These Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, thick and so easy to make. Your favorite cookie, in bar form!
Want more vegan cookie bar recipes? Check out these Sugar Cookie Bars, S’mores Cookie Bars and Cranberry Bliss Bars.
With just a few simple steps and no mixer needed, these vegan cookie bars are ridiculously easy to make whenever a craving for chocolate chip cookies strikes!
I love cookie bar recipes because unlike chocolate chip cookies, you don’t have to worry about rolling or chilling the dough. The texture comes out perfect every time, and they are always a hit with the family.
How to make chocolate chip cookie bars
Make your flax egg by combining ground flax and water in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix the melted vegan butter with the sugars, then stir in the flax egg and vanilla. Now add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir until just combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips, saving some for the top. Transfer the the prepared pan and press it down. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden.
Frequently asked questions
Cookie bars last for up to 1 week in an airtight container, especially if kept in the refrigerator.
Yes, I like to cut them into squares and freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container. Simply pull a bar out whenever you want one, and let thaw at room temperature (or microwave/air fry until just warm).
A quality gluten free flour works here, but do not use almond flour or coconut flour. They will not work. My favorite gluten free flour is Better Batter for most baked goods.
Sure! Chopped walnuts are a great choice with chocolate chips. Or use a mix of vegan white chocolate chips and dried cranberries or blueberries for a different flavor.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 2.5 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup melted vegan butter
- 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides for easy removal.
- In a small bowl, stir the ground flaxseeds and water and let it sit for a few minutes. This is your flax egg.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted vegan butter with the brown and granulated sugars until smooth. Now add in the flax egg and vanilla and stir with a large spoon to combine.
- To the bowl with the wet butter/sugar mixture, add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and stir until combined. The dough should be thick and soft.
- Fold in almost all of the chocolate chips, saving some for the top.
- Transfer to the prepared pan and press it down evenly. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips if desired, and bake for 30-32 minutes until lightly golden on top.
- Let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then lift the parchment paper out of the pan and cut into squares. Will keep in an airtight container for about a week. Can be frozen as well. Enjoy!
Notes
- If needed, you can leave out the cornstarch or use arrowroot instead. Tapioca flour would also work.
- Gluten free: Use a quality gluten free flour mix, but do not attempt to use almond or coconut flour, they will not work.
- Some brands of chocolate chips are accidentally vegan, check the ingredients for things like milk fat and butter oil. Guittard semi sweet are vegan.
- You can double this recipe if desired. Bake in a 9×13 inch dish for 40 minutes when doubling.
I’ve made it twice and it’s a great recipe. However, only half the amount of baking soda is required (I use Bob’s Red Mill replacer instead of the egg replacer mentioned in the recipe so I don’t know if that’s why I don’t need so much baking soda).
If I make this in 9×13 pan, should I double the recipe? Any modifications with baking time?
Yes, I would double the recipe and bake a little longer, around 40 minutes. Enjoy!
Can I chill in the fridge before baking?
Sure, that should be fine 🙂
I LOVE these!!! They are fantastic exactly as is, but if you also love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, I highly recommend adding 100grams of rolled oats when you add the chocolate chips. Incredible!
Hi, I just made these after also making your vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I’m having the same issue of the batter being really dry with both recipes. With the cookies I added a bunch of water and a little melted butter and that fixed it, and with these bars I only added water but it wasn’t enough because it still came out drier than I’d like. They still taste good but I know I can make them better/more moist so I’m going to try again, I just wanted to know if there’s something you’d recommend I do differently? I followed each recipe exactly with no deviations, so I’m just not sure why the batters are coming out dry. Thanks!!
It sounds like either your butter is not softened, so it’s making the batters dry, or you’re accidentally scooping too much flour. Make sure to measure carefully. I like to spoon flour into a measuring cup, then level off with a knife, don’t shake it down or just scoop it from the canister/bag. And the butter should be softened, but not melted (unless called for). Hope that helps! Neither cookie batter should be dry.
Do you think I could use “Just Egg” in place of the flax egg? I don’t feel like grinding flax seeds lol.
You could, yes. I’d guess about 3 tablespoons in place of the flax egg.
So easy and so delicious!! Thanks Nora!
Love these! I’ve made them multiple times and they always turn out great! And they’re a huge hit with non-vegans! All the joy of chocolate chip cookies without the hassle of trying to do multiple cookie batches in the oven. I especially love them with the new Nestle allergy-free chocolate chips, which are vegan. Thanks for all your great vegan recipes!!!
