Home » Dessert Recipes » Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (+Video)

Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (+Video)

Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are made with boxed cake mix, butter, eggs and chocolate chips. So soft and yummy!

Enter the Lazy Cookie Bar. Made with my favorite pantry item – the boxed cake mix. So versatile, so easy and so yummy. Only 4 ingredients and you probably have them all at home already. It’s not a really thick bar. It’s more like a sheet pan cookie. It’s gooey and I love the edges – those are my favorite.

A small stack of Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Can I use other cake mix flavors?

The great thing about this recipe is all the variations you can make. I’ve made these with red velvet cake mix, chocolate cake mix, birthday cake mix and they’ve all been delicious! Also, feel free to use different types of chips or add in nuts. I really love when the holiday baking chips come out. You can really have fun with this recipe and no one will know just how easy it was to make but you!

What size cake mix should I use?

Cake mixes seem to keep reducing in size over the years. They used to be 18.25 ounces and now some of them are down to 14 ounces so baking times will vary depending on the type of cake mix you purchase and how much is in the box. So please understand this before baking. You will need to keep an eye on it. Start with about 15-18 minutes and go from there. 

What toppings can I add?

These cookie bars are fantastic just as they are, but they’re even more delectable with a scoop of ice cream, maybe some chocolate sauce, or whipped topping. Try adding some sprinkles, or even other sauces like caramel sauce or strawberry sauce. Other fun ideas are more baking chips or Magic Shell.

Can I use a different sized baking dish?

I’ve only tested this recipe in a 9×13-inch baking dish. However, we did have a reader who made these in a 9×9-inch baking dish and said they turned out nice and thick.
We also had a reader who doubled the recipe and put it in a high rimmed baking sheet.
Whatever you choose to do, if it’s not the 9×13 dish I used, you’ll need to experiment a bit and start with a lower bake time. Increase baking time as needed and adjust as necessary.

How to store leftover Lazy Cookie Bars?

These cookie bars should be stored in an airtight container and can be kept at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.
You can freeze them for up to 3 months.

A scoop of ice cream on top of a Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

  • yellow cake mix– you can make your own Yellow Cake mix too using my homemade yellow cake recipe.
  • eggs
  • butter- I used salted butter, but if you use unsalted, just add a pinch of salt.
  • salted buttersemi-sweet chocolate chips– you could use mini chocolate chips or swap these out for other flavored baking chips.
yellow cake mix, chocolate chips, butter, eggs

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. I love to use the kind that has flour in it (Baker’s Joy).

Combine dry cake mix with melted butter and beaten eggs.

This is easier if you have an electric or stand mixer because batter will be very thick. Stir in bag of chocolate chips.

A bowl of Cake mix batter and chocolate chip cake mix batter in another bowl.

Spread batter into greased baking dish.

What I like to do is spray my hand with some nonstick cooking spray and then spread the batter around using my hand since the batter is very thick.

 Once it is evenly spread out, put in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Lazy chocolate chip cookie bars unabked in a dish and a baked chocolate chip cookie bars uncut in a dish.

It will puff up as it is cooking and be golden brown around the edges when it is done.

And like any good chocolate chip cookie, I like to eat these warm so you can usually find me sneaking some bites from this pan before it’s cool! This makes a great base for some ice cream too.

A Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

CRAVING MORE SWEET RECIPES?

Originally posted: March 2012
Photos updated and reposted: August 2019

Close up looking at a plate with a Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar.

Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are made with boxed cake mix, butter, eggs and chocolate chips. So soft and yummy!
4.72 from 91 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines – see notes below)
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
  • 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
  • Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. I love to use the kind that has flour in it.
  • In a bowl, combine dry cake mix with melted butter and beaten eggs. This is easier if you have an electric or stand mixer because batter will be very thick.
    Yellow cake mix batter in a bowl.
  • Stir in chocolate chips.
    Chocolate chips being added to cake mix.
  • Spread thick batter into greased baking dish. What I like to do is spray my hand with some nonstick cooking spray and then spread the batter around using my hand since the batter is very thick.
    Unbaked Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars in a baking dish.
  • Once it is evenly spread out, put in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes. See my note below.
    A baking dish with uncut Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
  • It will puff up as it is cooking and be golden brown around the edges when it is done. Allow to cool.
    A Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 369mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 29g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




102 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We love these and have made them with so many different flavors! I especially love it because my autistic 7 year old daughter can really get involved and help make it. She calls them “Jessica’s Famous Cookie Bars”. Thanks so much!

  2. 5 stars
    These are extremely easy to make. Made these with my niece and all the kids and a “test” bite and said, “these are beyond the best! I want these for my birthday!” Total hit!! Thank you for the recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    This decadent dessert was so quick and easy to make! A fun mother/daughter baking event together. The only thing we added to the finished product was Hershey’s Sundae Dream double chocolate syrup, whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles we had on hand. Since my oven temperature seems high and burns easily, I set my temp to 340 degrees and it turned out perfectly. Brown along edges and soft inside. Oh so yummy! This recipe is a fantastic idea for last minute events or company stopping by. The suggestion to spray hands with cooking spray to even mix out in pan was spot on. Worked great! Thank you for another wonderful recipe. This is definite a keeper and one everyone needs to try! You will absolutely LOVE IT!!!

  4. This was the easiest best tasting recipe ever. 1 cup of milk choc chips and a 9 x 9 pan. Cookie bars were nice and thick. I’m gonna try choc cake and peanut butter chips.

  5. Does it work just fine to double the recipe and put it in a 13 x 18 inch sheet pan? Maybe bake just a little longer?

  6. 5 stars
    The only thing about making these is you got to hide them when you have company and I don’t like to share LOL they’re delicious.