139 cookie bar recipes

Three-layer no-bake bars with a cocoa-coconut-almond base, cherry buttercream filling studded with maraschino cherries, and a semi-sweet chocolate drizzle on top.

These rich chocolate-toffee bars from Mary Lueke of Menasha were our top pick in the bar category.

Gooey butter pecan bars layered with melted marshmallows, chocolate chips, and coconut on a cake mix crust. A 5-minute prep, no-fuss dessert bar that disappears at every potluck and bake sale.

Five layer bars with a cocoa graham cracker crust, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, raisins, and chopped nuts. No mixing bowl needed, just layer and bake.

Maple walnut bars with raisins, melted butter, and just 7 ingredients mixed in one bowl. Chewy, nutty cookie bars baked in an 8-inch pan and cut into squares.

No-bake peanut butter Nanaimo bars with a chocolate coconut crumb base, creamy peanut butter custard filling, and glossy semisweet chocolate topping. A Canadian classic with a twist.

Fruit bar dough: a chill-and-rest whole wheat cookie dough that pairs with any fruit filling. The hearty, wheat-germ-boosted base for homemade fruit-filled bar cookies.

No-sugar raisin bars sweetened only with raisins and unsweetened apple juice, made with whole wheat flour and warm spices. Low calorie and naturally sweet.

These cookies with a candy bar center, from Bev Bosveld of Waupun, are packed with coconut.

Banana monkey bars: a one-bowl banana bread baked thin into chewy bars, studded with walnuts and finished with a chocolate sugar drizzle. Lunchbox sweet, ready in under an hour.

Rocky road fudge bars with three layers: chocolate brownie base, cream cheese filling with chocolate chips, marshmallow topping, and a swirled chocolate-cream cheese frosting.

Experimentation led Mary Ann Zarczynski of Franklin to create this recipe, which she described as "very rich and delicious."

Cranberry-orange bars with whole wheat flour, ground whole orange, and raisins. Low in added sugar and diabetic-friendly with a tart, fruity bite in every bar.

Old fashioned fruitcake bars packed with candied cherries, dates, raisins, and nuts in a moist applesauce batter. Easier than traditional fruitcake and just as festive.

Creamy vanilla cheesecake bars on a rich chocolate-graham cracker crust. Melted chocolate chips and butter hold the base together while sweetened condensed milk makes the filling impossibly smooth.

Gooey baked s'mores bars made with golden sugar cookie dough, milk chocolate, and marshmallow creme layered in a pan. No campfire needed for this ooey, melty treat that kids go wild for.