Enjoy these chewy and delicious Easy Cake Mix Cookie Bars featuring a store-bought cake mix, 5 simple ingredients, and tons of options!
These gooey, chewy, and delicious cookie bars only call for 6 ingredients and no one will know they started with a box of yellow cake mix! And even better, you can fill them with just about anything you want – chocolate chips, M&M’s, or chopped Hershey bars. You can even use chopped-up Snickers, Reeses, Twix, and more! Let your imagination run wild! I’m looking at you, leftover Halloween candy!
Seriously though, these things are crazy delicious. And ridiculously easy. If you can dump ingredients in a bowl and stir, you can make these cookie bars! They are like thick chocolate chip cookies. Yum!
What can I add to these cookie bars?
As I mentioned before, the options are relatively endless when it comes to deciding what to add to these. Mom traditionally made them with chocolate chips, but you can be creative. Peanut butter chips, toffee bits, caramel chunks, etc. I’ve made them with M&M’s (Jack’s favorite) and chopped-up candy bars like Snickers, Reeses, Twix, etc. And, they’re perfect for using up that leftover Halloween candy hanging around.
I made these pictured with the classic M&M’s mix that includes regular, peanut, and peanut butter M&M’s. They were perfect!
You’ll just want to make sure you have about 1 to 2 cups of mix-ins and you’ll want them to be chopped up to about the size of a peanut M&M.
You can also experiment with different flavor cake mixes and pudding mixes if you’re feeling adventurous.
How do I make cookie bars from a cake mix?
As far as the process goes, it’s really as simple as mixing all the ingredients together in a large bowl, spreading it into a 9×13-inch baking dish, and baking at 350°F for about 25 minutes. I like to save about 1/4 cup of the mix-ins to sprinkle on the top of the batter before it goes into the oven to make it look nice, but it’s totally up to you.
You could really take this recipe and make a bunch of different variations like substituting chocolate cake mix for the butter or yellow cake mix for chocolatey sweet treats that taste just as divine. Or, what about white cake mix, red velvet cake mix, or lemon cake mix?! Yum! You could even try adding in white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips. One reader even mentioned using chocolate cake mix with peanut butter chips! So many options to make so many different easy dessert recipes! Heck, top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you want to get really crazy! Yum!
Whatever you decide, be sure to store them in an airtight container or plastic wrap on the counter or in the freezer so you can enjoy this perfect quick dessert for a while!
Why are my cookie bars raw in the middle?
It is very important that you bake this yummy dessert just as I detail out in my recipe instructions. However, different ovens and varying baking vessels can have a dramatic effect on baked goods, so it’s hard to say for sure what the problem might be. This recipe makes nice and gooey cookie bars, so chances are if you baked them for the total time per my instructions, they’re probably safe to eat.
When it comes to testing the doneness, it’s really more about sight than anything else. They should be just golden brown but still a little jiggly. The toothpick test won’t really work on these since they’re so gooey. Once you take them out of the oven, expect that they will fall some. It’s totally normal. If you want your cookie bars a little more firm, you can cook them a little longer. But for me, the gooier, the better!
To be a little more exact though, you can use an instant read thermometer to test doneness with these just like with meat. Testing the temperature directly in the middle of the bars, without touching the pan, they should reach at least 165°F.
If you tried this Easy Cake Mix Cookie Bars recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below.
Recipe Card
Easy Cake Mix Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) yellow or butter flavored cake mix
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup chocolate candy* ((or more up to 2 cups))
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water until smooth. Add in the candy – reserving about 1/4 cup to sprinkle on the top. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared dish and sprinkle the reserved candy over the top.
- Bake about 25 minutes to until just barely golden brown. The mixture may seem jiggly or not completely set, but it will firm up as it cools. Cool completely, then slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Renae
Wanted to like it very gooey and oily almost like it was under cooked. The taste of the edges were good. Would of been to dark if cooked longer.
Hey, Renae! Sorry it didn’t turn out as expected. Two things: First, did you confirm your cake mix size? One brand has reduced the box size recently. Also, it looks like there are a lot of chocolate chips in this. If you used more than the recipe calls for, the extra fat from those might cause it to seem oily or greasy.
Patsy
Complete honesty….I thought there was no way a cake mix cookie bar would taste anything other than passable. I was in a hurry and just decided to go with it. They are delicious!!! This cookie bar is very tasty and very quick and easy to make. Yes, you should try this recipe.
Ha! Thanks, Patsy!!
Laura Ann Arnold
I made these for Thanksgiving as treats for overnight guests and family. Everyone loved them! Next batch I’m subbing chocolate cake mix and pudding with peanut butter M&M’s
I’m s glad to hear everyone enjoyed them! I’m a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan and especially love those peanut butter M&Ms, so I’m excited to hear how your version turns out!
Lori
How should I adjust the oven temperature if using a glass pan?
You don’t have to adjust the temp, just keep in mind they’ll bake a little differently in terms of how they look.
Wanda Lowe
I followed your recipe. Cookie bars are very pretty and taste good but very oil 3/4 cup of oil is entirely to much.
We’ve been making this for decades and have never had them turn out as you described. What size cake mix did you use? Also, what kind of oil?
Renae
I agree, mine were very gooey and oily.
Gordon Morrison
What is Heather’s favorite?
She’s a big fan of the yellow cake mix.
Denise Walker
more like this Stacy!! easy AND delicious
You got it!
Ellen
Do you think I could use chocolate cake mix.
Absolutely!
Sondra Hallinan
I made these for a July 4th celebration (a day early) at the YMCA. I used a cup of chocolate chips in the batter and decorated the top with red, white, and blue M&Ms. Very festive looking for the 4th!! Everyone loved them. They were delicious 😋. Thanks for such an easy, delicious recipe!!
They’re beautiful! So glad everyone enjoyed them!!
Mary M.
Hi Stacey! Thanks for this recipe. I’m going to bring them to a lunch tomorrow. Quick question—should I store them (sealed) on the counter overnight (as I suspect) or in the refrigerator? Will they keep for a few days?
Yes! On the counter, tightly sealed is great. They’ll be just fine for up to 4 or 5 days.
Mary M.
Thanks, Stacey! And you were right—my kitchen smelled like a bakery!
They’re beautiful!!
meems bertrand
has anyone used this for a pie crust? thinkin it would be incredible for the crust for an apple pie!? going to try! will bake toward the more done side.
Stacey English
Oooh I can’t wait to try these with M&M’s!
Hope you’ll enjoy them!!