Toll House Cookie Bars are the perfect treat, and we’re using the classic recipe to make 3 different styles of bars. Follow along to see which is the best!
Chances are, you’ve made the chocolate chip cookie recipe printed on the bag of chocolate chips. Did you know you can make them into bar cookies?
Toll House Cookie Bars have been a staple in my household for years. My mom made them frequently when I was growing up, and it’s my go-to recipe for a quick dessert.
I personally love making them as bars instead of cookies because they’re so darn easy—no scooping or rolling required.
The recipe calls for a jelly roll pan, which is 15×10 inches. That size pan is less common in kitchens now, as many recipes call for a 13×9 inch pan, or a much larger half-sheet pan.
So I set out to determine which is the best (modern) pan for making Toll House Cookie Bars. The answer? It depends on how you like them!
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Ingredients
- The dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
- The wet ingredients: butter, eggs, and vanilla.
- The sweeteners: white sugar and brown sugar.
- The chocolate chips (use your favorite variety)
- I did not use nuts for this test, but you can add them if you’d like!
How to make Toll House cookie bars
Start by creaming the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. You can also use a hand mixer.
Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Then, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix just until combined.
Then, add the chocolate chips.
Pat the dough into your preferred pan.
For the jellyroll pan or 13×9 pan, I like spraying a plastic sandwich bag with cooking spray, put my hand inside the bag, and use that to pat down the dough. It makes it super quick and easy!
Bake at 375°F for the following time, depending on your pan:
- Jellyroll (15×10 inch) pan: 18–22 minutes
- 13×9 inch pan: 23–27 minutes
- 9×9 inch pan: 32–35 minutes
That’s it! Toll House Cookie Bars YOUR way!
Which is best?
So which pan size is best for cookie bars? It depends on how you like them!
The jellyroll pan produces the thinest cookie bar. It’s slightly chewy and crisp on the edges..
The 9×9 inch pan produces a thick cookie bar that’s gooey on the inside. It reminds me of something that you would purchase in a bakery. A note on these: the sides rise higher than the middle of the bar. Let these cool completely before cutting.
The 13×9 inch pan creates a cookie bar that’s somewhere between the two others. It’s less chewy than the thin bars, yet not gooey like the 9×9 inch bars. The best of both worlds, you might say!
Can I make Toll House cookie bars in advance?
These cookie bars are GREAT for making in advance. Store them in an airtight container. They will be best enjoyed by day 2 or 3, but they will keep for a week or two on the countertop.
You can also freeze these bars for up to 3 months.
How do I prevent the top from browning too much?
The 9×9 inch bars, in particular, can get brown on top from baking over 30 minutes. If you find that the top is getting brown before the bars are done, place a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over the top of the pan.
Variations
Here are a few ideas to make these cookie bars your own:
- Add chopped walnuts or pecans (1 cup)
- Swap M&Ms (regular or mini) for the chocolate chips
- Use your favorite chips—butterscotch, white chocolate, dark chocolate, etc.
- Pour sprinkles over the top before baking
- Add dried cranberries or dried cherries (1 cup)
- Swap toffee bits for the M&Ms
- Add the zest of 1–2 oranges to the dough (add with the eggs)—this is particularly good with white chocolate chips like these white chocolate orange scones
- Add a block of cream cheese to the recipe—use this recipe for Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies and turn them into bar cookies instead!
More bar cookies
I LOVE a good bar cookie. Here are a few more recipes that I love:
And if you love chocolate chip cookies, you can turn them into a Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie!
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Toll House Cookie Bars (3 Ways)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease your preferred pan (either a 15×10 inch jelly roll pan, a 13×9 inch pan, or a 9×9 inch pan) with cooking spray.
- Place the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer). Beat on high until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, and mix just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.
- Transfer the mixture to the pan and bake.
- 15×10 inch pan: 18–22 minutes
- 13×9 inch pan: 23–27 minutes
- 9×9 inch pan: 32–35 minutes (cover loosely with aluminum foil after 25 minutes if the bars are getting too brown on top)
- Let cool before cutting into squares.
Susan McCollum says
This was very helpful. I appreciated your descriptions of each bar depending on the type of pan you use. Sometimes making a huge batch of cookies just seems like too much work!
Kate Shungu says
I’m so glad you found it helpful, Susan! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!