10/27/2026
Want people to say “OMG you made these?! WOW!” when you make dessert? This is what I would do:
Enter: Cookie Bars. It’s no secret: I love cookie bars. I made my first batch for my high school track team over 20 years ago. Now, after 5 years running my cookie bar bakery and baking thousands of goodies, I’m sharing my secrets so you can make them, too.
Here are the 5 things I would do to bake cookie bars like a pro by the end of 2026:
1️⃣ Think of cookie bar baking in four main steps: cream the butter and sugars, add the binder (eggs, flax eggs, or non-dairy yogurt) and vanilla, slowly mix in the dry ingredients, then fold in the mix-ins. Keep these in mind, and any bar recipe will feel totally doable.
2️⃣ Bake in grams. Trust me! I didn’t bake in grams until I was preparing to open my bakery, and I wished I’d been doing it all along. Measuring in grams rather than cups means more accuracy, more consistent bakes (no more crumbly cookies), fewer dishes, and easy scaling for small or XL batches. (There are lots of scales ~$20 on Amazon.)
3️⃣ Be open to outside-the-box flavor combinations. Turn pretty much any sweet craving into a bar. Peanut butter + Oreos? Dirty chai brownie? Pumpkin pecan snickerdoodle? The options are endless.
4️⃣ Practice cutting straight lines. Beautiful, clean, uniform cuts are so satisfying. Cool the bars completely, lift them out with the parchment paper, then eyeball the slices or use a washable stainless steel ruler.
5️⃣ Bake along with my weekly Crowd-Pleasing Cookie Bars series! I release new episodes every Thursday here on Instagram, with a different flavor each week to bake together.
BONUS: Bake once, eat multiple times! I always keep a stash in my freezer. Bake a batch, freeze some, and thaw whenever you’re hosting, need a homemade gift, or the mood strikes.
🍪 Comment ‘recipes’ and I’ll send you all my cookie bar recipes so you can pick your favorite, treat yourself, and surprise and delight your family and friends.
All my recipes are dairy-free, with vegan, gluten-free, and egg-free swaps too!
Let me know which one you make first. Happy baking!
P.S. Tag a friend who loves to
