Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes 25 Bar Cookie Recipes That Are Perfect for Bake Sales, Potlucks, or Just Because These easy-to-make and easy-to-eat treats are favorites for good reason. By Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 15, 2023 Close Photo: Con Poulos There are so many reasons to love bar cookies. For starters, they're quicker and easier to make than their classic cookie cousins. There's also no need to worry that you haven't portioned them correctly, resulting in some cookies that will brown too much in the time it takes to get others to bake through. There's also no fear that your cookies will melt into one another in a blob-like mess, and there's no transferring hot cookies one by one to a cooling rack. Simply put, bar cookies are a one-and-done solution to your dessert or treat needs. They're a no-fuss crowd-pleaser and a staple of potlucks and bake sales. Consider the bar cookie the low-maintenance, reliable alternative to its more demanding singular counterparts. Make a batch the next time the urge to bake something delicious strikes. 22 Types of Cookies You'll Want to Bake 01 of 25 Chocolate-Coconut Bars Brie Goldman Few people can say no to one of these coconut chocolate bars. They’re inspired by a popular Southern dessert known as Hello Dolly bars. They’re egg-free but packed with sweet ingredients. A graham cracker crust holds a layer of pecans and chocolate chips, then comes sweetened condensed milk and sweetened shredded coconut. View Recipe 02 of 25 Lemon-Date Bars Marcus Nilsson These treats take the classic lemon bar to a new level of deliciousness. Adding a layer of homemade date paste between the rich crust and the luscious lemony topping is a stroke of sheer genius. View Recipe 03 of 25 Chocolate-Cherry Granola Bars Chelsea Cavanaugh Nut-free and gluten-free, these bars are made with store-bought granola and puffed rice cereal and packed with chocolate chips and dried cherries. They’re easy to make and easy to eat. View Recipe 04 of 25 Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Caramel Cereal Bars Nico Schinco There are three layers of deliciousness here: crispy, marshmallow-laden rice cereal as the base, a layer of peanut butter caramel, and a bittersweet chocolate topping. View Recipe 05 of 25 Date Bars Yossy Arefi Chewy and irresistible, these classic bar cookies have a simple filling that shows off the sweet flavor of dates, a rich buttery base, and a wholesome oat topping. View Recipe 06 of 25 Coconut Cream Bars Tina Rupp Their name says it all, these rich, creamy bar cookies are packed with coconut. It’s in the shortbread crumb crust and the custard filling, plus toasted coconut is used to garnish the whipped cream topping. View Recipe 07 of 25 Snickerdoodle Crumb Bars Alpha Smoot Everything you love about old-fashioned snickerdoodles, but better! A ribbon of cinnamon sugar runs through the middle of these chewy cookie bars and there's a crunchy cinnamon topping, too. View Recipe 08 of 25 Chewy Brownies Are you forever in pursuit of the ultimate brownie recipe? We think this recipe strikes the perfect balance between cakey and fudgy. View Recipe 09 of 25 Pumpkin Bars Mike Krautter A cross between a bar cookie and a sheet cake, a generous layer of cream cheese frosting takes these pumpkin spice cake bars to greatness. View Recipe 10 of 25 Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars The ultra-easy press-in crust and rich, chewy-crunchy chocolate and pecan filling will guarantee this recipe's place in your permanent collection. View Recipe 11 of 25 Peach-Pie Crumble Bars Bryan Gardner Sometimes simplicity really does equal perfection. The sweet and buttery press-in crust that serves as the base of these luscious peach pie bars doubles as the crumble topping. Don't limit yourself to peaches, either: You can use any stone fruit in this recipe! View Recipe 12 of 25 Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars Bryan Gardner Get nostalgic and whip up a sweet-salty batch of PB&J bars using your favorite flavor of jam. View Recipe 13 of 25 No-Bake Chocolate-Almond Oat Bars Con Poulos In addition to being egg- and gluten-free, these decadent-tasting treats are also free of refined sugars. They're rich with almond butter and dark chocolate, chopped almonds provide crunch, and honey and raisins bring sweetness. It's hard to have just one. View Recipe 14 of 25 Key Lime Bars Victor Schrager Just like the pie, but portable! These tart bars are based on the famous Key lime pie recipe from Joe's Stone Crab in Miami. View Recipe 15 of 25 Big Almond-Orange-Ginger Cookie Louise Hagger Ginger and cardamom add a lively lift to the toasted almond cookie base of these glistening marmalade-topped bar cookies. We cut it into pie-like wedges, but you can certainly go with the more traditional bar shape if you like. View Recipe 16 of 25 Elizabeth's Eggnog Cheesecake Bars Eggnog, freshly grated nutmeg, and a splash of brandy give warm holiday flavor to these cheesecake bars. This recipe uses a traditional graham cracker crust, but feel free to substitute gingersnaps for extra pep. View Recipe 17 of 25 Chocolaty Pretzel-and-Peanut Cookie Bars A pretzel crust, a layer of condensed milk, and a topping of cocktail peanuts plus dark chocolate and pretzel pieces give these cookie bars a decadent sweet yet satisfyingly salty dimension. View Recipe 18 of 25 Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Sang An Turn everyone's favorite cookie into a bar! It's a revolutionary action but it works. View Recipe 19 of 25 Crispy Cereal Treats Kirsten Francis These bars are just right for lunchboxes or an after-school snack. Our recipe has four variations that use the same marshmallow base, so you can decide if you want to take the treats in a chocolatey, tropical, or fruity direction. View Recipe 20 of 25 Big-Batch Triple-Chocolate Brownie Bars Marcus Nilsson Who doesn't want to make a big batch of brownie bars? This recipe is made in a sheet pan and yields 54 deeply chocolatey treats. View Recipe 21 of 25 Zesty Lemon Bars At once rich and tart, these lemon bars are one of Martha's favorite treats. View Recipe 22 of 25 Spiced Fruitcake Bars Johnny Miller Forget everything you think you know about fruitcake. These buttery beauties are packed with cherries, cranberries, apricots, currants, and walnuts and will never be regifted. View Recipe 23 of 25 Blackberry Crumb Bars These cake-like bar cookies are a portable version of berry crumble. Use any kind of fresh or frozen berries you fancy. View Recipe 24 of 25 Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars Joseph De Leo Rich and gooey chocolate caramel tops a buttery brown-sugar crust. A dusting of crunchy sea salt on top provides the perfect counterpoint. View Recipe 25 of 25 Hermit Bars Yossy Arefi Some things never go out of style, like these old-fashioned chewy molasses bars full of ginger, cinnamon, and raisins. Another reason they're a classic is that they keep well—that is, if everyone doesn't eat them up the moment they're cool enough to try! View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit