High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Perfectly chewy and dense, these High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are my current jam. I made them no less than a dozen times over the summer and they received rave reviews every single time I shared!
I love a simple chocolate chip cookie. In fact, aside from pie, it’s my dessert of choice. You just can’t beat a perfect chocolate chip cookie. So much beauty in it’s simplicity, you know? I guess that’s why you’ll find so many chocolate chip cookie recipes on my site! But lately I’ve found myself making cookie bars instead. It’s not like making a batch of cookies is tough or anything but bars are SO much less time intensive. So I guess they seem easier. I’m not tethered to the oven and the bars are just as tasty as a cookie in my opinion.
Apparently my boys and their friends would agree. You know the old adage ‘eating me out of house and home’? I’m starting to get it. Both the boys had playdates last Friday and between the 5 boys, they went through 1/2 gallon of milk, 3/4 bag of gold fish, 4 bananas, 3 apples and 1/2 a pan of these cookie bars. You guys. I can’t even. They’re eating food like it’s their life’s work. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when they’re teenagers. Sheesh!
One of the little boys just happened to be here the last time I made these and he felt like he’d hit the jackpot! He told my son that he’s “so lucky” his mom is always making chocolate chip cookies. It’s so not the case but I let him believe otherwise, taking any extra credit I can. Even if it’s a bit of a stretch!
Like any high altitude baking, it’s a whole lotta trial and error until you find the perfect recipe and then spend time and money tweaking the recipe until you get it to work in your kitchen. These bars bars were no different. I love this recipe because it’s heavy on the brown sugar which creates a chewier, more flavorful cookie. The extra egg yolk gives a little bit of richness and moisture. I like that the bars are dense and chewy in the middle but the outsides are a little more crispy and cookie like. Obviously you could swap the mini chips for regular chips or even chunks of your favorite chocolate bar but I like how the mini chips ensure a little bit of chocolate in every bite!
Hope you all had a great weekend and an even better week ahead. Thanks for reading! xo, Kelley
PrintHigh Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (or your favorite chocolate chip)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.
- Lightly butter a 9X13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
- With a hand mixer, whisk the melted butter and both the brown and granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined, taking care not to over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Evenly press the cooking dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula or wooden spoon.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 22-26 minutes just until the top of the bars is starting to brown. Remove the bars from the oven and let fully cool before cutting into 24 squares.
23 Comments
UGHHH I live in Denver and love baking. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease last year and it sucks trying to figure everything out haha. These look amazing, if I try them with some kind of gluten free flour I’ll check back in. š
I’ve made these using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1
Flour and had them turn out just as good. You simply replace the all purpose flour with the GF blend. It’s my go to when I’m baking for gluten free clients!
I’ve missed you…welcome back.
Thank you! It feels good to be back š
Thank you for an outstanding bar cookie.Ā This heavenly sweet treat is soft & chewy. At 26 minutes they were barely barely starting to brown on tops & edges.Ā I took a leap of faith & removed them from the oven.Ā Just over 1 hour later they were almost cool & I cut them, smaller then suggested, into 48 bite size pieces.Ā Beyond amazing.Ā So much less labor then drop cookies.Ā Can see these often in my future. Ā
Thanks for the comment. Every oven is different so glad you listened to your intuition and they turned out so well for you!
I tried making these tonight. I am at about 5,400 feet. I followed your recipe and took them out when they were browned on top. The inside was still a bit raw. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!
Sounds like it could be your oven. Have you noticed it baking hot? These are a tried-and-true recipe. Perhaps try lowering the oven temp and cooking a little longer.
Thank you! Followed this recipe almost exactly, I only added an extra 1/4 cup chocolate chips.. love these cookies bars.. recipe turned out perfectly in Colorado Springs
Hi Kelley—any changes when making these at sea level?
Test comment here
I love these bars! Even at 8500 feet they came out perfect and taste like soft chocolate chip cookies. Saludos from Ecuador.
I just wanted to thank you for running this blog with all your great recipes. I recently moved to Wyoming from Louisiana, and my early tries with high-altitude baking were definitely discouraging. But these bars came out perfectly, and the cornbread I made (also from one of your recipes) was quickly gobbled up by my coworkers at the gathering I took it to. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the kind comment. Happy baking! xo
Followed the instructions and turned out perfectly! Dense, chewy bars – delicious! Live outside of Denver at about 5100 ft.
Brown sugar, packed?
Yes.
Thanks. Very yummy made them.
These are so good- I have been making them at least once a week. I like mixing it up with half mini m&m s and half chocolate chips. So easy my 10 year old made them with zero adult input!
Great recipe even at 9,100!!
Family loves these, trying them as Brookies today, im sure they’ll be fabulous!
I don’t see oven temp for choc chip cookie bars
325 F degrees