Cake mix cookie bars are buttery, soft and chewy cookie bars made with the best baking shortcut- cake mix. Customize these easy to make cake bars with sweet chocolate chips, colorful funfetti sprinkles or M&M candies for the perfect quick dessert for any occasion.
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Why Make This Recipe
Cookie bar recipes are one of my favorite ways to make cookies. My Snickerdoodle Bars, Lemon Lavender Cookie Bars, Toll House Cookie Bars and Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars are just a few of my favorites from the blog. These cake mix cookie bars are even easier to make using the greatest shortcut ever- cake mix.
- Simple pantry ingredients. You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make a batch of quick, simple, soft and chewy cookie cake bars.
- You love easy desserts that feed a crowd. If being super quick and easy to make wasn’t reason enough, these cake mix chocolate chip cookie bars make the perfect dessert to feed a lot of people.
- Easy to customize. Swap the flavor of cake mix and add 2 cups of any cookie mix-ins (nuts, candies, chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc.). Create the perfect cookie cake bars for you!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Before I show you how to make cake mix cookie bars, make sure you have these simple ingredients ready to go.
- Yellow Cake Mix: To make the bars like the one pictured in the recipe, use 15.25 oz. box yellow cake mix. For other flavor, just swap the cake mix and mix-ins.
- Butter: I like to use unsalted “sweet cream” butter in almost all my baking recipes. This is the most common and widely available butter in the US. If needed, use salted butter (omit the added salt) or a diary free butter you like.
- Light Brown Sugar: Feel free to use granulated sugar.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This provides a lovely background flavor for these cookie cake bars.
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips: These are essential to a classic homemade chocolate chip cookies taste. However, feel free to use any chocolate chip or chunks of chocolate you like. I personally love to use a mix of regular chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips.
How To Make
Learn how to make cake mix cookie bars in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan and line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the melted butter with the light brown until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the cake mix into the wet ingredient until just combined. Fold in most of the chocolate chips. Reserve about ½ cup (85 g) for topping the cookie cake bars.
- Press the cookie dough into the prepared pan. Use a flexible spatula to smooth the chocolate chip cookie dough evenly across the pan. Top with the reserved chocolate chips.
3. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the pan of cookies is a light golden brown and the edges are slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool the bars in the pan for about 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to left out the cookie bars to cool to room temperature, slice and enjoy!
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the cake bar cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you would like to store the cake cookies for longer, I recommend freezing them.
- Freeze: Make sure the chewy cookie bars are completely cooled to room temperature. Place the cookie squares in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the cake bars is to let them sit out at room temperature until thawed. Heat them in the microwave for 20 - 30 seconds until the chocolate chips have started melting.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in deliciously chewy cookie bars.
- Use a metal pan. This recipe was created using a 9 x 13 aluminum pan. This recipe has not been tested in glass. If you decide to bake the cookie bars in a glass dish, lower the temperature to 325 F (163 C) and bake for up to 5 - 15 minutes longer. Look for the signs the bars are done baking.
- Look for the signs the cookie cake mix bars are done. Use the baking time as a guide rather than a strict rule. Signs a this pan of cookies is finished baking is a light golden brown color and baked edges that have slightly pulled away from the edge of the pan.
- Reserve some chocolate chips. There are 2 cups of chocolate chips in this cookie bars recipe. I like to reserve some for topping just to make sure every cookie square has lots of chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle a bit of flaky salt on top. Just a pinch of flaky salt, like Maldon salt enhances the flavor of the cookie bars. I recommend this if you use chocolate chips. If you use rainbow sprinkles, I suggest topping them with funfetti frosting.
FAQs
Sure! Just follow the either of my cake mix cookie recipes - red velvet cake mix cookies or strawberry cake mix cookies and swap the cake mix for yellow cake mix and add whatever mix-ins you like in the same amounts listed in either of the recipes.
Use a gluten free cake mix and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Use a clean, non stick aluminum pan. Lightly grease the pan with a non stick spray and line the bottom and two long sides of the pan with parchment paper.
The edges of the cookie in the pan should be puffed up, the center should be set, the top of the chocolate chip cake cookies should be golden brown and the cookies bars will be very fragrant.
Other Cake Mix Recipes to Try
If you try this Cake Mix Cookie Bars recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Cake Mix Cookie Bars Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
- 1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 15.25 oz. box yellow cake mix
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan and line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the melted butter with the light brown until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the cake mix into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in most of the chocolate chips. Reserve about ½ cup (85 g) for topping the cookie cake bars.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract , 15.25 oz. box yellow cake mix, 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips
- Press the cookie dough into the prepared pan. Use a flexible spatula to smooth the chocolate chip cookie dough evenly across the pan. Top with the reserved chocolate chips.
- Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the pan of cookies is a light golden brown and the edges are slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool the bars in the pan for about 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to left out the cookie bars to cool to room temperature, slice and enjoy.
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