Graduation Cookie Bars White Chocolate (Printable)

Chewy colorful bars with chocolate chips and a white chocolate drizzle, ideal for festive occasions.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
05 - 1 cup packed light brown sugar
06 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Mix-ins & Toppings

09 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 - 1/2 cup colored candy-coated chocolates
11 - 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
12 - 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
13 - Colored sprinkles for decoration, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined.
04 - Gradually fold in the dry ingredients until just incorporated; do not overmix.
05 - Stir in chocolate chips and colored candy-coated chocolates until evenly distributed.
06 - Spread the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan.
07 - Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
08 - Cool the bars completely in the pan on a wire rack.
09 - Once cooled, melt white chocolate with vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring until smooth.
10 - Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cooled bars using a spoon or piping bag. Add colored sprinkles if desired.
11 - Allow the white chocolate drizzle to set completely before lifting the bars from the pan and cutting into 16 squares.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • They're ridiculously forgiving, which means even if your timing's off by a few minutes, they still turn out golden and chewy.
  • The colored candies make them Instagram-worthy without any fancy decorating skills, and you can switch the colors to match whatever event you're celebrating.
  • Unlike cookies that spread everywhere on a baking sheet, these stay neatly contained in a pan, making them perfect for feeding a crowd.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step or you'll end up cutting into warm dough that crumbles; I learned this the hard way and served my first batch as crumbles over ice cream instead.
  • White chocolate seizes instantly if it touches even a drop of water, which is why you melt it with oil in short bursts—this single technique changed my entire relationship with white chocolate.
03 -
  • Room-temperature eggs combine more smoothly with the melted butter, so take them out of the fridge while you're prepping the pan.
  • If white chocolate keeps seizing, add the vegetable oil first and then melt it together—the oil actually prevents the chocolate from getting grainy.
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