Home » Recipes » Desserts » » Cake Mix Cookie Bars Recipe
posted by Crissy Pageon Oct 30, 2016 (updated Jan 19, 2024) 48 comments »
My cake mix cookie bars are my number one go-to easy dessert recipe. This recipe is one of the most loved on my blog. Don’t miss it!
Many years ago, my mother-in-law introduced me to using cake mixes to make cookies. Mind=blown!
After poking around the web for a good cake mix cookie bars recipe recently—because I heart easy recipes—when I came across a great cake mix cookie bars recipe on Southern Bite called The Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Ever.
Cake Mix Cookie Bars
It’s true, this recipe is dead simple, and you’ll end up with soft, golden, ooey-gooey cake mix cookie bars chock full of chocolate chips and M&M’s. Seriously, these are crazy good.
Cake Mix Cookie Bars
I mean, come on. Look at these photos.
It literally took me like 5 minutes to dump a few simple ingredients into a bowl, pour it into a baking dish, and throw it in the oven.
I am an instant gratification kind of girl, and while I enjoy baking, I don’t have the patience for anything really fancy. I wish I did!
These cake mix cookie bars would make an excellent addition to a holiday party, especially if you’re crunched for time and want something warm, chewy, and delicious with very little fuss.
I have to admit, I could tell these cake mix cookie bars were going to be heavenly just by the way the batter looked and smelled.
The batter was golden, and the bright holiday M&M’s looked like a smattering of twinkling festive ornaments in the bowl.
Of course, after the holiday season, you could use just plain chocolate chips, regular M&M’s or even mini peanut butter cups as mix-ins. Your options are really endless with this recipe.
I’m a fan of soft and chewy, but you could bake these another 10 minutes for crispier cake mix cookie bars.
Before you run off to pin and print this recipe (which you totally SHOULD), I can’t let you leave before I send you over to my special chocolate raspberry bars and my chewy pecan pie bars!
Ingredients
- 1 Box yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
- 1 Small box instant vanilla pudding (just put in the powder!)
- 1/4 Cup water
- 3/4 Cup vegetable oil
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup chocolate chips. I used 1/2 cup holiday mini M&M's and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine cake mix, pudding, water, vegetable oil, eggs, and chips or M&M's in large bowl.
- Pour the batter (it's going to be thick) into a greased 9x13 pan. I sprayed my dish with nonstick cooking spray which worked well.
- Bake your bars for 20-30 minutes (I took mine out at 25.)
- It may look sort of raw in the middle but if the edges are just golden and starting to get crispy, it's probably perfect.
originally published on Oct 30, 2016 (last updated Jan 19, 2024)
48 comments Leave a comment »
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48 comments on “Cake Mix Cookie Bars Recipe”
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Cathy — Reply
What do I do if I don’t have a box of pudding ??
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Crissy Page — Reply
I would get a box of pudding, or find a recipe that doesn’t call for pudding. :)
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Shedera — Reply
These cookie bars are always a hit! I’ve used this recipe for years… but haven’t made them since I noticed Betty Crocker decreased their cake mixes to 13.25 oz. Any modifications to the recipe now that most cake mixes are 13.25 oz instead of 15.25 oz?
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Crissy Page — Reply
Wow, you know, I never really thought about it! I haven’t tried that yet!
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Ashley — Reply
Instead of baking them as bars, could they be scooped out and baked like a cookie?
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Crissy Page — Reply
Haven’t tried it, but probably!
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Chris — Reply
When using a boxed cake mix to make cookies or bars, does it taste like a cake or like a cookie? I am curious of the texture.
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Chris — Reply
Try chocolate cake mix and peanut butter chips.
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Tessa — Reply
Love this bar recipe! Ihave made these many times around the holidays with the original recipe (yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, chocolate chips, & M&M’s), they are always a huge hit! For a different variation in the Spring / Summer, I made this bar recipe using lemon cake mix, cheesecake pudding, & white chocolate chips)… oh my! Those were divine too! I could also see cheesecake pudding & white chocolate chips working well with strawberry cake mix or even pineapple cake mix to make other variations of these amazing cookie cake bars !
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Diane — Reply
Can you make these a head of time? How do you store them without drying out?
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Abby — Reply
Did you prepare the cake mix or did you just add the powder to the other items?
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Anna — Reply
Can I make these into cookies? I need a good, easy recipe for a cookie exchange. If so, any guess on baking time?
