food
By Katherine Gillen
•
Published Jan 9, 2024
When a cookie craving hits, time is of the essence. And while, sure, you could make a dozen chocolate chippers with store-bought dough to save time…you could also throw caution to the wind and whip up a pan of cookie bars instead. With the big-batch convenience of brownies and the flavor of your favorite batch, cookie bars offer the best of both worlds. Plus, since they’re a press-and-bake situation, you don’t even need to reach for your cookie scoop. From jammy shortbread bars to cookie brittle, here are 23 cookie bar recipes that deserve a spot on your “to bake” list.
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Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell
1. Jammy Shortbread Bars
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
These bars, which start with a simple press-in cookie base and end with a swoop of creamy frosting, are equally lovely as an afternoon snack or a lunchbox treat. Make the layers thin so they can be stacked and packed.
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Yossy Arefi/Snacking Bakes
2. Coffee-Glazed Molasses Bars
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Espresso and molasses are an unlikely pair on paper, but the combination of warm spices (like cinnamon, ginger and allspice) and a pleasantly bittersweet glaze makes a surprisingly tasty pairing.
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Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell
3. Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Speaking of tasty pairings, these cookie bars are making our middle-school hearts go pitter-patter. The key to getting a good swirl on top is to pipe on the jam, but if you don’t have a piping bag, you can put the jam in a zip-top plastic bag and cut off one corner.
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Katherine Gillen
4. Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Blondies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Are blondies *technically* cookie bars? Well, considering they’re basically the chocolate chip cookie version of a brownie (sans chocolate chips), we think yes. These chewy delights are generously dusted with cinnamon sugar for a crackling top and cozy flavor.
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Katherine Gillen
5. Animal Cookie Blondies
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Give us a nostalgicdessert and, well…we’ll probably try to eat the whole batch. Luckily, these pink and white animal cookie blondies are so easy to make—less than ten ingredients, 35 minutes!—that you can make a second pan and still have time to catch up on your Netflix queue.
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Photo: K.C. Tinari/Styling: Candace Davison
6. Apple Cider Blondies with Caramel Drizzle
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
These bars have all the flavor of an apple pie—only they’re fantastically fudgy and ready in about an hour, no rolling or chilling required. If you don’t want to make the homemade apple cider caramel, no worries. Just use a jar of store-bought sauce instead.
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Katherine Gillen
7. 7-Layer Bars
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Whether you know them as 7-layer bars, magic bars or Hello Dolly bars, these cookie-like treats are undeniably delicious. Chalk it up to the butterscotch chips…or maybe the sweetened condensed milk. (Or both.)
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- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
These cookie bars require no scooping or rolling, of course, but they go a step further: no mixer. Change out the chocolate candy colors if you want to make them seasonal.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
9. Easy Lemon Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Everyone needs a classic lemon bar recipe in their back pocket, and this version starts with store-bought sugar cookie dough for ultra-convenience. Dust them with confectioners’ sugar for a finishing touch.
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- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Peanut butter, oats, M&Ms and chocolate chips walk into a bar…cookie. Unlike a bad joke, these cookie bars will go over swimmingly at any potluck or dinner party. A sprinkle of flaky salt on top will temper the sweetness.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
One reason we love a cookie bar recipe? They can be as simple or as decadent as you choose, as is the case with these chewy, creamy layered squares. Lucky you, they can be frozen for up to a month.
12. Flourless Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookie Bars
- Time Commitment: 27 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, gluten free
Since they’re flourless, these cookie bars are both gluten-free and impossibly simple to stir up. Use dry roasted almonds or toast your own for the most flavorful mix-in.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
We adore a chewy sugar cookie topped with swirls of cloud-like frosting, but they’re not the easiest treat to make on a whim. Transform them into bars, though, and you can streamline the whole process. (Besides, who can say no to cream cheese icing and sprinkles?)
14. Peanut Butter Blossom Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
This recipe might be the easiest way to impress a crowd, since the bars look impressive but take little effort on your part. A dusting of granulated sugar before baking adds sparkle and crunch.
- Time Commitment: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
You had us at “s’mores,” but wait until you taste the brown sugar graham cracker cookie dough base. Go all out and make your own homemade marshmallow crème or use a jar of store-bought as a shortcut. (We won’t tell.)
16. Cookie Brittle
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
What the heck is cookie brittle, you ask? It’s like a hybrid between shortbread and chocolate chip cookies, and it’s buttery, crumbly and sweet in all the right ways.
17. Brown Butter Shortbread Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Shortbread is like the ultimate bar cookie, because it requires just a handful of ingredients to come together. Browning the butter adds complexity to an otherwise simple dessert.
18. Confetti White Chocolate Bars
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
If you’re trying to win over your kid with lunchbox treats, look no further. These cookie bars are jam-packed with white chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles for a sweet, festive touch.
19. Cranberry White Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
Oh hey, copycat recipe. You can officially skip the trip to your coffee spot and make these seasonal treats all year long if your heart desires. (Ours does.) The bars call for both granulated and brown sugar for the perfect balance of crispy edges and chewy centers.
20. Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Chocolate chip cookies are high on our list of favorite desserts, so why wouldn’t we love them in bar form? Adding salt and browned butter elevates the treat from basic to “basically going to eat the whole pan.”
21. Ooey-Gooey Salted Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free
Almond flour and rolled oats make these bars gluten-free, with a little added sweetness courtesy of coconut sugar. What we’re saying is, they’re kinda-sorta healthy…right? (Psst: Use brown sugar if you can’t find coconut.)
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
We’re not saying you should toss all your cutesy cookie cutters in the trash, but you could definitely make your holiday season easier by making these spiced, iced cookie bars instead of those fussy cutouts. We know it’s not a competition, but you’ll win that cookie swap.
23. Soft and Chewy Gluten-Free Blondies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, dairy free
You need one bowl and less than an hour to satisfy your craving. Bonus: They’re gluten-free (not to mention dairy- and nut-optional), so all sweet tooths can partake.
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Katherine Gillen
Senior Food Editor
Katherine Gillenis PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...
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