Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more.
Our easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe is the perfect cookie bar for a crowd! We love the thick, chewy texture and plenty of chocolate in every bite!
One of my all-time favorite things to bake is a chocolate chip cookie. It’s such a classic, and there are SO many different variations to love! From Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies to Nutella-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, to Sprinkle Chocolate Chip Cookies, Bakery Copycats and more, I just LOVE chocolate chip cookies!
When you’re craving classic chocolate chip cookies but don’t feel like scooping and rolling, it’s time to make our Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie bars. They’re an EXCELLENT addition to a treat plate or dessert spread, and they channel all the best flavor and texture of a chocolate chip cookie with the ease of a brownie or bar.
Best of all, they call for simple ingredients you probably have on hand right now!
Here’s what you need to make these gluten-free chocolate chip blondies…
Start With Simple Ingredients
These fudgy, chewy chocolate chip cookie bars start with a lot of the same ingredients you’d find in your favorite chocolate chip cookie. Nothing too crazy here!
- Melted Butter. Using melted butter instead of creaming gives these cookie bars a closer, more fudgy texture. I love that about them!
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar. I love a mix of sugars for sweetness and texture.
- An Egg & An Egg Yolk. Using both an egg and an egg yolk gives these cookie bars an almost fudgy texture. It’s the same trick we use in lots of our cookie recipes. (like our Brown Butter Toffee Cookies!)
- Vanilla. I like plenty of vanilla in my cookie bars, so instead of 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, we’re going big with a full Tablespoon! Feel free to use vanilla extract or an equal amount of vanilla bean paste. (It’ll add pretty vanilla flecks to the bars)
- Gluten-Free Flour. We love this measure-for-measure flour blend from King Arthur and use it for basically all our cookies, brownies, and cakes. If you use another 1:1 flour blend, be sure it contains xanthan gum or the bars won’t turn out properly. Don’t try to swap in almond flour or coconut flour here as they worn’t work.
- Cornstarch. I love to use a tiny bit of cornstarch to give these bars the perfect texture. It keeps them from getting cakey or gritty.
- Salt. It might seem like more than you’d expect, but I tested this recipe multiple times and the best batches had more salt.
- Baking Soda. Just the right amount for spread and puff.
- Plenty Of Chocolate Chips. My favorite chocolate chips for these gluten-free cookie bars are semisweet chocolate chips, but feel free to use dark chocolate chips for more intense chocolate flavor, or milk chocolate chips for even sweetener cookie bars.
Cookie Tips To Help You
How To Make These Gluten-Free Cookie Bars, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Preheat & Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, combine gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Mix Butter & Sugars. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix with a paddle attachment until just combined.
- Add Egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the flour mixture most of the way, until just a few powdery spots remain in the dough.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold or mix in until well blended and distributed.
- Pat the cookie dough out into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake the cookie bars 25-30 minutes or until the edges are set and the top is golden brown. The center of the cookie bars will not be fully set yet, but a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
- Let the cookie bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 25-30 minutes to allow the cookie bars to set. Ideally cool completely to let the bars fully set. Top with a few more chocolate chips and flaky salt while they’re warm, if desired.
- Cut into bars and enjoy! Store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container 2-3 days at room temperature, or freeze up to 2 months. You can cut them into 9 large cookie bars, 12 rectangles, 16 small squares, or 18 small rectangles. (Cut 9 large squares, then cut them in half)
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Try Them With Brown Butter! For an extra layer of flavor, try making these with browned butter. It adds a rich, caramel like note to the cookie bars that’s divine! Brown the butter first with these tips, cool a bit, then proceed as directed.
Can I Make Them Dairy-Free? I haven’t tested them dairy-free, but I think they’d work well with vegan butter sticks (like Earth Balance) and dairy-free chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life)! I don’t recommend using coconut oil.
Measure Carefully! It’s especially important to measure your flour correctly for these bars. Too much and the bars will be too dense or dry. To little and they may not set up properly. Weigh your flour or use the scoop and level method to get an accurate a measurement as possible.
Try Chocolate Chunks! For a more dramatic look (and bigger puddles of chocolate!) you can absolutely used chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips.
Other Mix-Ins To Try. Or, get creative with mix-ins! Try them with chopped nuts, M&Ms, white chocolate chips, toffee bits, chopped candy bars, etc.
