Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Toffee

One Saturday afternoon, my neighbor brought over a tray of cookie bars that looked impossibly thick and studded with what seemed like every good thing—chocolate, toffee, golden edges. She said she'd made them in twenty minutes flat, and I didn't believe her until I tried the recipe myself and realized how forgiving they are. Now these bars are my go-to when I need something that feels fancy but doesn't demand precision or stress.

I brought these to a potluck last spring, still warm from the oven, and watched them disappear in fifteen minutes while people stood around debating whether the toffee or chocolate was the star. Someone's kid asked for the recipe, which felt like the highest compliment I could get.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (2 1/4 cups): This is your structure—don't skip the sifting or whisking step or you'll end up with dense, heavy bars.
• Baking soda (1 teaspoon): Your secret leavening agent that gives these bars their tender, slightly crumbly texture.
• Salt (1/2 teaspoon): A tiny pinch that makes the chocolate sing and balances the sweetness.
• Unsalted butter, melted and cooled (1 cup): Use real butter, not substitutes—it's the foundation of flavor and texture here.
• Packed light brown sugar (1 cup): This brings molasses and moisture; don't press it down in the measuring cup unless you want overly dense bars.
• Granulated sugar (1/2 cup): The counterpoint to brown sugar, adding sweetness and helping with that slight crisp on top.
• Large eggs at room temperature (2): Cold eggs won't incorporate smoothly, so leave them out for 20 minutes before baking.
• Pure vanilla extract (2 teaspoons): The unsung hero that brings everything together; don't use artificial, it changes the whole mood.
• Semisweet chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups): Use chips you actually like eating—they're nearly half the bar, so quality matters.
• Toffee bits (1 cup): Heath Bits o' Brickle work great, but any quality toffee bits will bring that addictive crunch.

Instructions

Prep your pan:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper, letting the edges hang over the sides. This is how you'll lift the bars out cleanly later—trust me, no one likes breaking their bars trying to dig them out.

Whisk the dry ingredients:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, breaking up any lumps. Set it aside and don't skip this step; it distributes the leavening evenly.

Combine the wet ingredients:

In a large bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter with both sugars until they look smooth and slightly combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each so they don't separate or scramble.

Add the vanilla:

Stir in the vanilla extract and give it a good mix so it's evenly distributed throughout the butter-sugar base.

Fold in the dry ingredients:

Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture with a spatula, stirring just until no white streaks remain. Overmixing at this point makes the bars tough, so stop yourself even if you think you should keep going.

Add chocolate and toffee:

Fold in the chocolate chips and toffee bits gently, saving a handful of each for sprinkling on top if you want that extra visual appeal.

Spread and top:

Pour the dough into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle those reserved chocolate chips and toffee bits across the top.

Bake until golden:

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, watching until the top turns light golden brown and a toothpick poked in the center pulls out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. This is the sweet spot between chewy and set.

Cool completely:

Let the bars cool all the way in the pan on a wire rack—I know it's tempting to cut them warm, but they need this time to set properly and stay intact when you slice them.

Cut into squares:

Once completely cool, use the parchment overhang to lift the whole slab out, then cut it into 16 even squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts for clean edges.

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These bars remind me that the best desserts are the ones that don't make you feel guilty for eating two at once. They're generous, unpretentious, and taste like someone actually cared enough to make something good.

Storage and Keeping

Keep these bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to three months. They actually taste great straight from the freezer if you want a frozen treat, and they thaw quickly at room temperature without falling apart. I've found that they stay chewier if you store them with a slice of bread in the container—the bread absorbs extra moisture and keeps everything soft.

Variations and Tweaks

The beauty of these bars is how adaptable they are. Swap the semisweet chocolate for dark or milk chocolate depending on your mood, or skip the toffee bits and add chopped pecans or walnuts for a different kind of crunch. I've even made them with brown butter for an extra nutty depth, though that requires a separate step of browning and cooling the butter first. Some people swear by adding a pinch of cinnamon or sea salt on top before baking.

Why These Bars Win Every Time

There's something about a pan of bars that just feels celebratory and shareable. They photograph well, they travel without crumbling, and they work for potlucks, bake sales, lunch boxes, or midnight cravings. One batch feeds a crowd or keeps you happy all week, and the recipe scales up beautifully if you need two pans.

• Make them the night before—they actually taste better after a day of the flavors settling together.
• Cut them while they're still slightly cool for the cleanest edges, not straight from the fridge or fully warm.
• A tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream on a warm square is not optional, it's mandatory.

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These bars are proof that the simplest recipes often taste the best. Make a pan this weekend.

Recipe FAQs

→ Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?

Yes, you can substitute salted butter, but reduce the added salt in the dry ingredients to 1/4 teaspoon to prevent them from becoming too salty.

→ How should I store these bars?

Store the cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months with parchment paper between layers.

→ Can I add nuts to the mixture?

Absolutely. Chopped walnuts or pecans complement the flavors well. Simply fold in about 1/2 cup of your favorite nuts along with the chocolate chips and toffee.

→ Why did my bars turn out hard?

Overbaking is likely the cause. Remove them from the oven when the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs, not completely clean.

→ Can I use a different pan size?

While a 9x13-inch pan is recommended for the best thickness, you can use an 8x8-inch pan for thicker bars, though you will need to increase the baking time slightly.