a wooden spoon. Make sure the butter is soft enough to stir (use the defrost method in the microwave if you need to). Cream together; it will take longer by hand, but it works!