Name: Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 stick (½ cup unsalted butter, cold*); 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; ½ cup brown sugar**; 1 large egg; 1 cup gluten-free flour; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon (optional); ½ tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp baking soda; ¼ tsp sea salt; 1 cup chocolate chips***

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Amazing chewy, crispy, generously chocolatey Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are everything you want in a perfect cookie.

Cookie bars sliced into individual portions on a parchment paper

Modeled after my recipe for The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, these bars are basically identical to the most amazing chocolate chip cookie, but in the form of a bar.

The difference between cookies and cookie bars? Shape and size preference.

I love that cookie bars are substantial and make you feel like you’re really sinking your teeth into something special, whereas I love cookies for how easy they are to just pop in your mouth.

The ultimate clincher for me in a chocolate chip cookie is the chewy texture, which these cookies have mastered!

The way I see it, these easy chocolate chip cookie bars are a lovely school treat for kids that require minimal effort, are perfect for any bake sale, and are also amazing for folks like me who have a raging sweet tooth.

Let’s discuss the ingredients involved.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip cookie bars on parchment paper with a bar on its side to expose the inside

Butter: That ingredient that makes everything taste like gold. Unsalted butter is used to provide richness to these gooey cookie bars. You can easily replace it with ghee or coconut oil if you prefer. For coconut oil, you may need to add some additional flour, as it tends to be a bit greasier than butter.

Brown Sugar: The sweetener portion of the recipe! Brown sugar brings a nice depth of flavor and additional moisture, but choose your favorite sweetener.

Egg: Bringing rise and structure to the cookie bars, an egg helps fluff up the cookies and also keeps them held together nicely. If possible, have the egg at room temperature before making the recipe.

Vanilla Extract: A touch of pure vanilla extract brings warm flavor to the cookie bars. If you don’t have any on hand, you can skip it.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: In order to make these cookie bars gluten-free, we need a basic gluten-free flour blend. I use Bob’s Red Mill’s 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but King Arthur and Pamela’s will work great too. For a grain-free recipe, make my The BEST Giant Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The leavening agents. Baking powder and baking soda help achieve an even bake, ensure the cookie bars rise, and ensure they stay together once sliced.

Sea Salt: The most underrated ingredient of them all! A little kosher salt goes a long way in bringing out flavors. If you’ve ever had a cookie that has a flat flavor, it is likely because the salt was left out. Salt also levels up the sweetness of already sweet flavors, which enables us to enjoy a sweet treat without excess sugar.

Cinnamon: I love adding ground cinnamon to chocolate chip cookies, as it adds that je ne sais quois that sets them apart from all the other cookies. You can add it or leave it out.

Stack of cookie bars on top of parchment paper

Recipe Adaptations:

There is a lot of room for adjustment in the sweetener department of this chocolate chip cookie bars recipe, as you can use regular granulated cane sugar, sugar-free sweetener, coconut sugar, or maple sugar as a 1:1 replacement for brown sugar. Coconut sugar or maple sugar will make for refined sugar-free chocolate chip cookie bars.
Use white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or sugar-free chocolate chips instead of regular semi-sweet chocolate chips.
If you don’t have parchment paper on hand, you can use aluminum foil to line the baking pan, or simply spray it with cooking oil.
Love the combination of sweet and salty? Sprinkle the cookie bars with flaky sea salt when they are fresh out of the oven.
Add different mix-ins such as chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cranberries, raisins, etc.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9” x 3” loaf pan or a 8” x 8” cake pan or baking dish with parchment paper (I use a loaf pan for a thick bar).

Add the butter, sugar, and pure vanilla extract to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until completely combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and beat until well-combined (wet ingredients). If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can also use a large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer.

Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and sea salt (the dry ingredients) to the mixer and beat until a thick dough forms.

Beat in the chocolate chips until they are well-distributed throughout the dough.

Chocolate chip cookie dough in a KitchenAid mixer

Transfer the cookie dough to the parchment-lined pan and spread it into an even layer.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes if using a loaf pan or 25 to 30 minutes if using an 8” x 8” baking pan, or until the edges are golden brown.

You can adjust the baking time based on the level of doneness you like in cookies. For crispier edges, bake closer to 30 or 35 minutes, but for gooey fudgy cookies, bake closer to 20 to 25.

Allow the cookie bars to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Store any leftover chewy cookie bars in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. Past that, move the cookies to the refrigerator or store them in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars in a pyrex container

And there you have it! A great recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookie bars that wins every time! Serve this amazing chocolate chip cookie bar recipe with vanilla ice cream for an unforgettable dessert!

Also try my Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!

Hand holding a chocolate chip cookie bar

Nutritional Information:

The macros in the recipe card below are calculated based on 12 bars. You can adjust the amount of bars according to your size and macro preference. When cut into 12 bars, each bar is 240 calories and 30 grams of total carbohydrate.

Enjoy these rich, buttery, sultry cookie bars!