One-Bowl Cake Mix Cookie Bars: Perfectly Simple

These One-Bowl Cake Mix Cookie Bars are the perfect quick dessert to satisfy any sweet craving—whether it’s for a last-minute bake sale, a cozy holiday party, or just because it’s been one of those days.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: afterschool snack, chocolate chip cookie, dessert recipe, easy recipe, snack bars, summer dessert, sweet snack

Servings: Servings, 9 X 13 pan

Calories: 272kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Kitchen Essentials

Aluminum Cake Pan

Mixing Bowls

Whisk Set

Ingredients

15.25 Ounces Yellow Cake Mix 1 box of yellow cake mix or any flavor
2 Large Eggs
½ Cup Butter or lard melted, or vegetable oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Chocolate Chips or any candy of choice

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease or line a baking pan (9x13-inch) with parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray. A prepared pan with parchment is the easiest way to lift and slice your bars once they’re cool.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix until a thick cookie dough forms. No need for a hand mixer—a rubber spatula or wooden spoon does the trick.
15.25 Ounces Yellow Cake Mix, 2 Large Eggs, ½ Cup Butter, 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Fold in your favorite chocolate chips or candy. This is where the boxed cake mix becomes a great base for all your favorite sweet treats. Think beyond chocolate chips: peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips are all amazing.
2 Cups Chocolate Chips
Spread the cookie bar batter evenly into your baking dish. The batter is thick—don’t worry! I recommend pressing it in with gloved hands, a spatula, or the back of a spoon. Using parchment paper makes this step and cleanup much easier.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. The center should still look a little soft—these are meant to be gooey cake bars, not dry!
Allow to cool completely at room temperature before cutting. Straight out of the oven, the bars will be gooey cookies—they need time to firm up. Cooling also makes it easier to lift them out using the parchment paper.

Your Own Private Notes

Click here to add your own private notes.

Notes

Pro Tips

The thickness of the cookie bars will depend on the size of your baking dish. A 9x13-inch pan gives you a nice, medium-thick bar. For thicker bars, you can use a smaller pan—just increase the bake time slightly and keep an eye on the edges.

The batter is sticky! I like to divide it into two halves and spread each half into one side of the pan using gloved hands or a spatula. It takes a few minutes to press it in evenly, but it’s worth it!

Nutrition