Decadent and fudgy chocolate orange cookie bars are a chocolate orange lovers' dream, and so easy to make!
These squidgy bars made with Terry's Chocolate Orange are perfect for festive bake sales and Christmas parties, but equally delicious any time of the year!
Chocolate orange has to be one of my all-time favourite flavour combinations and this chocolate orange traybake attempts to cram as much chocolate orange into it as humanly possible, just like my fluffy chocolate orange muffins, and dense chocolate orange brownies!
The chocolate orange cookie bars are chewy, dense, and oh so moreish, and I guarantee you won't be able to stop at one!
👩🍳'Psst - don't forget to check out my no-bake Terrys chocolate orange tiffin too!'
Jump to:
✔️ Why should you try it?
- An easy to make sweet treat.
- Dense, chewy, and studded with Terrys chocolate orange pieces.
- Festive flavours and perfect for Christmas.
- Freezer friendly.
🥘 Ingredients
- Terry's Chocolate Orange and Chocolate Orange Minis - some chopped to go into the cookie bars, and some melted to drizzle on top.
- Butter - unsalted butter which has been softened.
- Sugar - a mixture of light brown sugar and dark brown sugar gives the best flavour and texture. Feel free to substitute with caster sugar if you prefer.
- Flour - plain flour is used in this recipe as there is no need for a raising agent.
- Orange Zest - for an extra orangy flavour.
- Eggs - 2 large free-range eggs at room temperature.
- Sea Salt - a small pinch helps to balance the sweetness of the chocolate.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
- Cream together the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl.
- Beat in the eggs and orange zest.
- Stir in the flour and chopped chocolate orange pieces.
- Pour into a prepared tin and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Once cooled, drizzle with melted chocolate orange and sprinkle with more chopped chocolate orange pieces.
💭 Top tips
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before starting the recipe.
- The cookie bars must be completely cool before slicing. To speed up the process you could put the baking tin in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
- To cut clean neat slices, first, make sure the cookie bars are completely cool. Next, lift the cookie bars out of the tin using the overhanging baking paper as handles. Place on a flat wooden board and use a long sharp knife to cut into bars. Clean off the knife carefully between each cut.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the chocolate orange cookie bars as part of a festive dessert table, alongside Terry's chocolate orange brownies, chocolate orange cookies, and cranberry and white chocolate blondies!
They also work well as a quick and easy Christmas dessert served with chocolate orange ice cream! Just reheat them in the microwave for 20 seconds for ultimate gooeyness.
📖 Variations
- Make the chocolate orange cookie bars even more chocolaty by replacing 25g of plain flour with cocoa powder.
- Add a handful of dried cranberries for extra fruitiness.
- Add a handful of chopped pecan nuts for crunch and texture.
- Scatter orange colour sprinkles over the top of the tray bake after cooking, for extra decadence.
🥡 Storage
Store: The bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days, making them an ideal make-ahead sweet treat. Due to the bars high sugar content, they remain dense and fudgy and won't dry out.
Freeze: The cookie bars can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Cool in the tin, slice into bars, and then freeze in layers (separated with baking paper) in a freezer-safe container. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
❓ FAQs
A cookie bar is one large, thick cookie baked in a tin. Instead of separating the dough into cookies, it is baked as one and then cut into slices
No, they don't need to be kept in the fridge. Store the cookie bars at room temperature in an airtight container.
More bars and brownie recipes to try!
Tried this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating in the comments!
Recipe
Chocolate Orange Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 200 g Butter softened
- 175 g Light Brown Sugar
- 75 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Orange zest only
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 275 g Plain Flour
- 157 g Terrys Chocolate Orange chopped into pieces
For the topping
- 100 g Chocolate Orange Minis melted
- 25 g Chocolate Orange Minis chopped
- 2 tablespoon Orange or Gold Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°c (160 fan/ Gas 4) and line a small brownie tin or 20cm square tin with baking paper.
- In a large bowl cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy.200 g Butter, 175 g Light Brown Sugar, 75 g Dark Brown Sugar
- Beat in the eggs, orange zest and salt.2 Eggs, 1 Orange, ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- Stir in the flour and chopped chocolate orange pieces.275 g Plain Flour, 157 g Terrys Chocolate Orange
- Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes (start checking after 20 minutes).
- Allow to cool before drizzling on the melted chocolate orange and scattering over more chopped chocolate orange pieces (and sprinkles if using). Allow to set completely before cutting into bars.100 g Chocolate Orange Minis, 25 g Chocolate Orange Minis, 2 tablespoon Orange or Gold Sprinkles
Video
Notes
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before starting the recipe.
- The cookie bars must be completely cool before slicing. To speed up the process you could put the baking tin in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
- To cut clean neat slices, first make sure the cookie bars are completely cool. Next, lift the cookie bars out of the tin using the overhanging baking paper as handles. Place on a flat wooden board and use a long sharp knife to cut into bars. Clean off the knife carefully between each cut.
- Make the chocolate orange cookie bars even more chocolaty by replacing 25g of the plain flour with cocoa powder.
- Add a handful of dried cranberries for extra fruitiness.
- Add a handful of chopped pecan nuts for crunch and texture.
- Scatter orange colour sprinkles over the top of the tray bake after cooking, for extra decadence.
Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with what's cooking in the Effortless Foodie kitchen! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!
Amanda Dixon
These were delicious! They were so perfectly chocolatey, and I love the pop of brightness the orange added.
Irina
What an interesting approach to make cookie bars instead of simple cookies! I made these bars today, and they turned out perfect! Thanks for the recipe.
Beth
Oh my goodness! These sounds addicting and very delicious! My family is going to be obsessed with these cookie bars! I can’t wait to make these. Chocolate and orange have always been a great combination!
Joan
Amazing cookie bars! And I loved how easy it was to make !
Nart at Cooking with Nart
These cookie bars are incredibly good! Nothing beats the combo of chocolate and orange. I just couldn't stop eating these!