Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Bars (Gluten free Option)

I absolutely love cookie cake. It was always my go-to request when it was my birthday growing up. And I’m not even gong to lie, I asked for a cookie cake this year as well! These chocolate chip cookie cake bars are an easy to make dessert recipe, are made in one bowl and are easy to make gluten free and dairy free!

My chocolate chip cookie cake bars are chewy, moist, fluffy and loaded with chocolate chips. Think of the texture somewhere in between a crunchy cookie and a fluffy cake, and of course absolutely delicious.

If you love easy gluten free dessert recipes like this one, you’ll love my easy pumpkin cookie bars, my 15-minute popcorn bars and my 5-ingredient rhubarb bars.

why you’ll love this gluten free recipe

• These cookie bars are quick and easy to make which means they are perfect for potlucks, family parties, and holiday get togethers! The effort is minimal, and you end up with a large batch of chocolate chip cookie cake bars.
• The best part about this recipe is that it is a one pan bowl recipe…which means only one bowl to mix it in and only one bowl to clean up! My ideal situation since I hate doing dishes.
• These gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars are allergy friendly. You can use gluten free flour like I did for gluten free cookie bars. You can use dairy free chocolate and butter for easy dairy free cookie bars!

ingredients & substitutions

Butter or vegan butter melted: I used vegan butter in this recipe because it is just what I had on hand. Plus, by using vegan butter it helps to ensure these are dairy free cookie bars. If you have standard dairy butter it will work all the same.

Applesauce: I used applesauce here to avoid using oil. It helps to make the chocolate chip cookie cake bars cakey and fluffy instead of oily.

Brown sugar: I like using brown sugar instead of white sugar because it has a richer taste, but if you only have white sugar that is OK to use too!

Eggs: I used eggs here which means these gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars are dairy free but not vegan. To make vegan cookie bars make sure to use an egg substitute here.

Gluten free flour: Gluten free flour ensures these chocolate chip cookie cake bars are gluten free. If you are not gluten free, you can use standard all purpose flour.

Baking powder: This helps the gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars rise. I would not suggest skipping it.

Chocolate chips or dairy free sub: I used dairy free chocolate chips to make the gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars dairy free. You can use any chocolate chip that is your favorite!

directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350.

Step 2

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix together. This is a dump recipe which means you do not need to separate the wet and dry ingredients. Just mix it all up in one bowl.

Step 3

Add to an 8×8 or 9×9 parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 4

Add to oven. Bake the chocolate chip cookie cake bars for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Let the gluten free cookie bars cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

expert tips & tricks

To avoid the chocolate chip cookie cake bars sticking to the pan, I like to always line my pan with parchment paper.

The cookie dough mixture will be stiff so it always takes me a minute to spread the cookie dough around the pan. Don’t get discouraged. I like to use a rubber spatula, press it down until it’s spread evenly and push it into all 4 corners of the pan.

I always have chocolate chips laying around, mainly so I can take a handful after dinner every night. So because I always have them, I used them for these chocolate chip cookie cake bars. But you can use white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips or even butterscotch chips in these too!

serving, storing and meal prepping

I like to serve these chocolate chip cookie cake bars slightly warm at room temperature. I like to add a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream on top for a fun cookie cake sunday.

To store, I let the gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars cool completely before refrigerating in an airtight container for up to four days.

For longer storage, I love to portion the chocolate chip cookie cake bars into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 2 months. These individual portions are my favorite for great grab-and-go snack or quick dessert during the week.

Looking for more allergy friendly easy recipe?

If you make this recipe and enjoyed it, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and Pinterest. Purchase my cookbook Easy Allergy Free Cooking. Join my exclusive weeknight meal plan group for 5 weekly 30-minute dinner recipes. The weeknight meal plan also has an accompanying podcast as well! I would love for you to follow along! 

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