Chocolate Cake Mix Bars
Chocolate Cake Mix Bars are a chocolate lover’s dream! The boxed cake mix makes these over-the-top delicious bars super easy to whip up!
One of my favorite things to make is easy bar recipes. Chocolate Cake Mix Bars start with just a regular chocolate cake mix, right out of the box. This chocolate dessert is as ooey gooey as pecan pie with just a handful of ingredients and a whole lot of milk chocolate and white chocolate chips!
CHOCOLATE CAKE MIX BARS
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These will be the most requested dessert in your house, I swear! The best part is these chocolate bar cookies from cake mix can be switched up with just about any variety of cake mix flavor and mix-ins: vanilla, strawberry, yellow — you name it.
These cake mix bars are the perfect simple chocolate dessert that looks like tons of effort. Surprise your family with a new after-dinner treat, or bring them to your next tailgate to wow your fellow fans.
Ingredients for Cake Mix Bars
CAKE MIX: Skip the directions on your chocolate cake mix! Instead, add a little softened butter and an egg for the perfect cake mix bars. No one will ever know you skipped the measuring cups and used a pre-made mix.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS: I use white and milk chocolate chips in this recipe for a super gooey, decadent chocolate dessert. If you want to mix it up, swap the white chocolate for dark chocolate, make them all milk chocolate, or use all three! You could even use peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips for a different flavor.
All the layers combine with a sweet center of condensed milk to meld everything together and make these cookie bars super moist.
How to Make Chocolate Cake Mix Bars
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Then line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper and spray the paper and inside of the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- After that, beat the cake mix, butter, and egg together. The batter will be very thick, like dough. Press 2/3 of the dough into a greased baking dish in an even layer.
- Then, cover the batter with chocolate chips and pour the sweetened condensed milk all over the top.
- Now, ball up the remaining dough and flatten them slightly with your hands. Then add more chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for about half an hour, until the dough is set and the chocolate chips are beginning to melt. The edges will have this beautiful golden brown color too!
- Carefully remove your pan from the oven and all the bars to cool completely before cutting into slices.
These really are best when they are warm and the chocolate is melted. My family like to top the whole thing with a scoop of ice cream, and eat it right out of the pan! But if you want to enjoy them as an actual bar recipe, allow them to cool for a couple of hours at room temperature before serving. Right out of the oven is so amazing, but they need to set if you want to be able to eat them without a fork.
What Can I Do with a Cake Mix?
Boxed cake mix doesn’t get the love it deserves. Sometimes, you just gotta skip the measuring and trust the classics.
It doesn’t even have to be a cake! I love this cake mix snickerdoodle cookie recipe because it makes the absolute fluffiest cookies.
These cake mix cookie bars are just like fluffy chocolate chip cookies with a hint of caramel extract and only 6 ingredients!
Triple chocolate gooey cake and German chocolate cookie bars are my favorite recipes to dress up chocolate cake mix. They’re both decadent desserts but such easy recipes with a boxed cake mix.
You can even make a simple slow cooker apple cobbler with yellow cake mix! This is the easiest cobbler recipe ever.
What is the Best Boxed Chocolate Cake Mix?
When it comes to boxed cake mix, not all are created equal. But you don’t have to break the bank for a great, reliable cake mix!
I typically use the classic Betty Crocker cake mixes for my recipes. Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, or even store brand boxed cake mixes will work too!
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Swiss Roll
- Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
- 4-Ingredient Chocolate Cake Batter Dip
- Easy Chocolate Lava Cake
- Chocolate Fondue
- More DESSERT recipes…
Tools used to make this Chocolate Cake Mix Bars recipe
Stand mixer: You can also use a hand mixer for these chocolate bar cookies from cake mix. It’s definitely easier to beat the batter with a mixer than by hand!
Baking dish: You can use a glass or metal 9×9 baking dish for this recipe. I usually use metal because it distributes heat better, but glass is always prettier for a serving piece.
*This post originally posted on 06/05/0216.
Chocolate Cake Mix Bars
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce chocolate cake mix (1 box)
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 egg
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a 9-inch x 9-inch pan with parchment paper & spray with cooking spray.
- Combine cake mix, butter, and egg in a stand mixer bowl. Beat with the paddle attachment until it forms into a thick dough. (You can also use an electric hand mixer.)
- Press 2/3 of the dough into the prepared baking pan- it will look like there isn't enough to cover the bottom, just keep working it into a thin even layer. It will cover the bottom.
- Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each type of chocolate chips over the dough.
- Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top in a thin, even coating.
- Separate remaining dough into balls, and evenly distribute over the top of the chocolate chips.
- Press dough balls down to flatten a bit.
- Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 27- 30 minutes until the top is set.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before slicing... if you aren't eating warm, right out of the pan.
So easy and so good!
Mine looked nothing like yours. Its more of a cake with chips on it. Very good but not what KI was expecting.
Made these today and turned out great. Drizzled some Carmel ice cream topping over them after they had cooled a little while
Ok. We have a 9 x 9 pan. And the expected servings are 16? Please explain how these are cut. Because my sons can’t even cut anything smaller than 3 x 3. That’s going to give me 9 servings. If I try to cut them down the center. And do a 2.25 x 2.25 slice, there’s a mutiny at this house! Please readjust your serving size to a realistic size.
Not sure if this page is still active, but I’m making these today for my son’s birthday party tomorrow. These can be left at room temp right? (They don’t need to be cold?)
Thank you! They look delicious and I can’t wait to taste them!
Hi Marlee, they do not need to be cold. Room temperature is just fine; it’s all in how you store them though. I would wait on slicing them until you’re actually ready to serve, that way storing them overnight is much easier. Let them cool completely before covering, and I might suggest laying parchment paper first and then whatever final method you choose to use.
Could I use a gluten free cake mix for this?
I have never tried it, Heidi as that’s something I have never purchased. I’m sure you could give it a try. I’d love to hear if it works.
I made it these today and added some coconut and pecans (I left out the white chocolate chips) to the recipe, it was a big hit with my family and very easy to make.
That sounds delicious Kathryn! I’m thrilled that you gave them a try & shared your changes. Hope you have a great weekend ahead!
When do the other 1/2 cup of both chips go in? Do they go on top of the condensed milk?
Second question, would mini marshmallows work in place of the white chocolate?
Please respond to my email. Thank you so much.