Hi Crystal. Bars are a nice switch from scooping cookies! I’m glad you are enjoying this recipe! Thank you for your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking!
I made these recently and they did not come out right. I have no idea why. They had an almost bread like consistency..like banana bread or something. Definitely not yummy and gooey. Any idea what I may have done wrong? Thanks.
It almost sounds like the batter was too dry, like too much flour was added, or the bars were over-baked. But it’s hard to know exactly what went wrong without being there. Sorry!
I shall persevere! This is the first recipe that didn’t go well. All the others have been Ahhhmazing. ☺️
Very good. :]
I actually used a 9×13 pan without doubling it and baked for 20min and they turned out good! They were still thi k enough for me to still see them as bars 🙂
Question, what differences will happen in the cookies if I leave out the cornstarch? Or if I sub in arrowroot?
I have a friend that’s allergic to cornstarch.
I wonder if some of your recipes that says cornstarch I could just sub in arrowroot.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! You can leave out the cornstarch or use arrowroot instead. It just adds a little softness to the cookie bars. Thanks!
Made these the other day for dinner with my dad and his girlfriend. I was worried at first because our flax egg set up relatively stiff and wouldn’t combine with the other wet ingredients (even immersion blended to no avail), but the bars came out well in the end. Ate them with my dad as well as with my friends – everyone liked them. I especially enjoyed the almost fudgy texture in the center. Thanks for the great recipe!
You are welcome! I’m glad the bars turned out delicious for you! Thanks for sharing your experience and great feedback!
Would olive oil work here instead of butter?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think it will work very well unfortunately.
Make these all the time. So good. Everyone loves them vegan or not!
Thanks for sharing your terrific feedback! I’m so glad the cookie bars are loved!
This is my third time making these and they are delicious! I use a mix of vegan chips – mini, regular and white. They look so pretty with the mix. They have basically been instantly devoured by my vegan boyfriend, family and friends every time. Good and easy recipe! Just don’t burn your mouth if you are like me and too impatient to wait on them to cool 🙂
Hi Heather. I’m so glad you are enjoying the cookie bar recipe! Your mixture of chips sound really good! Thanks for sharing your fabulous feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Delicious and easy! I added chopped walnuts and will reduce the sugar and chips next time. They’re kind of like blondies. Fluffy and moist. Thank you!
Hi Dina. You are welcome! I’m happy you found the cookie bars delicious and easy! Thanks you for taking time to share your wonderful feedback and review!
I made these for Independence Day and they were an absolute hit with everyone! I wish I’d doubled the recipe. So rich, gooey, delicious, and EASY! I know what I’m baking anytime I bring dessert anywhere from now on. ??
I’m so glad the bars were a hit at your gathering! I appreciate your sharing your wonderful comments! Wishing you lots of happy baking!
Make these anytime I have to bring a desert somewhere. So easy to make and everyone loves them!
I’m so glad you are loving them! Thanks for your wonderful feedback!
This recipe needs way more attention! The only change I made was adding 1 tsp maple extract because maple/chocolate is a favorite combo of mine. So quick, easy, and tasty! Thanks Nora!
Hi Abby. I”m glad you loved the cookie bars! Thank you for sharing your great review and feedback! I’m glad you’ve discovered and love the cookie bars!
So delicious, thank you!
brilliant * this bakery delight was well received amongst the group!
Thank you
Thank you for your great feedback! I’m glad the cookie bars were a hit!
Still in the oven, so can’t quite rate it yet. When I was mixing the dough, I was surprised at how similar it looked & felt to a chocolate chip skillet cookie I’ve made several times. I looked up the skillet cookie recipe I’ve used and laughed when I saw it was actually Nora Cooks Vegan Salted Caramel Skillet Cookie (minus the caramel sauce which i’ve never made because the cookie is already very sweet). Ingredients are nearly the same, except vegan milk instead of flax egg in the skillet cookie recipe. If I find that they taste the same, I’ll stick to the skillet cookie because there less to clean up since everything gets combined/cooked/baked in one pan (skillet) and there is no need to grind flax seeds and clean out the electric grinder and no parchment paper to waste. I’ve always added walnuts to your skillet cookie recipe and more often then not, I use almond extract instead of vanilla. I actually did both of those things in this recipe before I even noticed that the two recipes were so much alike!