Cookie Dough Bars

Irresistible unbaked cookie dough is all you need to know about these Cookie Dough Bars. My kiddos always want to lick out the bowl and eat raw dough when I’m making cookies – just like when I was a kid.

That’s why I treat them to these indulgent chocolate chip cookie dough bars, which give them all the flavor and lushness of the dough without any unsafe raw ingredients.

Even when I was in college I remember purchasing a sleeve of cookie dough from the store and just eating it straight from the tube instead of cooking it. While I don’t recommend doing that, I do recommend these no bake cookie dough bars, which are completely safe to eat.

This recipe was one of the first ones I shared with my new neighbors after we moved into our house and while I won’t say it was these bars that made for an incredible friendship, I also won’t say they hurt.

I always love a good Chocolate Chip Cookie especially when they’re as easy to make as Brownie Mix Cookies, but sometimes I just don’t want to deal with baking them, which is why I love these no bake cookie dough bars.

These cookie dough squares are everything you dream about when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, but in dough form and best of all they’re safe to eat.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Effortless – These cookie dough bars are effortless to make and are a delicious snack you can whip up in no time if you’ve got friends coming around or you need a contribution for a potluck.
• No bake – Apart from toasting the flour, these are no-bake freezer/refrigerator cookies, saving you so much time in the kitchen. And cookie dough’s not supposed to be baked, is it?
• Tastes just like cookie dough – These gorgeous cookie bars taste just like cookie dough but are entirely safe to eat – there’s no raw egg.

Ingredients Needed

Let’s look at the ingredients for these decadent cookie dough bars:

Ingredient Notes

• The ideal butter is unsalted, but use whatever you have, just not margarine. Soften the butter at room temperature, as you don’t need melted butter.
• Brown sugar gives the bars a delicious caramel undertone. Light brown or dark brown sugar is perfect, but remember to pack the sugar in the measuring cup.
• All-purpose flour is perfect – you don’t need fancy cake flour. Eating raw flour is not healthy, so you’ll need to heat-treat it by oven toasting to make the cookie dough safe to eat.
• Vanilla extract is a traditional flavor enhancer that improves the taste of the dough.
• Condensed milk replaces the egg in the recipe, binding the dough together and giving it a fabulously sweet creaminess. Think of fudge, and you’ll get the idea.
• Chocolate chips are used in both layers of the cookie dough bars. Mini-chocolate chips are best if you’re making tiny bars. Otherwise, you can use regular morsels, semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate. Semi-sweet is best for the topping, or else you can overdose on sweetness.

How to Make Unbaked Cookie Dough

All you do is mix the dough, spread it in a dish, and drizzle it with a layer of melted chocolate. The bars chill for a couple of hours, and your dessert is ready to serve. You do have to toast the flour quickly so it’s safe to eat, but that’s it!

Prep: Line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set it aside.

1. Toast the flour. Since this is a no-bake recipe, you will need to toast the flour quickly to make it safe to eat. To do this, spread the flour on a rimmed baking sheet and set the oven to 350º F. Bake for 5 minutes before adding the flour to the batter.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together. Use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment to beat the softened butter and the brown sugar until fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Mix in the vanilla. While the mixer is running carefully add the vanilla and mix it until just incorporated.
4. Incorporate the flour and milk. Turn the speed to low and pour half the flour and half the condensed milk into the mixing bowl. Allow the flour and milk and mix thoroughly into the batter before adding the remaining half of the flour and sweetened condensed milk.

5. Add the chocolate chips. Mix the chocolate chips into the batter.
6. Chill the dough. The dough will be super thick but spread it out in an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Place the pan of cookie dough in the freezer to firm up for 30 minutes.

7. Prepare the chocolate topping. While the dough is chilling, prepare the topping by melting the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals in the microwave until smooth. You can also melt it in a small saucepan on the stove, stirring continuously.

8. Spread the chocolate on top. Drizzle the chocolate topping over the bars and spread it evenly using a spatula. Place the chocolate-topped cookie bars into the fridge to chill for the final two hours.

PRO TIP: Once the unbaked cookie dough bars have chilled and the chocolate topping has set, slice the cookie dough into squares. You can make big, two-inch squares if you’re feeding bigger kids and adults, or bite-sized mouthfuls if you’re feeding little ones or a crowd.

Storage and or Freezing Instructions

• Storage Instructions: Keep the treats in the refrigerator until you serve them. They will begin to soften once they’re at room temperature.
• Freezing Instructions: Because these are freezer bars, they do well if you freeze them for later. Once the chocolate topping has set in the fridge, pop the bars in airtight containers with parchment paper between them or in individual freezer-proof ziplock bags and label them. The cookie dough bars will last for two to three months in the freezer.
• To Thaw: Place the cookie dough bars in the fridge to thaw them or let them stand on the counter to thaw them even quicker.

PRO TIP: If you know the snacks are going to stand for a while, freeze them before putting them out. They won’t soften for a couple of hours.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Customize your cookie dough bars by replacing the chocolate chips in the dough with M&Ms, raisins, chopped nuts, sprinkles, or Reese’s Pieces.
• For a chewier texture add ½ cup of dried coconut or replace 1 cup of flour with a cup of quick oats.
• To make the bars gluten-free, use almond flour or oat flour instead of regular flour. You can buy these alternative kinds of flour at most supermarkets in the health-food aisle. Make your own by blitzing 2-3 cups of rolled oats in a blender until fine.
• Turn them into peanut butter cookie dough bars by using smooth, creamy peanut butter instead of butter for the topping.
• Make them sweet and savory. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the chocolate topping before putting it in the fridge to set. This sweet-savory combination is perfect for older kids and adults.

FAQS

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