Julie Clark
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Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookie Bars
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You’ll fall in love with these soft, chewy, chocolate chip butterscotch cookie bars. Quicker than cookies, these sweet bars are stuffed with dark brown sugar, chocolate chips and pecans.
I’ve got a simple, no-mixer-needed recipe for you today. It’s all the wonderfulness of a chocolate chip cookie in a bar form, which makes it quick and easy.
Because I love thick chocolate chip cookies, cookie bars are irresistible for me. Fresh from the oven or warmed in the microwave the next day, I just can’t stay away. This Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar is no exception!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- The flavor is deep, rich and sweet.
- The texture is soft, moist and chewy.
- Makes a small 8×8 pan.
- There’s no need for a stand mixer or hand held mixer. The ingredients will come together easily enough without it.
- Perfect for school lunches, picnics and bake sales. And can you imagine these, freshly baked from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top?
What makes butterscotch flavor?
What makes this a butterscotch cookie recipe if there is no butterscotch chips inside? It’s the combination of very soft, almost melted butter and dark brown sugar. You’ll also find salt and vanilla in butterscotch, which you find in this recipe as well.
I fell in love with dark brown sugar this past winter when I found it in the store. It’s becoming more common in grocery stores so hopefully you won’t have a problem finding it.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit. Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper if you’d like to remove the bars easily.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and melted butter. Add the egg and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is completely combined and even.
- Add the flour mixture, pecans and chocolate chips.
- Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Spread this mixture in the prepared 8×8 pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes until the cookies look done. The center should still be soft, but they should look set.
The cookies will be very soft and gooey when they first come out of then oven. If you want nice clean bars, wait until they cool to cut them.
You’ll also love our Hershey shortbread bars!
Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookie Bars
Quicker than cookies, these sweet Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookie Bars are stuffed with dark brown sugar, chocolate chips and pecans.
Servings 12
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup salted butter very soft (almost melted)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit. Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper if you'd like to remove the bars easily.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and melted butter. Add the egg and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is completely combined and even.
- Add the flour mixture, pecans and chocolate chips.
- Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Spread this mixture in the prepared 8×8 pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes until the cookies look done. The center should still be soft, but they should look set.
- Cut into bars once they are cool.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
*You can use light brown sugar if desired, but we recommend dark brown sugar.
*Be careful not to overbake the bars.
*These are amazing with ice cream.
The calories shown are based on the recipe being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 cookie bar. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 512IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg
Recipe slightly adapted from Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book
Originally published on May 13, 2015
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use light brown sugar?
Yes. The bars won’t have the darker color or the deepest flavor, but you can use it in a pinch.
Can I make these bars into cookies?
I don’t recommend this. The bars will spread a lot if you form them into cookies. The pan helps the cookie bars hold their shape.
Other Cookie Bar Recipes
If you love cookie bars like I do, try one of these other popular recipes:
Where is the butterscotch in the recipe?
Yum – these sound so good.
The cookie bars are so soft and chewy. And it only takes 35 minutes to bake! What’s better than that? And I love using butter. And I do agree about the dark brown sugar. It’s sweet and gives out great texture.