Food and Recipes Desserts Cookies Our Most Decadent Bar Cookie Recipes There is a bar cookie for everyone. By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 30, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Bar cookies are a particular category of dessert. If a cookie and sheet cake combine, these hand-held treats made to grab and go—or bake and take—are the result. Come the holiday season in the South, bar cookies filled with butterscotch, chocolate, and caramel are delivered in batches upon batches of food gift tins. In the summertime, jammy fruit bar cookies fill every family cookout table when a layer cake won't do.So if you're as crazy about bar cookies as we are, look to these ultra-decadent bar cookies to see you through every month of the year, whether starting with buttery pineapple-studded bars, old-fashioned Hello Dolly bars or super chocolatey peanut butter bars. These are 26 of our most beloved bar cookie recipes ever. 01 of 26 Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Peanut butter and chocolate together is a tale as old as time, and these bars give you the perfect amount of each. Wait until the top layer of chocolate firms up to get the best slice. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. 02 of 26 Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos The name says it all. Think all the sweet pineapple flavor of upside-down cake, but in buttery hand-held form. This recipe's buttery crumble is twice as good as it sandwiches the pineapple filling. 03 of 26 Magic Cookie Bars Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis You might recognize these from your grandmother's kitchen. They're basically a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate-coconut dream. Make these cookie bars custom to your preferences by substituting walnuts for pecans or white or dark chocolate for bittersweet chocolate chops. 04 of 26 Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars Hector Sanchez Your favorite Southern cobbler got a makeover that features all the fresh fruity goodness in bite-sized pieces. Top these cobbler-inspired treats with toffee-glazed pecan pieces. Allow for it to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. 05 of 26 No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars Iain Bagwell Don't even bother turning on the oven. This recipe delivers ooey, gooey, caramelly layered bars with a no-bake option. The most complicated part of this recipe is combing the cream and sugar, be mindful not to let it boil. 06 of 26 Coconut Cheesecake Squares Southern Living Flaky coconut meets tangy cheesecake for a sweet treat everyone will request again and again. The subtle coconut, lemon, and lime flavors bring a taste of the tropics to wherever you live. Top with chopped and toasted macadamia nuts for the perfect finishing touch. 07 of 26 Cappuccino Swirl Bars Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Say hello to the tastiest caffeine jolt to make your afternoon snack. Store-bought wafer cookies are the secret to the chocolatey crust. Make these chocolate bars up to three days in advance and keep them refrigerated until you are ready to serve. 08 of 26 Cherry Pie Bars Greg DuPree We took an all-American cherry pie and turned it into a soft, cakey bar. After baking the bottom layer for about 25 minutes, spread the cherry filling evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and flour mixture and cook until golden brown. 09 of 26 Pecan Pie Bars Helen Norman Everyone knows that the gooey center of a pecan pie is the best part. These bars use those fan-favorite ingredients and maximize their flavoring. These bars are great when feeding a crowd, and the pan simplifies transportation. 10 of 26 Raspberry-Rhubarb Bars Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox These sweet, buttery bar cookies feature the classic flavor combination of strawberries and rhubarbs. The fruits are paired with toasted ground almond crust, giving them a subtle nutty flavoring. Bake these a day in advance and cut them into fun triangles to serve. 11 of 26 Coconut-Citrus Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Giulietta Pinna; Food Styling: Ali Ramee Revamp the classic ambrosia recipe with these cookie bars. These bars have the texture of lemon bars but use tangerine juice, cherry syrup, and a coconut crust for a sweet and not tart taste. Before removing them from the pan, remember to chill the bars, or the crust will bend. 12 of 26 Blackberry-Apple Butter Pie Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Can't decide between cookies or pie? This bar dessert gives you the best of worlds. Use refrigerated pie crust to simplify the process. If you don't want to make your own apple butter, store-bought works just as well. 13 of 26 Basil-Lemon Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Upgrade traditional lemon bars with this sophisticated twist. Basil might seem like an unlikely pairing with lemon, but just like in an herb-infused lemonade, in this recipe, it works. The buttery crust makes the perfect pairing to the tart lemon curb flavoring. 14 of 26 Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer These spiced pecan pie bars use pantry staples to add a flavorful twist to this classic dessert. Adding ground cinnamon and ginger combines the best seasonal spices into this easy-to-eat dish. It pairs perfectly with ice cream. 15 of 26 Hello Dolly Bars Photo: Jennifer Davick These delicious bars start with a can of condensed milk. The secret flavoring comes from mixing pecans, chocolate morsels, and coconut. The sweet and salty combination will be a crowd-pleaser. 16 of 26 Seven-Layer Cookies Southern Living These old-fashioned bar cookies were the first featured in Southern Living magazine. You get all the good things: graham cracker crumbs, flaked coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, and chopped pecans. 17 of 26 Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Tangy, sweet cheesecake gets even more company-worthy with patriotic berry swirls and an easily portable bar shape. Using a knife helps to spread the fruit purees throughout gently. Bake these bars up to two days in advance for easy party preparation. 18 of 26 Brown Butter-Caramel Blondies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Gooey butter cake has met its match in this more indulgent version using chocolate and caramel. These bars have a flavor similar to chocolate chip cookies but with a denser brownie texture. Brown butter is the secret to these delicious cookies. 19 of 26 Lemon Cream Cheese Bars Micah A. Leal These lemony bars have a thick and chewy bottom crust that makes up almost half of the bar. The fluffy, gooey layers on top are equally as delicious. Talk about decadent. 20 of 26 Red Velvet Brownies Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners This recipe made us second-guess why we didn't always use red velvet cake to make brownies. The red and white pairing adds a festive quality and can brighten up any dessert table. Grab-and-go never tasted so good. 21 of 26 Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Just look at that jammy center. It's enough to make us drool before even a bite. Blueberries and lemon make a delicious duo. 22 of 26 Lemon Bar Cake Jennifer Davick; Food Styling: Vanessa Rocchio; Prop Styling: Missie Crawford This slow-cooker dessert is full of flavor from the fresh lemon zest. Top the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and garnish with candied lemon slices for a beautiful presentation. This lemon treat takes only 15 minutes of active cooking time. 23 of 26 Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones For a memorable dessert, try these peanut butter and chocolate bars that will be a fan favorite. White and dark chocolate swirls top these rich peanut butter squares. They are decadent in the best ways. 24 of 26 Salted Caramel Popcorn Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel Made for snacking, these bars use caramel, popcorn, and marshmallows for the ideal no-bake treats. Keep these on hand for unexpected guests, as they can stay in an airtight container for up to one week. Customize these bars to your preferences and add salted peanuts, pretzels, or chocolate candies. 25 of 26 Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Banana pudding is a classic dessert, so try this twist by combining it with another crowd-favorite, cheesecake. The custardy flavors pair perfectly with the brown butter-vanilla wafer crust. Leave enough time in your preparations for these bars to chill correctly. 26 of 26 Cranberry-Lemon Bars Will Dickey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners These bars are great to make at any time of the year. They have a tart flavoring from the lemon zest, which complements the sweet and buttery mixture. The cranberry layer sandwiched in the middle adds the perfect color and flavor. Bar cookies are great for gift-giving, but if you need more ideas, check out these homemade gift ideas. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit