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Easy and Delicious Chocolate Box Cookie Bars – your favourite chocolates, in Cookie Traybake form!
Right.. roll with me here. Leftover Chocolates DO EXIST. No doubt when I post this recipe, I will get comments saying “leftover chocolates?! what are they?!” as everyone thinks they are being funny… but in all honesty, nearly every house will have them.
Over a period like Christmas, and easy and common gift is a box of chocolates. And if you are like me, and you get given a whole lot of Chocolates such as Celebrations, Heroes, Roses and so on… you will have far too many to eat.
It’s not so bad for a big family, and a family that don’t receive too many chocolates… but I always get given loads. Whether they are gifted from companies because of my blog, presents from friends or family, or me buying another box as I was ‘spontaneous’.. I have too many.
It’s only me and my roommate in my house, and when we have SEVEN tubs of chocolates, it’s just too many. Therefore, the easiest thing to do is to shove them all in a bake! Whether its a no-bake treat such as Rocky Road, or something like this.. it’s a much easier way of using them up, and being able to give them away!
I love putting chocolates into a bake as I often prefer them that way – I don’t often eat chocolates on their own as I have so much sweetness in my life already, and I feel like giving away a box of chocolates you got given yourself is a bit odd…
For these, I used my regular and favourite cookie bar recipe that you can find in my other ones, such as my oh-so-popular Mini Egg Cookie Bars for example. You just take out the chocolates featured in that recipe, such as the Mini Eggs, and replace it with chocolates!
The good thing about this, is you can use all of the chocolates in the box, use up the ones you don’t like if you are giving the cookie bars away, or use the ones you do like but if you fancy something a bit different!
Cookie bars as I will say again and again are delightful. The cornflour IS IMPORTANT TO THE BAKE. It changes the texture, changes the bake, and improves them tenfold. This is why Cornflour is in a lot of my cookie recipes, so please don’t leave it out!
This recipe is also great to use after Christmas when you are a little fed up with all the food, as you can make the cookie bars and freeze them! You can defrost some when you fancy a cookie! Or, you can make up the cookie dough, and bake them as you please!
If you fancied making this, but making it a chocolate cookie dough… take out 30g of the flour, and 1/2tbsp of cornflour, and add in 30g of cocoa powder instead! Both ways are utterly delicious!
You can see from the photos that they are a tasty bake, with all the different chocolates poking through! If you use a lot of chocolates that have a runny centre such as Quality Street caramels, I would recommend freezing them before baking, but if you are using a large combination such as I have, I generally don’t bother!
These really are such an adaptable and utterly SCRUMPTIOUS bake – They are a great bake for all sorts of occasions, and also a great way to use up all that ~leftover~ chocolate that DOES ACTUALLY EXIST!!! Enjoy! x
Chocolate Box Cookie Bars!
Ingredients
- 275 g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp Cornflour
- 115 g Unsalted Butter/Stork
- 55 g Granulated Sugar
- 135 g Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Medium Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 100 g Milk Chocolate Chips
- 300-400 g Chocolate Box Chocolates (I used Celebrations!)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190C/170C Fan and line a 9x9inch Square Tin with parchment paper, and leave to the side for now.
- Whisk/Mix the Plain Flour, Bicarbonate, Salt and Cornflour together so its evenly distributed – leave to the side.
- In a larger bowl, melt the butter. Add in the two sugars, and whisk for about 2 minutes so the sugar starts to dissolve and the mixture is smooth.
- Add in the Egg and the Vanilla, and whisk again briefly till smooth. (I used an electric whisk)
- Add in the Dry Ingredients and the Chocolate Chips and mix with a spatula till a thick cookie dough is formed.
- Finally, add in the Chocolates! I don't chop mine up. Fold through the mixture as best you can!
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the tin - Bake the traybake in the oven for 18-22 minutes, until the top of the cookie bake looks ‘dry’!
- Leave the cookie bake to cool for about 10 minutes, then leave to cool fully on a wire rack. Cut the bake into 4×4 for decent sizes, or 5×5 for smaller ones! Enjoy!
Notes
- I used Celebrations as I bought SO many. I used all of them, as I'm not fussy when it comes to Celebrations.. but use your favourites if they're for you! Or even use up the ones you don't like and give them away!
- You can easily use others such as Heroes, Roses, Quality street and so on - however, if you are using a lot of soft centre ones, I would recommend freezing them first.
- These delicious beings will last in an airtight container for up to 5 days, but honestly, they’ll be eaten before then.
- Try Microwaving them when they’ve cooled if you want a gooey cookie, or even add a scoop of ice cream!
ENJOY!
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J x
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62 Comments
Amy
March 14, 2021 at 2:08 pmCould you use baking powder or does it have to be bicarb? x
Jane's Patisserie
March 15, 2021 at 11:41 amHiii! Ideally bicarb should be used, but you could use 1tsp of baking powder instead!x
Ashleigh Woods
March 9, 2021 at 1:25 pmHi Jane!
Would I be able to use this recipe as a base for all my cookie bars and just add 400g of any chopped chocolate eg maltesers, crunchie, smarties?
