Name: 4th of July Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup salted butter (softened); 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup granulated white sugar; 1 whole large egg; 1 egg yolk; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2 teaspoon cornstarch; 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup white chocolate chips; 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips; 1/2 cup 4th of July sprinkles; 1/4 cup salted butter (softened at room temperature); 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Frosted 4th of July Cookie Bars are made with a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie dough, topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream frosting and red, white and blue sprinkles! They are the easiest to make since you don’t have to scoop or chill any dough!

PIN these 4th of July Cookie Bars to try later!

Red, white and blue cookie bars

I love making cookie bars for just about any occasion because they are easier than regular cookies and they can feed a crowd. These 4th of July Cookie Bars have the same flavors as chocolate chip cookies except in a bar form and we layer the top with a buttercream frosting and decorate them with fun patriotic sprinkles.

These chewy cookie bars can be easily customized by using your favorite chocolate chips, frosting flavor and toppings. They take less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish and you don’t have to scoop dough balls or chill the cookie dough. It’s a perfect treat to make for any patriotic celebration!

Other favorite cookie bars to make are my Best Sugar Cookie Bars, Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Peanut Butter Cookie Bars, and Oreo Cookie Bars.

Why You’ll Love these 4th of July cookie bars

Feeds large crowds: One batch makes 24 regular sized bars but you can cut those in half to make 48 smaller bars.

Easy recipe: You don’t have to worry about the hassle of rolling, scooping any dough, or icing any cookies. If you’re in a hurry, you just need less than 10 minutes of prep time in the kitchen to make these easy cookie bars.

Perfect patriotic dessert: Make these for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, a patriotic party, or anytime you’re craving a chocolate chip cookie.

Portable: These bars are perfect for any occasion and can be transferred easily by placing them in an airtight container ziplock bag.

key ingredients

All-purpose flour: Spoon and level regular all-purpose flour when measuring it. Be sure not to scoop it out of the bag using the measuring cup. This way, you won’t accidentally measure out too much.
Baking soda: Used as a leavening agent.
Softened butter: You could use salted or unsalted butter. If you use unsalted butter, make sure to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe. We use almost a cup butter so these are extra buttery.
Sugar: We use both granulated white sugar and dark brown sugar or light brown sugar. This combination will increase the chewiness of these bars.
Large egg and egg yolk: Make sure the eggs are at room temperature so they incorporate into the dough better.
Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavors and adds a warm flavor.
Chocolate chips: The star ingredient! We use a combo of white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips but you can use your favorite kind of chocolate chips. I find that you get more chocolate in each bite when you use the mini chocolate chips
Sprinkles: Since we made these for the 4th of July, we used red, white and blue sprinkles but you can use different colors for any holiday or occasion. Rainbow sprinkles are fun for birthday parties!
Buttercream frosting: Powdered sugar, butter, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. If you didn’t want to make your own from scratch use canned frosting. I promise this recipe is really easy though 🙂

how to make 4th of july cookie bars

Prepare baking pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with heavy duty foil or parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the edges so it will be easier to lift the bars out. Lightly spray the foil-lined pan with non-stick spray. This will allow you to lift the bars out of the pan, for clean cuts.

Combine dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and cornstarch; set aside.

Whisk wet ingredients together: In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until combined. Add in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Continue to whisk until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients: Mix until completely combined and cookie dough has formed but don’t over-mix. Add in the chocolate chips and mix again until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Transfer dough to cookie pan: Transfer the cookie dough to prepared baking pan and press the dough evenly into pan using your hands or a spatula. It’s ok if the dough seems a little sticky.

Bake cookie bars: Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is light golden brown and slightly firm. Let the cookie bars cool for 5 minutes and then lift bars out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack.

Make buttercream frosting

Make frosting: While the cookie bars cool, make the buttercream frosting by creaming the butter together until smooth in a medium bowl. Add the powdered sugar, heavy creamy or milk, and vanilla extract. Beat for a few minutes until frosting is creamy, smooth and fluffy. Add in more powdered sugar to thicken the frosting or milk to thin it out.

Frost, add sprinkles, cut and enjoy! Use a butter knife or offset spatula to frost the cooled cookie bars, top with sprinkles (optional), cut into 24 bars with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

recipe variations

Chocolate chips: You can use any type of chocolate in this recipe. White chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or milk chocolate chips all work perfectly.
Crunchy texture: Add a handful of your favorite chopped nuts to the batter or topping.
Brown butter chocolate chip cookie bars: Use the same method to brown the butter in this brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe to make these bars.
4th of July M&M Cookie Bars: Add a handful of red, white and blue M&M candies on top instead of the sprinkles.
Make for any occasion: Swap the 4th of July themed sprinkles for rainbow sprinkles for birthdays, red and green sprinkles for Christmas, pastel sprinkles for Easter, or whatever kind of sprinkles you want.

tips

Be sure not to over-mix the dough, this will prevent the bars from being soft and tender.
Use parchment paper or foil: Make sure you completely cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil so you have an easy clean up and it will prevent the bars from sticking.
Frosting layer: The frosting layer is thinner on these bars since it’s already sweet but if you want a thick layer of frosting, double the frosting ingredients. Other frostings to use are a chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting.
Bite size bars: Cut each bar in half to yield mini bars.
Be sure to use a sharp knife on a cutting board when cutting the cookie bars.

leftovers & storage

To Store: Cookie bars are always best when they are fresh but you can store any leftovers in the same baking pan covered in plastic wrap, transfer to an airtight container, or large ziplock bag. They will keep fresh for 5 days or you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To Freeze: You can also freeze any leftover bars for up to 3 months by placing cooled bars in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. For best results, let the cookies bars defrost at room temperature when ready to eat. The best way to enjoy them is when they are at room temperature or slightly warmed.