These Chocolate Chip Bars are gooey, soft, slightly chewy and so good. So simple and quick to make you’ll find yourself wanting to make them over and over.
These Chocolate Chip Bars are what my mom made growing up. The recipe comes from the old Gold Medal Cookbook my aunt gave her years ago. It’s probably one of the most-used and most-worn out cookbooks she owns.
After I kind of permanently borrowed it from her a couple years ago, I decided I’d better give it back and found myself an old, used copy on ebay. There are so many recipes in this cookbook that bring back floods of childhood memories.
I have to laugh though because some of the recipes have really poor/wrong instructions. Take these cookies for instance. After I made them the first time and saw the amount of dough I called my mom and asked her if she really used a 9×13-inch pan like the recipes says. She said “no!” She learned the hard way the first time she ever made them that if you use a 9×13 pan like the recipe says, you will have paper thin bars. So she always made them in an 8×8.
Phew, glad I asked because who wants paper-thin chocolate chip bars?
I remember when I had her copy of the cookbook, she had several notes written off to the sides of recipes. . . .now I see why.
I love that this recipe makes an 8×8 pan, just the right size for my family, but if I need more, I can just double it and bake them in a 9×13.
TIPS FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS:
- Don’t overbake these. You want the edges to be golden brown and the top to have just a few golden brown spots starting. The perfect amount of time in my oven is 22 minutes. Just watch them closely.
- I love to use half milk chocolate chips and half semisweet, but you can use just one of the other if you prefer. These would also be delicious with white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips.
- I love lots of chocolate chips in my cookies so I measure a heaping cup of the chocolate chips and/or throw in an extra small handfull.
- This recipe can easily be doubled and made in a 9×13 pan. Cooking time should be the same, but just watch them carefully.
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil and spray lightly.
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In bowl of an electric mixer add butter and both sugars and cream together. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
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Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
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Press into prepared pan and bake 22 to 25 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. **Don't overcook, the center will still look slightly undercooked.
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE I’D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK!
Here are some of our other favorite bar cookies:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
Peanut butter Cup S’mores Bars
I made your choc chip bars in a 9 x 13 pan just to see the first time. They were not paper thin, they were almost as thick as in your pictures. I’m curious what baking time the original recipe calls for in a 9 x 13 pan. I cooked them for 14 minutes watching them carefully and I think I would like to bake them a little longer and have them a little less chewy and gooey although they are delicious.
Hi Catherine! Well you must have a magical oven or something because the few times my mom made these in a 9×13 pan they were so thin. Now I’m going to have to try it (lol!). The original recipe baking time was 12 to 14 minutes but at 375 degrees. I have never liked to bake cookies or bar cookies that high. So like my mom always did, I bake these at 350 degrees.
Yes yes yes! Perfect. I used the recipe and made two batches. One i added some pecans and the other got mini marshmallows. Winner. One thing I’d like to add, in case someone like me wants to make these for the first time. They are best after cooling completely. Think overnight. They were awesome warm but this morning they were so much better. I’ll be making these again.
These were the best gooey’est cc bars – My guys ate them up quick with hardly a crumb left in the pan! Made them in an 8×8 because thicker is better, right? Thanks for the recipe !
Thanks Cat! So happy to hear you loved them and you’re right, thicker is better! Thanks for leaving a comment.