Thanks xx
Jane's Patisserie
March 10, 2021 at 8:59 pmBasically yes – although some chocolates wont work well or the same depending on what they are made of! x
Rups
February 23, 2021 at 4:14 pmHi Jane
Would I be able to split this into 2 7” tins?
Thanks for all the awesome recipes x
Jane's Patisserie
February 25, 2021 at 1:44 pmYep! x
Emma
February 8, 2021 at 8:27 pmAbsolutely Amazing recipe. They are delicious will definitely make them again!
Alex
January 28, 2021 at 9:28 amAbsolutely love all your cookir bar recipes! At the moment I only have golden granulated sugar as my online shopping got subbed! Can I use this x
soph
January 27, 2021 at 1:25 pmHello, do I need to chop up the chocolate box chocolates for this bake – if i use celebrations/heros/roses?xx
Jane's Patisserie
January 27, 2021 at 7:49 pmI didn’t bother!
Zaynah
January 18, 2021 at 7:31 amIf anyone is having issues with their cookies drying out, try baking at 175C (conventional) for 17-20 minutes – works a dream! Thanks for this amazing recipe 🙂
Lizzie
January 13, 2021 at 12:02 pmHi Jane, can marshmallows be added into this recipe? If so what would you recommend! Thank you, Lizzie
Jane's Patisserie
January 13, 2021 at 12:41 pmMarshmallows can cause a problem as they do often just melt and dissolve, so on my s’mores cookie bars I use marshmallow fluff. x
Zaynah Patel
January 10, 2021 at 7:23 amHi Jane! I’ve tried your kinder cookie bars before – tasted delicious but didn’t have that gooey centre I was aiming for. Suspect my oven’s running too hot, do you think it would be worth reducing the temperature and/or bake time?
Jane's Patisserie
January 10, 2021 at 2:03 pmIt could likely be both – your oven may have been on the wrong setting, or too hot, and or over baked! It would be worth trying to find what works best for your oven by reducing either or both!
C
January 2, 2021 at 5:09 pmDelicious!!!
Victoria
November 21, 2020 at 12:35 pmThese were a really hit with the family 😁 thankyou for the great recipe 👍🏻
Gemma Walters
November 17, 2020 at 4:21 pmHi, would I need to increase the ingredients if using an 8 x 12 inch tray?
Thanks
Jane's Patisserie
November 18, 2020 at 11:23 amI would add about 1/4 more personally – and use a large egg x
Carl
October 7, 2020 at 7:46 pmIm going to try this tomorrow but Im going to use one of your brownie bases instead of the cookie 🙂
Emma
September 9, 2020 at 2:13 pmHi Jane, absolutely loving your blog!! Everything I’ve tried has come out perfectly!! Thank you so so much.
I was just wondering if you have ever tried freezing the cookie bars, not just these but any? Did they turn out okay once defrosted? 😀
Jane's Patisserie
September 9, 2020 at 2:26 pmHey! Yes they can all be frozen!! And thank you!! x
Jag
July 5, 2020 at 8:17 pmHi Jane
I tried the recipe as stated but my end dough formed crumbly and when i baked it it didnt smooth out it just stayed rocky looking and it was dry to taste , not chewy and gooey, i have no idea where i went wrong even tho i followed recipe throughout ? Please advise.
Jane's Patisserie
July 6, 2020 at 6:27 pmHow did you mix it? the mixture is reasonably dry, but does come together when mixed correctly (Watch some of my cookie bar videos as the recipe is the same) – it’s also worth making sure you are using the correct ingredients, the correct tin, and measuring correctly!
Natalie
June 19, 2020 at 7:14 amHi.
I’m just wondering, I don’t have any sea salt so would I just leave out or replace it with table salt?
Jane's Patisserie
June 19, 2020 at 8:27 amI would use a pinch of table salt! X
Sophie
June 16, 2020 at 2:09 pmHey 🙂 can I use dark soft brown sugar instead it’s all I can get a hold of? Xxx
Jane's Patisserie
June 16, 2020 at 9:25 pmYes you can! Or just all white granulated works well too! x
Jade
June 16, 2020 at 8:34 amHi do you completely melt the butter or shall i just leave it out to soften?
Jane's Patisserie
June 16, 2020 at 10:26 amCompletely melted!
Hayley
May 22, 2020 at 12:19 amHi Love this recipe. I think your blog is fab. I was just wondering what your thoughts are on unsalted butter v cooking marg (stork or supermarket own) and tub v block. Do you think it makes much of a difference xxxxx
Jane's Patisserie
May 22, 2020 at 8:09 pmHiya! For this recipe, I use unsalted blocks, or stock tub! x
Hollie
May 20, 2020 at 11:17 pmThese look so so good! I’m dying to try them. I was wondering is there any way an egg can be substituted in your recipe here? Sorry for asking. Thank you so much
Jane's Patisserie
May 21, 2020 at 8:33 amThe only alternative I’ve tried is the flax seed one which worked well!
