These thick and chewy cookie bars are loaded with smooth chocolate chips. Think of your favorite chocolate chip cookie, but thicker, and better. Then, they're covered with an ultra-smooth layer of buttercream, for the perfect flavor balance and decorative element!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword American buttercream, buttercream cookies, chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie, chocolate chip cookie bar
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 20servings
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
1cuproom temperature butter
1¼cupbrown sugar
½cupwhite sugar
2room temperature eggs
2tspvanilla extract
2¼cupall-purpose flour
1tspbaking powder
1tspfine salt
1cupsemi-sweet chocolate chips
American Buttercream
1cuproom temperature salted butter
4cupspowdered sugar
1tspvanilla extract
2-4tbsproom temperature heavy cream
¼tspfine salt
Instructions
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, line your 9x13" baking pan with parchment paper.
Beat together the sugars and butter on medium for a minute, or until fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and espresso powder, mixing well to fully incorporate after each addition.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips.
Finally, combine the dry ingredients with the wet batter using a spatula or spoon.
Dump the dough into the prepared baking pan and press it down until it is evenly spread.
Bake the cookie bars in the prepared oven for 23-27 minutes, or until the top is golden and fully set. Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Then, use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the entire set of bars out and onto the wire rack to fully cool.
American Buttercream
Beat the sticks of butter together with the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl down in between each addition.
Add the vanilla for flavor and the heavy cream to thin out the buttercream until it's smooth. Beat again and cover with plastic wrap or store in a covered container until the cookie bars are fully cooled.