Cake Mix Cookie Bars

Cake mix was meant to make baking cakes easy and quick, but it’s happily become a shortcut ingredient for cookies and dessert bars as well. These cake mix cookie bars show how one box of plain white cake mix can become a delectable dessert fit for anything from kiddie snacktime to family dinner to selling out at a bake sale.

These bars are very easy to prepare, not only because of the cake mix but also because the ingredients are pressed and poured into a single pan—no rolling and cutting of dough, and no dropping dozens of spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. And because they’re so simple to make, they’re excellent for beginning bakers.

Ingredients for Cake Mix Cookie Bars

• White cake mix: One regular-size package is all you need. The cake mix contains all the baking powder and other dry ingredients to make the crust for these bars, reducing your prep time substantially.
• Eggs and canola oil: Use the amounts listed in this recipe, not the amounts on the cake mix package. You also want to start with room-temperature eggs.
• Sweetened condensed milk: This helps make the chocolate layer chewy while also adding a caramelized note to the flavor.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: These have the right amount of sweetness for recipes where you’re adding other ingredients that contain sugar. While you can play around with the type of chocolate you use here, start off with semisweet the first time you make this.
• Butter: Butter will help give the chocolate flavor a nice buttery, smooth undertone. We recommend using unsalted butter, so the salt doesn’t affect the taste of your cookies. However, you can use salted if that’s what you have.

Directions

Step 1: Make the cake mix layer

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and oil. Grease a 13×9-inch baking pan, and press two-thirds of the mixture into the pan in an even layer. Set the rest of the cake mix combination aside.

Step 2: Make the chocolate layer

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In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and butter. Microwave the mixture, uncovered, until the chips and the butter have melted, then stir to combine them thoroughly. The mixture should be smooth. Pour the mixture over the cake mix layer.

Step 3: Add the topping and bake

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Using a teaspoon, drop scoops of the remaining cake mix over the chocolate layer. Bake the bars until the top is lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the bars cool before cutting them.

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Cake Mix Cookie Bar Variations

• Try other types of chips: This recipe calls for semisweet chips, but you can try making the bars with dark or milk chocolate chips too.
• Sub in another cake mix: You can substitute yellow cake mix for the white cake mix. You may also want to experiment with different chip-and-mix combinations, such as strawberry or mint chips with chocolate cake mix.

How to Store Cake Mix Cookie Bars

These cookie bars using cake mix can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Eat them within four to five days.

Can you freeze bar cookies from cake mix?

Yes, dessert bars like these freeze well. Slice them up and wrap the slices tightly in freezer-safe wrap. Place all the wrapped packets in a freezer-safe bag or container. Eat them within three months. To serve them, first let them thaw in the refrigerator.

Cake Mix Cookie Bar Tips

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How do you cut cookie bars neatly and evenly?

There are a few methods for cutting dessert bars that will help make the edges look tidy and trim. First, cut the bars on a flat surface outside the pan. The easiest way to get them out is to line the pan with sheets of parchment paper that are a little longer than the pan; the edges should stick up so you can use them as handles to lift the bars. Grease the parchment instead of the pan’s surface. Next, cut the bars using a bench scraper that you move up and down to cut.

Also, ensure the bars have cooled; if they’re still warm, they’ll tear apart more easily. You can also freeze the bars for a short time to make them less likely to tear.

Finally, as you cut, keep the bench scraper (or knife) clean between cuts. Dip the edge of the scraper in hot water and wipe it dry, then make a cut. Clean off the scraper, dip it in hot water again, dry it and make another cut. Repeat until the bars have all been cut.

Can you make these into separate cookies?

Not really. While the cake mix layer is solid enough that it might produce some cookies, the chocolate layer is liquid. Maybe you could make wells in the cookies and try adding the chocolate there, but this recipe is meant to produce dessert bars rather than cookies.

One possible compromise, however, is to try making the recipe in jumbo muffin pans or small ramekins. Those will give you individual portions while still allowing the chocolate layer to bake as it should. Divide the cake and chocolate layers between the wells or ramekins, and top each with more cake mix, as directed in the recipe. The baking temperature should remain the same, but the time needed to cook may change.

What can you use if you don’t have sweetened condensed milk?

If you don’t make desserts often, sweetened condensed milk might not be a staple in your kitchen. You can use a couple of substitutes if you can’t get to the store to buy some. One option is making your own sweetened condensed milk using milk and sugar; the result won’t be as thick or caramelized, but it will do. Other sweetened condensed milk substitutes exist, including using evaporated milk or coconut milk.