Hollie
May 21, 2020 at 8:49 amOoo I never knew about that! Is it on your blog? Trying out as many vegan recipes as possible for my little boy who is dairy soya and egg free!
Jane's Patisserie
May 21, 2020 at 4:15 pmIt’s not yet I’m afraid!! I will be posting more vegan recipes over the next few months but not quite yet!! So you mix one tablespoon of flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water to replace one egg!
jade
May 16, 2020 at 3:13 pmHi Jane, I was looking for some advice, I tried making these first time they came out great however on the 2nd attempt the taste of the baking soda came through really strong, not sure what went wrong, followed the amount specified in the recipe I was wondering if you have ever had this issue? thanks
Jane's Patisserie
May 16, 2020 at 5:31 pmThat can happen when too much is put in, or it’s not mixed in very well so there will be more in some areas than their should be – the measure should be level, and definitely not more than recommended, and make sure to mix it in really well!
Claire
May 13, 2020 at 10:13 pmI love using your recipes as they are all delicious and they have all turned out really well! I can’t access any light brown sugar at the moment so what would you recommend instead?
Jane's Patisserie
May 14, 2020 at 9:05 amThank you! I would use white granulated sugar!!
Karen
May 12, 2020 at 8:02 amWow my first try of cookie bars yesterday and they are a huge hit once i got all the ingredients in the tray i thought this is never going to work but watching the mahic happen through the oven glass was amazing.
Jasmine
May 6, 2020 at 10:41 amHi can you substitute the butter for margarine in this? I did half of each and it turned out like a cake unfortunately. Thanks
Jane's Patisserie
May 6, 2020 at 11:47 amI’ve made them using both and they’ve been fine with both. If it’s cakey it’s probably over baked or something else has been substituted as well.
Jasmine
May 6, 2020 at 6:34 pmOh I see thanks for letting me know. I also didn’t use brown sugar and the butter wasn’t unsalted, could it have been either of these? Thanks !
Jane's Patisserie
May 6, 2020 at 7:11 pmWhat sugar did you use as the alternative?
Harry
May 3, 2020 at 1:50 amThese look great ! I’m struggling to get chocolate chips at the moment so was thinking of doing just an assortment of chocolate bars I have already would that be ok ? And just chop them up ? Eg Kit Kat’s , milkyway , crunchies etc! If so would you still say the do the 100g plus the 300-400g ? Thanks in advance
Jane's Patisserie
May 3, 2020 at 9:22 amHey! Yes so for any recipe requiring chocolate chips you can easily chop up a basic chocolate bar into chip size! And then yes, you can use any sweet on top!
Sienna
April 27, 2020 at 10:07 amCould I use one large egg? Xx
Jane's Patisserie
April 27, 2020 at 8:31 pmYes!!
Charlotte
April 20, 2020 at 3:30 pmHello,
These really do taste amazing. If I was going to cook in a 12x7inch baking tin should I double the recipe?
Jane's Patisserie
April 20, 2020 at 4:47 pmA 12″x7″ tin is actually the same volume as the 9×9″, so should work as it already is!
jade
April 19, 2020 at 10:13 pmJust baked these and they came out great! it took a few attempts to start them as I didn’t read the recipe through properly first and every time I went to start I was missing something aha, but it was certainly worth the wait. Thank you
Sammy
April 17, 2020 at 9:48 pmHi, I made this earlier with my fan oven I cooked for 20 minutes on 150 as every time I baked the cookie on 170 it’s always dry inside. The cookie was perfectly soft & gooey after baking on 150. Just wanted to check this is ok to eat though? Would the eggs have had enough time to cook. Thanks
Jane's Patisserie
April 17, 2020 at 10:33 pmIts probably that your oven is running hotter than you think so thats why it drys out at the hotter temp – but yes they will still be edible!! x
Sophie
November 8, 2020 at 6:08 pmhi Jane,
would I be able to use baking powder instead of bicarb of soda for these? I’m not actually sure what the different is (oops)?! Thanks
Jane's Patisserie
November 9, 2020 at 11:03 amThey are different products, and react to different ingredients to make it work. Bicarbonate is roughly 3-4x stronger than baking powder so they aren’t a straight swap, and also swapping isn’t going to guarantee the same results. You can use 1tsp baking powder maybe, but again it may not be quite the same x
Sarah Latif
March 25, 2020 at 10:28 amSuch a great recipe! I’ve used it a few times now and it’s actually foolproof! You can use all sorts of different chocolates and they always taste delicious! Thankyou so much!
Jane's Patisserie
March 25, 2020 at 1:54 pmYesss exactly! So glad you liked them!
Laura
February 20, 2020 at 7:59 amHonestly incredible, one of the best things I’ve baked in a long time.
Fiona
December 18, 2019 at 5:31 pmJane I’ve just made these for my work Christmas lunch. They smell delicious and I’m sure they’ll go down a treat xx
Jane's Patisserie
December 18, 2019 at 5:51 pmAhh yay! I hope everyone likes them!
Jill Lockett
December 4, 2019 at 11:49 amLove your cookie bar recipes. Will definitely be giving these a go! X