WE ♥
Recipe Card
🌟 Did you make this recipe?
Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe! We can’t wait to hear how it goes. Happy baking!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 12–18 cookie bars 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Our easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are a great recipe for a crowd! We love the thick, chewy texture and plenty of chocolate in every bite!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (6 oz./12 Tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled 5 minutes*
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk (save the white for another use)
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups (240 grams) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour, weighed or scooped and leveled
- 2 Tablespoons (16 grams) cornstarch
- 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt (if you use fine salt/table salt, reduce this amount, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup (9 oz/255 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- Optional: a few more chocolate chips or flaky sea salt to top the cookie bars, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 8×8 square pan with parchment paper. (Don’t use glass or ceramic or the cookie bars will climb up the sides and take longer to bake.)
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, combine gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Mix Butter & Sugars. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix until just combined.
- Add Egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix to combine.
- Mix in the dry ingredients most of the way, until just a few powdery spots remain in the dough.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix until well blended and distributed.
- Pat the dough out into the prepared baking dish and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake the cookie bars 25-30 minutes or until the edges are set and the top is golden. The center of the cookie bars will not be fully set yet, but a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
- Let the cookie bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 25-30 minutes to allow the cookie bars to set. Ideally cool completely to let the bars fully set. Top with a few more chocolate chips and flaky salt while they’re warm, if desired.
- Cut into bars and enjoy! Store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container 2-3 days at room temperature, or freeze up to 2 months. You can cut them into 9 large cookie bars, 12 rectangles, 16 small squares, or 18 small rectangles. (Cut 9 large squares, then cut them in half)
Notes
- *Try Them With Brown Butter! For an extra layer of flavor, try making these with browned butter. It adds a rich, caramel like note to the cookie bars that’s divine! Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium or medium-low heat. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until butter begins to foam and bubble. When the butter is deeply golden and you can see the solids are starting to brown, remove it from the heat. Let the brown butter cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.
- Flour. We love and recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free flour blend for these cookie bars. If you use another brand (like Bob’s Red Mill), be sure the blend contains xanthan gum and measure carefully to avoid packing extra flour into the measuring cups. We recommend weighing your dry ingredients for best results!
- Let Them Cool! These bars will not be perfectly done straight from the oven. They must cool completely to set properly. If you cut into them while they’re warm, they’ll be doughy in the center!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
These are easy to make and super yummy! My daughter loves them!!
These are so good. I’m so glad I found this recipe. My family love them. I will be making these on repeat.
I’m SO GLAD you loved them Louise! They’re a family favorite around here!
if I double this recipe can I use a metal 13×9 pan?
Yes, though you’ll likely need to add a few minutes to the bake time to cook them through. Cover the pan loosely with foil, if needed, if they start browning too quickly!
This sounds delicious! I was wondering if you ever tried baking it as cookies?
I haven’t, but I have LOTS of yummy chocolate chip cookie recipes you can try! We love these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Thin & Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies or ultra-thick Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Can you make this with oat flour? We have nut allergies and can’t make them with almond flour or a blend that has almond flour.
Hi! This recipe is specifically formulated to work with 1:1 gluten-free flour blends with xanthan gum, since the mix of starches and whole grains helps provide the structure and texture. I wouldn’t recommend any substitutes here since oat flour will impact the consistency of the dough and the texture of the finished product. You’ll probably have the best results with a recipe developed with oat flour.
Dang these were SO GOOD. Perfect texture and flavor.
You’re the BEST, Jessica. THANk YOU so much for taking the time to leave a review!
I found these way too sweet. I had a couple of bites and couldn’t eat any more. I liked the texture but wonder if they can be made with much less sugar.
Hi Kathleen! You’re welcome to experiment! Keep in mind that sugar counts as a wet ingredient, so reducing the sugar will also change the ratio of wet:dry ingredients. In general, you can often get by with reducing sugar by about 25% in a recipe like this before things start to get pretty dry.
Absolutely LOVED the cookie bars! ❤️ New favorite for the family. Thank you!
So glad they were a win for you, Joy!!
Loved these bars! Couldn’t tell they were gluten free. I added chopped walnuts. Easy to make & well worth it. Thanks!
Oh, I’m so glad to hear it! I bet they were great with walnuts!