Cake Mix Cookie Bars With Chocolate Chips Recipe

Craving homemade cookies? Don’t have time to whip up a batch? Then this easy to make recipe for cake mix cookie bars is what you need.

With just a few simple ingredients and a few minutes of mixing and you can satisfy those cookie cravings. These bars are so delicious and loaded with gooey chocolate chips you’ll find yourself making them again and again.

Cake Mix Bar Cookies

The basic recipe for these cake mix bar cookies takes just a few simple ingredients. There’s a good chance you already have them on hand in your kitchen.

But don’t stop there!

These bars can be easily made into a wide variety of flavors by swapping out the cake mix or the mix-ins. Check out the FAQ section below for lots of tips.

Ingredients for Cake Mix Cookie Bars

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• Yellow Cake Mix – one box of cake mix (about 13.25 ounces or more). Use your favorite brand. This recipe was made with a yellow cake mix but you can swap this out for a white cake mix or even another flavor.

Keep in mind you don’t need the ingredients listed on the box as you aren’t using the mix to make a cake.

• Large Eggs

• Vegetable Oil – I used canola but you can use your favorite vegetable oil to make this recipe.

• Water

• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – I used a bag of chocolate chips that I had on hand. You can use your favorite type of chocolate chip (dark chocolate, milk chocolate and even white chocolate chips).

How to make these Cake Mix Bar Cookies:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, water and oil. Stir the mixture until no lumps appear. Don’t over mix or this will make the bars dry.

The mixture will be thicker than normal cookie batter so it is easier to just mix this by hand rather than using an electric mixer.

Step 3: Fold in the chocolate chips.

Step 4: Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. If desired sprinkle some additional chocolate chips over the top.

Step 5: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out just barely gooey and the top is light golden brown.

You don’t want them to be 100% finished as they will continue to cook once pulled out of the oven.

Let the bars cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. If sliced before they’ve cooled a bit, tend to break apart when removed.

Step 6: Once cool, slice the bars, serve, and enjoy!

Quick serving tip: This recipe is a family favorite. Everyone loves these cake bars when they are just slightly warm and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Give it a try!

Tips when making cookie bars from cake mix

Spreading the batter – the mixture is thicker and sticker than regular cookie dough. It will spread easier if you use a silicone or rubber spatula. Don’t have one? Put a bit of butter on your fingers and gently press the batter into the pan.

Line the pan with parchment paper – this makes it easier to remove and cut the bars. You still will need to let them cool before cutting and removing them to prevent them from breaking apart. Cut the parchment a few inches longer than the length of the baking dish so it will hang over the edge. This will make it easier to lift the bars out.

Cutting the bars – Cooling the bars in the refrigerator makes them even easier to cut. Once the baking dish is removed from the oven allow it to cool at room temperature for about an hour. Then, place the dish in the refrigerator for an hour or two. You can then slice these into bars that have nice clean edges.

Storing your leftover cake mix cookie bars:

Any leftover cake mix cookie bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Cake Mix Cookie Bar Variations:

You can make lots of different variations of these chewy cookie bars. Let your imagination go wild! But not too wild! Adding to many mixins can change the texture of the bar making them too gooey or causing them to break apart. You’ll want to use about 1 1/2 cups total mixins for the recipe.

Thicker bars – want thicker bars? Then use a 9 x 9 inch sized square baking pan instead of the 12 x 9 inch pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F so the top doesn’t get too brown before the center is baked. You’ll need to bake this a bit longer, about 30 minutes. Test the center with a toothpick to make sure it is done.

Swap cake mix flavors – you can swap out the yellow cake mix for one of the many flavor of cake mixes found at your local grocery store. Mix and match them with your mixins. Try some of the following combinations:

• Chocolate cake mix with your choice of chocolate chips (with or without nuts)
• Chocolate cake mix with peanut butter chips
• Strawberry cake mix with white chocolate chips
• Spice cake mix with butterscotch chips
• Red velvet cake mix with white chocolate chips
• Lemon cake mix with chocolate chips
• Funfetti cake mix with colored M&M candies
• Chocolate cake mix with toffee bits instead of chocolate tips

Swap out the mixins – swap out the chocolate chips for a variety of your favorite cookie mixins. Mix and match with the cake mix flavor. Try some of these:

• Toffee Bits
• Chopped Nuts
• M&M’s or other candy coated chocolates
• Crushed Candy Canes
• Shredded Coconut
• Dried Cranberries or Blueberries
• Broken Pretzel Pieces
• Mini Marshmallows
• Chopped Leftover Candy Bars
• Caramel Bits for baking

Here are some other cake mix recipes you might enjoy:

Cranberry Poke Cake

Pineapple Coconut Dump Cake

Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies

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