Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars has only 4 ingredients and can be whipped up in minutes! The recipe starts with a boxed cake mix which makes these so soft, so easy and so yummy!
A SUPER SIMPLE COOKIE BAR RECIPE
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!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)
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!
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 13.25 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. Duncan Hines is at 15.25 ounces as of the writing of this post. Betty Crocker has gone down to 13.25 ounces. I believe Dolly Parton’s cake mixes are 18 ounces (although you will pay about a dollar and a half more for hers).
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.
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-inch 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.
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.
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. See my FAQ’s above where I go into more detail about cake mix sizes.
- eggs – if you have time, allow the eggs to come to room temperature. This allows them to mix in easier into the batter.
- 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.
HOW TO MAKE LAZY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS
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.
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.
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.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Homemade Twix Bars
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Peaches and Cream Bars
- Strawberries and Cream Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cooke Dough Dip
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
- Oreo Brookie Bars
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Originally posted: March 2012
Photos updated and republished: April 2024
Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines – see notes below)
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 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 1 box yellow cake mix with 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted and 2 large eggs, beaten. This is easier if you have an electric or stand mixer because batter will be very thick.
- Stir in 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- 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.
- Once it is evenly spread out, put in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes. See my note below.
- It will puff up as it is cooking and be golden brown around the edges when it is done. Allow to cool.
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.
Nutrition
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.
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!
Yay! Great job Jessica! These are most certainly your famous cookie bars now! ❤️
So easy and so good for a weeknight dessert – we all really enjoyed these!
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!
Awww I absolutely love hearing this!! Thank you so much for such a sweet comment!
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!!!
Oh my gracious! The addition of chocolate syrup AND sprinkles?!? I’m in – ha! Love it! Thanks so much!
This was the easiest best tasting recipe ever. I’m gonna try choc cake and peanut butter chips.
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?
Hi Charlene. It seems like it would but I’ll be honest – I haven’t tested it yet though so you’ll have to experiment a little with it. 🙂
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.
So easy and so good. My son made these all by himself and was so proud – thank you!
So good!! Next time I am putting 1 cup chocolate chips instead of 2 cups.