Best Cake Mix Cookie Bars Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)
By: Author Joy Shull
Posted on Last updated:
Jump to Recipe
Thesecake mix cookie bars are made with just 4 ingredients and everyone loves this easy dessert recipe!The only thing better than yellow cake mix cookies is cookie bars!
These cake mix cookie bars are the best easy dessert!
These cake mix cookie bars have fast become top of my easy dessert list. With just 4 ingredients and a few minutes you can make homemade cookie bars in a fraction of the time!
Today I am sharing with you one of the most delicious and simple desserts that you’ll ever make! Have a bake sale coming up and need an easy dessert recipe? Or need a last minute dessert for the holidays?
This recipe and these cake mix banana muffins are two of my favorite ways to use a box of yellow cake mix!
I have made them for birthday parties, Christmas, dinner gatherings, graduations, and more. Basically any time I am asked to bring a dessert!
Everyone needs a back pocket simple dessert like this one. I love the simplicity of this dessert, and the taste of a homemade treat that didn’t take me an hour to make.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the cake mix and oil to the beaten eggs and mix well to combine.
Step 2: Beat in the chocolate chips (the batter will be very thick).
Step 3: Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the cookie bar batter evenly in the dish (this will take several minutes to spread evenly). I have found the easiest way to do this is to use a rubber spatula or greased hands.
Step 4: Bake the cookie bars at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once cooled, cut the cookie bars into squares.
Store any leftover bars in an airtight container.
Serve warm with ice cream for an extra delicious treat! Everyone loves them, and I love how simple they are to throw together.
Tips for spreading the batter
My preferred way to distribute the batter evenly is by using a rubber spatula.
It will take you a few minutes to press it down into the pan, but the rubber spatula is a lot easier to use for this than other kitchen tools I have tried.
If you don’t have a rubber spatula, you can try greasing your hands to help press the batter down.
If you’ve never made chocolate chip cookie bars with cake mix, you will be surprised at just how good they are!
They are unbelievably easy to make and so freaking good. We love having them warmed up with vanilla ice cream!
The texture of these bars is the thickness of a brownie with the taste of a chocolate chip cookie. They’re just so fun to eat and really satisfying and thick and chocolatey.
Storing your leftover cake mix cookie bars
Leftover cake bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Are you making this recipe? I want to see! Don’t forget to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!
More Reader Favorite Recipes
Air Fried Potatoes
Chipotle Dressing
Meatless Meatloaf
Cream Corn
Chickpea Salad Vegan
Roasted Brussel Sprouts from Frozen
Be sure to pin this recipe for later and followBuild Your Bite on Pinterestfor all the latest delicious recipes!
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!
Yield: 16 bars
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
These easy 4 ingredient cake mix cookie bars are always a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
1 (15 oz) box of yellow cake mix
2 eggs, beaten
⅓ cup olive oil (can substitute melted butter or vegetable oil also)
12 oz bag of chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat eggs in a small bowl
Add cake mix and olive oil to the beaten eggs and mix well
Beat in chocolate chips (batter will be very thick)
Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish (see notes for thickness)
Spread batter evenly in the dish (this will take several minutes to spread evenly)
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
Once cooled, cover or store in an airtight container
Enjoy!
Notes
The batter will be thick and hard to spread (this is normal) I found that using a rubber spatula and a spoon made it easier to spread into the pan. It may take a couple minutes, but it's so worth it!
The thickness of the cookie bars will depend on how large of a baking dish you use.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Most box cake recipes call for vegetable or canola oil. The only trouble is, these oils have almost no flavor. Replace the oil with an equal amount of melted butter (and a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter), to boost richness. For an extra decadent cake, add two tablespoons of mayonnaise.
On their own, boxed cake mixes have a structure that's loose and airy. But if you add ¼ cup flour or half a box of instant pudding mix, the texture of the cake becomes denser and tighter, ideal for a pound-cake-like consistency that will hold the shape of a Bundt pan.
Pure vanilla extract and pure almond extract are great options, but you could also try lemon extract or orange extract paired with fresh citrus zest. Although more expensive, vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans will provide even richer flavor to a boxed mix.
Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.
Most box cake recipes will tell you to add water to the mix. Instead, try adding milk using the same proportions. This will make the cake richer and creamier because it ups the fat content. You can even use buttermilk here for a pleasant tang.
Boxed cake mixes can take on a lot of extra flavor and a little more liquid, so don't be afraid to add a splash of vanilla or almond extract to a white cake or a little coffee extract to a chocolate cake. Fresh lemon or orange zest is wonderful in a lemon cake and also divine in a yellow or white cake.
Easy Add-In: After creating the dough according to the sugar cookie mix instructions, Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream to create a tangier, cakier and all-around more flavorful cookie. Flavor Twist: For a punchier twist, swap the water in the sugar cookie mix instructions for rum, bourbon or coffee liqueur.
Because eggs help build the cake's structure (don't use them and you're looking at a gooey mess), adding an extra egg yolk makes the cake batter denser. Translation: you'll have a moister confection. Conversely, she suggests an extra egg white for a fluffier cake.
When eggs are balanced with liquids and fats like water, oil, and butter, they ensure that your cake doesn't turn into a soupy mess, but adding too many of them adds too much structure, leaving you with a cake that's rubbery and dense.
Martina says, “Late in the mixing stage, eggs will incorporate better if you lightly beat them before adding to the batter. The finished cake may be slightly shorter than expected, but its flavor and tenderness shouldn't be affected.” For egg-leavened cakes, the eggs are crucial.
As a professional baker, I don't often use boxed mixes, but I appreciate how easily they bring a cake together. I think premade mixes are great for beginners gaining confidence around the kitchen and also for last-minute cake "emergencies."
Sweetened condensed milk can be added directly to your cake mix in moderation or used as a delicious frosting alternative. Before we look at any potential downsides to using this convenient product, let's dive into all the creative ways condensed milk can be used to elevate your next boxed cake.
To make a box cake mix rise higher, try using a smaller pan, adding an extra egg, using milk instead of water, adding baking powder, mixing for longer, using room temperature ingredients, baking at a higher temperature, or using cake strips.
Use an extra egg: Most boxed mixes will call for three eggs. Use four for a cake that's richer-tasting and moister. This tip is one I use practically every time I make a boxed cake mix. Substitute dairy: Replace the water called for on the package with dairy.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.