These chocolate chip cookie bars are rich, sweet packed with chocolate and great for any party! My Vanilla Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe are simple to make and they’re the perfect bar to make for your family and friends!
If you love cookies like we do, try our Kit Kat Cookie Bars recipe too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Does it get better than Cookie Bars? My Bars have the perfect buttery crisp outsides with the most sinful chocolatey soft centers. They are also great for packaging up for a potluck or gift giving to family and friends. My boys brought them to their Father’s and Son’s Camp trip last weekend and lets just say they didn’t bring any back with them, haha! Enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great For Parties. We love making this recipe for just about any party. Everyone loves them!
- Easy To Make. Making cookie bars is nice and easy. The cookie dough is pressed into a baking dish and baked. Once cooled, it’s simple cut into squares.
Try my Peanut Butter Cups Cookie Bars too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.
What You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make cookie bars at home. See the recipe card located at the bottom of the post for full details.
- Butter, Salted- For most of my recipes I use salted butter. Unsalted works too.
- Light Brown Sugar– This bar recipe can use light or dark brown sugar.
- granulated sugar– This fine white sugar adds sweetness to the bars.
- Large Eggs– For consistency, I use large eggs in my cooking and baking.
- All-Purpose Flour– Flour is the main dry ingredient in the bars.
- Malted Milk Powder– Find the malted milk powder down the breakfast isles of the grocery store. You can check Amazon too.
- Baking Soda– Baking soda helps the bars rise during baking.
- Kosher Salt– Kosher salt is a course salt commonly used in cooking and baking. I prefer it over table salt.
- Chocolate Chunks or Chips– Look for chocolate chunks near the chocolate chips down the baking isle.
How To Make Malted Bars
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line 2 8×8 inch baking pans with parchment paper.
Cream Butter and Sugars. Place butter and sugars into stand mixer beating until well combined.
Eggs and Vanilla. Add eggs and vanilla beating to combine.
Dry Ingredients. Slowly add flour, malt powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate melts and chips. Stir on low until just combined.
Press Cookie Dough Into Pans. Divide dough into 2 equal parts and spread evenly into prepared baking pans.
Bake. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and baked through.
Cool and Cut Into Squares. Let cool completely then cut into bars.
Recipe Tips For Making The Best Cookie Bars
- Don’t alter the recipe, use all ingredients as listed.
- Always use real butter, not margarine. I prefer salted butter for my chocolate chip cookies.
- Don’t skip creaming your butter and sugars for a good 2 minutes. Helps create a fluffy, chewy cookie bar.
- Try sprinkling dough with just a touch of salt for a perfect sweet and salty combination.
- Don’t overtake your cookie bars. Bars will continue to cook on hot cookie sheet when removed from oven.
- Let cookies cool completely before cutting into squares and storing in containers.
How To Serve Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Serve bars warm or room temperature cut into squares.
How To Store Leftovers
Store any leftover bars in an airtight container room temperature or in refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Freezing Instructions
To freeze bars, make sure they’re completely cooled and place into an airtight container or freezer safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Try More Cookie Bar Recips
Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
- 8 x 8 baking dish
- stand mixer
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal Flour
- 1/2 cup Carnation Malt Powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 ounce bag Chocolate Melts or chocolate chunks work too
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 8×8 inch baking pans with parchment paper.
- Place butter and sugars into stand mixer beating until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla beating to combine. Slowly add flour, malt powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate melts and chips. Stir on low until just combined.
- Divide dough into 2 equal parts and spread evenly into prepared baking pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and baked through. Let cool completely then cut into bars.
These look delicious. I’m a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies so these are right up my alley. <3
Jenny can you please tell us whether we can omit or substitute the malted milk? Thanks for yout answer jenny
You can just omit the malted milk, it will give the bars a different taste however the bars will still turn out fine 🙂
I made these last week and my friends were raving about them! Would love to try them in cookie form. Think it would work, or would I have to adjust the recipe?
I think they would work in cookie form, haven’t tried it but I think it would turn out just fine 🙂 I’d say 12-13 minutes per batch.
I made this recipe. It was simple & the bomb!!! A real fun treat!
Hi. I love this recipe and many others made by you , cause I adore chocolate ! But I have a problem … In my country I can`t find malted milk . Can you tell me a substitute ? Something I can use instead ? Pls answer cause I wanna make this recipe as soon as possible. Ty
What’s the cooking time if you use a 9 X 13 pan?
Thanks
I would love to make these bars this week. They look delicious. Can you buy the malt powder in the supermarket?
Hi,I love all your recipes!
but I have a problem with this one because I really wanna make it but couldn’t find malt powder here(I live in Iran)so can I substitute it?please answer this:)
I’m obsessed with cookie bars lately and these look like they would be no exception! Loving all that gooey chocolate.
is it possible to leave out the malt powder?
I love how ooey and gooey these are!
Your mixer is so cute! And, boy, these look fabulous! I cannot wait to give these a shot =) Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE malt powder. These bars look so ooey, gooey and delicious!
ahhhhh, these look way too fabulous to pass up!!
I made these last night and they are delicious!! Thankfully, I was watching them because they were done in 20 minutes. My oven doesn’t run hot, so I will make a note on my recipe to bake a shorter amount of time. Thanks Jenny!
This is mouth watering!
I need this in my life right now! Pregnancy cravings are real!
Incredibly gooey and delicious!
Is there a need to adjust the baking time when cooking in a 13×9 pan?
I made this yesterday in a 9 by 13-inch pan and went with about 30 minutes–it’s a slightly smaller area than 2 8 by 8 pans, so I went with the shorter amount of time, and they came out just right!
these look so yummy, but I have a small problem. Where I live, we don´t get malted powder, with what can I substitute or can I omit it.
I would also like to substitute or omit the malt.
Can someone advise how to go about doing so?
Thank you!!
Trish
how muchis a stick of butter. Is it a quarter or half a cup
half a cup
thank you
My kind of bar- perfect texture with the buttery crisp outside and gooey chocolate on the inside
omg with that melting chocolate….
That melted chocolate looks delicious! I will have to try using those chocolate melts. I have never tried baking with malt before either. This recipe sounds great!
Dang girl these look so good with that gooey chocolate melting down the side of the bar.
Looks so darn good, Jenny! This will get me through the week. 😉
Those look so good with all of the melted chocolate and I love the malt!
I need these in my life!
Love the sight of that melting, gooey chocolate! Want these!!!
Love the malt in these!!! That oozing chocolate has me swooning!!
Mmmmmm! These bars are oozy gooey fabulous Jenny!
Thanks Marla 🙂 Hope your Wednesday is off to a great start!
All that melt chocolate looks so good! Malt is a wonderful addition too.
These look so good – I am a SUCKER for anything malted!!
Thanks Liz! Me too….big time 🙂
Baking with malt is so fun. Love this recipe!
Jenny- these bars look scrumptious and I LOVE your green mixer. Too fun! Have a great day. 🙂
Thanks Molly! That green is such a fun color! Hope you have a great day too 🙂
The melty oozy chocolate factor is off the richter scale – love it and pinned!
And your new headshot…you look 10 years younger than your old one, super smokin’, and amazing 🙂 Your hair is gorgeous and I thought for a second, who’s that model Jenny put up on her site. Then I look, and it’s YOU! DANG. Girl. Fabulous!
Thank you Averie 🙂 xo