OREO COOKIE BARS

Oreo Cookie Bars are made with tons of Oreos. You can call them Cookies & Cream Bars instead, but whatever you call them, they’re soft, chewy, gooey, and AMAZING!

Oreo Cookie Bars are so much easier to make than taking the time to roll and cut out individual cookies. I absolutely love cookies, but sometimes it just feels like a lot of work to scoop and bake dozens of cookies. The solution? Cookie bars! Just put all the dough in a 9X13 pan and bake the whole batch at one time!

HOW TO CUT PERFECT COOKIE BARS

The answer to getting every single cookie bar cut and looking perfect is parchment paper! I used to always get frustrated with desserts that were made in a 9X13 or sheet pan because I felt like I was always destroying the entire first row trying to get them out of the pan! Then I discovered that if you use parchment paper, you can remove all the cookie bars from the pan and slice them perfectly.

If you don’t have parchment paper, you can just grease your pan like you usually do but your first row may just not be quite as pretty! This cookie bar recipe is one of the easiest to cut into squares – they stay intact much better than many other desserts!

INGREDIENTS IN OREO COOKIE BARS

Oreos: You will need 22 Oreo cookies. 14 of them will be chopped into smaller pieces and mixed into the batter, and 8 of them will be chopped into larger pieces that go on top of the cookie bars. Leave the white filling in the middle – no need to take it out!

Flour: All-purpose flour works best, but if needed, you can use a gluten-free substitute.

Baking soda: This is the leavening agent in the cookie bars. For best results, make sure it isn’t old or expired.

Salt: Just a little bit of salt helps all of the other flavors to pop.

Butter: For best results, use real butter and make sure it is softened to room temperature before adding to the dough.

Sugars: Can’t have cookies without sugar! You will need brown sugar and granulated sugar for the recipe. For best results, make sure your brown sugar is soft and fresh.

Eggs: Two large eggs will help to bind all of the other ingredients together.

Vanilla extract: The higher the quality of the vanilla, the better.

Chocolate chips: This is totally optional, but sprinkling a few semi-sweet chocolate chips on top is always a good idea!

HOW TO MAKE OREO COOKIE BARS

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper.

Using a sharp knife, chop 14 of the Oreos into small pieces. Chop or break 8 of the Oreos into slightly larger pieces. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy with a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix for another 2-3 minutes.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.

Using a spatula, fold in the 14 chopped Oreos a little at a time. Spread the batter into the baking dish.

Gently press the 8 chopped Oreos into the top and sprinkle on chocolate chips (if using).

Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without any raw batter.

Cool and then cut into 12-15 bars. 

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST COOKIE BARS

• Do not melt the butter! The butter needs to be softened (at room temperature), but using melted butter will ruin the cookies.
• Spend a little extra time when you mix the butter and sugars. Creaming them together for 2-3 minutes will improve the consistency of your cookies.
• Preheat the oven. This will help your cookies turn out right every time!
• Use parchment paper. Doing this will make it much easier to remove the cookies from your pan.
• Make sure not to overbake your cookie bars.  Once the edges begin to turn even the lightest golden brown, take them out of the oven! I prefer to err on the side of being slightly undercooked for cookies because if they cook even a little bit too long, they can get hard and I love soft cookies!

HOW DO YOU SOFTEN BUTTER?

I like to soften butter by using the defrost function on my microwave. If you need the full 1/2 cup cube of butter, you can leave it in the paper wrapper, otherwise, place the amount of butter you need in a glass or porcelain bowl. I use the lowest defrost setting on my microwave and just let it run for 20 seconds. Check the butter and see how soft it is by pressing it with a rubber scraper. If it is still not soft to the touch, meaning it doesn’t indent when you press into it, let it warm for another 5-10 seconds. Watch it closely! Butter softens very quickly.

HOW TO STORE COOKIE BARS

Store Oreo Cookie Bars in a covered container at room temperature for up to one week. Bars can be frozen for up to 3 months – they stay fresher if they are cut and then individually wrapped in plastic wrap before freezing.

POSSIBLE VARIATIONS FOR COOKIES & CREAM COOKIES

Cookie bars are extremely versatile. Here are some of our favorite suggestions for changing up the recipe:

LIKE COOKIE BARS? HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE BAR COOKIE RECIPES!

• Strawberry Cheesecake Cookie Bars
• Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
• Sugar Cookie Bars
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• No Bake Cookie Bars
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
• Swirled Patriotic Cookie Bars
• Fudgy Oatmeal Cookie Bars
• Twix Cookie Bars
• Easy Peanut Caramel Cookie Bars
• Gingerbread Cookie Bars
• Butterscotch Pretzel Cookie Bars
• Reese’s Cookie Bars
• S’mores Cookie Bars

Oreo Cookie Bars are made with tons of Oreos. You can call them Cookies & Cream Bars instead, but whatever you call them, they’re soft, chewy, gooey, and AMAZING!