Rating: 5
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christine — Reply
Cookie BARS are considered cookies…I take them to cookie exchanges all the time and they are a HIT!…everyone wants a good recipe that has shortcuts and this takes much less time than individually dropping raw balls of cookie dough…
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Nancy Rovatti — Reply
can you make cookies out of this recipe and not bars?
Thanks Nancy -
Maria — Reply
How many servings should come out from this? Also instead of doing bars, would individual cookies bake fine?
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Nicole j Scheeler — Reply
did you use the cake mix that used oil or butter?
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Crissy Page — Reply
Oil!
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Carrie —
Can you use chocolate cake mix instead of yellow?
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Marissa — Reply
Will this work with sugar free cake mix and sugar free pudding?
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Crissy Page — Reply
Hey Marissa, I haven’t tried it, but I would think so!
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Courtney — Reply
Do you think a sugar free cake mix and jello would work for this recipe?
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Anne — Reply
Thank you for the great recipe, I made this sugar free by using sugar free cake mix, sugar free vanilla pudding and sugar free chocolate chips..
Rating: 5
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Tonya — Reply
Tried this today. Very fast and easy. Thank you!!
Rating: 5
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Michelle — Reply
Can these be baked ahead and frozen?
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Tracy — Reply
Made this recipe twice……once with chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding….those 2 plus the chocolate chips was like chocolate heaven……second time with yellow cake mix and chocolate pudding..was a lighter version of the first but still fabulous. Am so glad to have found this recipe thank you so much for sharing
Rating: 5
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Kelly — Reply
My daughter and friends love these. It’s a fun sleepover favorite!
Rating: 5
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MermaidCoder Girl — Reply
So good!!
Rating: 5
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LeLanie — Reply
So easy and perfect for quick office parties
Rating: 5
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Nina — Reply
I’ve made these 4 or 5 times, and they are a huge hit with everyone. Someone always asks for the recipe. I’m making them for a Thanksgiving dessert this year. They’ve become one of my staple easy sweet treats. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Rating: 5
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Gale — Reply
Just made these for the family. Used gluten free cake mix instead of the regular one. It is so yummy
Rating: 5
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Betsy — Reply
Good to know! I just used a GF mix & was hoping it would work. Only had chocolate pudding, ha ha, so I might as well have used a chocolate cake mix.
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Cindy Freeman — Reply
I made these this morning for a bbq I’m going to tonight. I sampled them……oh my!!!! They are good. Thanks for the recipe
Rating: 5
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Tami — Reply
Sorry…..another question do you combine just by stirring or use a mixer??
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Tami — Reply
How do you store them? Just countertop and covered?
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Crissy — Reply
Yes, Tami!
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Jennifer — Reply
This has become one of my ‘go-to’ recipes when I need something easy but delicious! People ask for the recipe whenever I bring it to a party. I’m making it as I write his for a bbq today. I make the recipe Exactly as described here. Thanks!!
Rating: 5
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Crissy — Reply
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Jennifer. Glad you love them!!
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Heather — Reply
How many bars does this make?
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Andrea — Reply
I just made these substituting a chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding….my family loved them and they were so very easy!
Rating: 5
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Shadi — Reply
These are amazing. I made them for “Santa” and he ate very last morsel :-)
Rating: 5
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Crissy — Reply
Gotta LOVE those treats for SANTA! Santa ate a lot of treats on Christmas Eve at our house too. :)
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Nina — Reply
This was awesome the whole family loved it.
Rating: 5
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Pixie lake — Reply
Easy! Tasted great. Crispy edged and moist center
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Jessica O'Kane — Reply
hi! i was wondering what size the small box of jello was. i have two at home and not sure which to use (3.4 oz box or 1.85 oz box)
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Michelle — Reply
One of my favorite go-to recipies… also, subbing out chocolate cake and chocolate pudding TOTALLY works as well :)
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REBECCA STEPHEN — Reply
these cookies look so good, I’m going to make them for my children
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Mary Jo — Reply
I have made this before just like recipe and they came out awesome! I got rave reviews from friends and family. This time I changed it and used peanut butter chips and m&ms abs although everyone still liked them, I was disappointed because I couldn’t really taste the peanut butter chips. Still awesome recipe
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BeetRice — Reply
Thank you from an overworked mom who doesn’t bake often because it’s such a chore….my poor kids. But now I can do this, and other variations: Chocolate cake with white chocolate chips or nuts, Lemon with poppy seed and orange zest…..
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