These are just about the best treats I’ve ever made: Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars. They’re full of gooey chocolate, and that’s a good thing!!
Watch the quick how-to video showing you how to make this recipe, then print out the complete recipe below.
September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness month. What do these goodies have to do with cancer? The Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars come from the “Cookies For Kids Cancer: Best Bake Sale Cookbook.”
The Cookies for Kids’ Cancer cookbook provides directions on how to hold a bake sale, signage, and lots of recipes and photos. The best part? All of the author’s royalties go directly to help fight pediatric cancer by funding research into new treatments and a cure.
Author Gretchen Holt-Witt founded cookiesforkidscancer.org in 2007 when her two-year old son Liam was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. A few years and a few hundred thousand cookies and bake sales later, this charity has raised millions of dollars to help fun new pediatric cancer treatments.
Kids helping kids… I like that.
These are slab cookies. Made in one pan and lifted out as a slab.
They’re a little chocolatey. SOOO good right out of the pan and warm and gooey, but rather hard to cut.
It’s best to chill them and them cut them neatly. If you’re into being neat.
So let’s talk about the makeup of these bars. They’re basically chocolate chip- oatmeal cookie dough spread into the bottom of a pan, then topped with a gooey chocolate layer, then topped with more chocolate chip- oatmeal cookie dough.
I love the sort of natural, rustic crackle look on the tops of the bars. Gives you a lil’ peek that there is a gooey layer of chocolate hidden in the middle.
Hungry? Craving chocolate now? Yeah, I thought so.
And there they are… my “neatly” cut Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars. Chocolate overload, if you like that sort of thing. Good with milk, if you drink that stuff. And perfect for a bake sale, where you’ll make big bucks to donate to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
I think it’s a great idea for kids to have bake sales for charity– showing them that it’s not all about making money for themselves to purchase their next video game or iTunes gift card or whatever. There are things much more important in this world.
Here are a few more bar recipes you might enjoy:
- Strawberry Shortbread Bars
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
- Royal Chocolate Marshmallow Bars
- Apple Pie Bars
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Six Layer Bars
- Lemon Blueberry Streusel Bars
- Chocolate Revel Bars
Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars
Recipe Details
Ingredients
GOOEY CHOCOLATE FILLING:
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
COOKIES:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking or old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper, allowing enough overhang on the long side to lift the bars from the pan.
PREPARE THE GOOEY CHOCOLATE FILLING:
- Place the chocolate chips and condensed milk in a small saucepan over the lowest possible heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the vanilla, and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
PREPARE THE COOKIE DOUGH:
- Place the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat well. Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips.
ASSEMBLE THE BARS:
- Using half of the batch of cookie dough, place dollops into the prepared pan and press down lightly to even it out. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the dough and then add small dollops of the remaining dough on top. Don't worry if the dollops don't completely cover the chocolate mixture. Just spread it together as much as you can, and let some chocolate peek through.
- Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool completely, then cut into 32 bars.
Video
Notes
- These are easiest to cut when they have chilled for a while. You'll be able to get nice, clean cuts when they're firmer, then they'll soften up a bit when they're at room temperature again.
My favorite baked good is a toss up between brownies and chocolate fudge cupcakes!
pie pie pie!!! my second would be a thick and chewy oatmeal choc chip cookie- maybe like this one.
I would buy Monster cookies or scotch a roo bars at a bake sale!!! I would even buy something I didn’t like or want if it is for a good cause!
I would go if there were chocolate chip cookies.
YUM! those look absolutely delicious…all that chocolate 🙂
I would be looking for some yummy brownies
My favorite is a good ol fashioned chocolate chip cookie!
Shared this on facebook.
I love everything at bake sales: chocolate chip cookies, crumb cakes, brownies, muffins, homemade candy… there isn’t a bad choice in my opinion.
Looks great, can’t wait to try these this weekend! I love chocolate chip cookies, but baking a double batch can become very time consuming, now when I’m short on time, instant gratification!
Chocolate chip cookies with toasted pecans are my absolute favorite! Though this time of year I also yearn for “Pumpkindoddledoos” (pumpkin snickerdoodles). And your chocolate slab cookies look pretty delicious, too!
Rice Krispie Treats are my weakness at any bake sale. However, this looks like something that must be tried. Thanks for sharing. It is a great cause. Children are a true blessing from God.
I LOVE lemon squares, especially when I don’t have to bake them 😉
If I were to go to a bake sale I’d look for anything that resembled dense chocolate!
I like anything with chocolate in it.
I LOVE cupcakes! The crazier the better!!
Shared this on FB…GREAT cause!
Anything with chocolate in it! And those look YUMMY!
I googled a chocolate chip recipe and came up with this one . . . i made it last night and OMG i am making another batch now cause the first batch is already gone!!!!!
I’m a cookie girl. Signed up for a bake sale at a Fright house in two weeks to bring Orange creamsicle cookies and Caramel Apple Cookies. And I’m a cancer nurse!
I love giving candies (truffles, bon bons, etc)…you can make them ahead of time!!
Caramel brownies for me!! What a great cause to support! Thanks!
I tweeted about this
I LOVE chocolate chip cookies.
I love your recipe! I also like to add dried cherries and healthy raw nuts!