Description
These Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars are thick, soft, gooey, and chewy treats loaded with chocolate chips, pretzels, and caramel pieces. Made in one bowl with no mixers required, they bake up perfectly golden and are easy to make for a crowd-pleasing dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), melted
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (add 1/4 cup more if dough is too runny)
Mix-ins
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips (or swap for M&M’s and add 2 tablespoons extra inside dough for holiday version)
- ½ cup broken pretzels
- ½ cup chewy caramels, chopped (e.g. Kraft or Werther’s Soft)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the ideal baking temperature for perfect cookie bars.
- Melt Butter: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt ¾ cup unsalted butter for 20-30 seconds until just melted. Allow it to cool slightly to avoid cooking the eggs and to prevent greasy bars.
- Mix Sugars and Eggs: Stir in ¾ cup light brown sugar and ½ cup granulated sugar using a spatula, combining well without a mixer. Add 1 whole egg, 1 extra yolk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and combined.
- Add Leavening and Salt: Stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt evenly throughout the mixture.
- Incorporate Flour: Add 2 cups all-purpose flour and mix just until no flour remains visible, forming a thick cookie dough. If the dough is too runny, add an extra 1/4 cup flour to achieve proper consistency.
- Add Mix-ins: Fold in ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, ½ cup milk chocolate chips, ½ cup broken pretzels, and ½ cup chopped caramel pieces, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
- Prepare Pan and Press Dough: Grease or line a 9×13-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper. Press the dough evenly into the pan, smoothing the surface. Optionally, sprinkle a few extra mix-ins on top for a decorative finish.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 16-18 minutes, or up to 20 minutes depending on your oven, until the edges and top are lightly golden and the center no longer looks wet.
- Cool and Slice: Remove from oven and set the pan on a cooling rack. Let cookie bars cool completely before slicing into 24 squares to allow them to set perfectly.
- Storage: Store cookie bars covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 3 days to keep fresh. For longer storage, see freezing tips in notes.
Notes
- These cookie bars are thick, soft, gooey, and chewy, making them ideal for sharing with a crowd.
- All mixing is done by hand in one bowl with a spatula—no electric mixers needed.
- If dough is too runny, add an extra 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to achieve proper consistency.
- For a holiday twist, swap the milk chocolate chips for M&M’s and add 2 tablespoons inside the dough.
- Cookie bars keep well for up to 3 days at room temperature when stored airtight; they might dry out after that.
- For freezing, wrap the bars tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 200 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
