Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
If you need a quick dessert that everyone always loves, these Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are a no-brainer. They're soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chips, but start with a simple yellow cake mix, so the dough comes together in just a few minutes. We love baking a pan of these bars for potlucks, game nights, or those nights when you want warm cookies without scooping individual dough balls.
Looking for more cookies and bars? Check out our Easy Chocolate Oatmeal Bars, or our Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Quick Look: Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Bake Time: 25 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 35 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 16 bars
- ⚡️ Calories: 264
- 🍫 Flavor Profile: Soft, chewy, buttery & chocolatey
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy, perfect for beginner bakers and last-minute desserts.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Only 4 ingredients: All you need is a yellow cake mix, butter, eggs, and chocolate chips-no chilling or special equipment.
- Perfect texture: These bars bake up soft, chewy, and thick, with plenty of melty chocolate in every bite.
- Super quick to mix: The dough comes together in one bowl in about 5-10 minutes, making this an ideal last-minute dessert.
- Crowd-pleaser: Great for parties, bake sales, potlucks, or anytime you need a dessert that everyone-from kids to adults-will love.
- Easy to customize: Swap the cake mix flavor, add nuts or M&M's, or drizzle with frosting to make them your own.
Key Ingredients
Here are some of the ingredients you will need for Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie bars:
- Yellow cake mix: The base of the bars-any brand of yellow cake mix will work and gives you that classic buttery cookie bar flavor.
- Melted butter: Adds rich flavor and helps create a soft, chewy texture. Make sure it's slightly cooled so it doesn't cook the eggs.
- Eggs: Bind the dough and give the bars structure so they slice cleanly once baked.
- Chocolate chips: The star of the show-use semi-sweet, milk, or a mix. A full 12-ounce bag makes these bars extra chocolatey.
How to Make Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Step 1: Prep the pan and oven:
Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Make the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, melted (and slightly cooled) butter, and eggs. Stir until a thick dough forms and no dry cake mix remains.
- Step 3: Fold in the chocolate chips:
Stir in the chocolate chips until they're evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Spread and bake:
Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Step 5: Cool and slice:
Let the bars cool in the pan before cutting into squares. Serve as is or slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Expert Tips for Cake Mix Cookie Bars
- Don't overbake: Take the bars out when the edges are lightly golden, and the center still looks soft. They'll continue to set as they cool and stay nice and chewy.
- Cool before cutting: Let the bars cool completely before slicing to avoid crumbly edges and melted chocolate smears.
- Customize your mix-ins: Swap some of the chocolate chips for M&M's, chopped nuts, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips.
- Oil instead of butter: If you're out of butter, you can use a neutral oil instead; the bars will still work, but the flavor and texture will be slightly different-more cake-like and less buttery.
FAQs
Yes! Yellow cake mix is classic, but white, vanilla, or even chocolate cake mix all work well. The flavor of the bars will change slightly based on the cake mix you choose.
You can use a neutral oil (like vegetable or canola) instead of melted butter if needed. The bars will still bake up nicely, but they may be a bit less rich and slightly more cake-like in texture.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips are a great all-purpose choice, but you can also use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or a mix. Mini chips also work if you want chocolate in every bite.
Yes. You can cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pan. The bars will be thicker, so start checking for doneness a few minutes earlier and adjust as needed.
Store cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
More Cookie Recipes
Looking for other desserts? Check these out!
If you tried these Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments! Thanks for visiting, and come back again!
Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
- 5 tablespoons Melted Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 12 ounces Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Prep the pan and oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
Make the dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, melted (and slightly cooled) butter, and eggs. Stir until a thick dough forms and no dry cake mix remains.
Fold in the chocolate chips:
- Stir in the chocolate chips until they're evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Spread and bake:
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool and slice:
- Let the bars cool in the pan before cutting into squares. Serve as is or slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Don't overbake-remove when the edges are lightly golden and the center still looks soft.
- Any flavor of cake mix works; try white, chocolate, or funfetti for a twist.
- You can swap melted butter for neutral oil; the texture and flavor will be slightly different but still delicious.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce for an easy dessert everyone loves.
Can you substitute oil for butter
Yes! The oil will likely give it a different taste and texture, but will still work.
My husband favorite
I used a Duncan Hines devils food cake mix and walnuts....they were delicious!! I give it 5 stars