Cakes

Bacon, Beer and Potato Chip Cookie Bars

Photo of Taylor Taylor Send an email 5 days ago
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These Bacon, Beer and Potato Chip Cookie Bars have a sweet and salty flair, plus all your favorite munchie-food guilty pleasures! There’s a lot going on, but the flavors come together perfectly in the ultimate dessert bar.

Four cookie bars stacked on top of each other with a bite taken out of the top one, on a marble countertop

 

These chocolate chip cookie bars were originally created as a fun Father’s Day recipe idea. When I think about the flavors my father and my husband both love, this basically combines as many of them as would be safe to combine into the ultimate dessert. You get a delicious chewy cookie combined with salty bacon, chips and pretzels, plus caramel, beer and a little peanut butter. Whew, that’s a lot to combine into one – but it sure works and is SO good!

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar

You rarely see cookie bars piled this high, but these bars pull it off. You’ve got bacon, beer, potato chips, pretzels, caramel, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips all in one. Here’s why I think you should give them a try.

  • Lots of flavors in one – There are 7 flavors in one. Why make several treats with all these different flavors, when one will work? And not just work, but be super tasty! I also love the chewy cookie bar with the crunch of the chips and pretzels on top.
  • Easy to make – It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but they come together easily. Just make the cookie bars, melt the caramel and layer everything on top of the cookies.
  • Fun and unusual – Surprise your dad, husband or friend with these awesome bars and enjoy the surprise when they hear how unique they are, and then enjoy it again when they fall in love with them.

What Goes into these Amazing Cookie Bars?

The ingredients in this recipe aren’t unusual, but here’s a little information about what I used. For full amounts, check out the recipe card below.

ingredients laid out on marble backgroundingredients laid out on marble background

Cookie Bars

  • Flour – I use all- purpose flour. Be sure to measure it accurately so that you don’t end up with dry cookie bars. I recommend a food scale, but the spoon and level method works as an alternative.
  • Baking soda – For the best rise and texture.
  • Salt – Brings out the natural flavors already present in the cookie.
  • Butter – I use unsalted butter and add my own salt. If you want to use salted butter, just leave out the added salt.
  • Sugar – I use both dark brown sugar and white sugar for the best taste and texture in these bars.
  • Egg – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra-large.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Beer – Feel free to use your favorite. I have use Yuengling and Modelo.
  • Add ins – I used chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips and bacon. You could leave any of those out, if you’d like, and add more of one of the others.

Caramel and Toppings

  • Caramels – I used the Kraft Caramels and haven’t experimented with other candies, so I can’t guarantee others would have the same consistency.
  • Beer – As mentioned above, use your favorite.
  • Toppings – I added ruffles potato chips, pretzels and more bacon on top of these. Feel free to adjust to your preference by using something else, or leave them off entirely.

Chocolate Drizzle

  • Heavy cream
  • Chocolate chips – Semi sweet chocolate chips will give you the right consistency.
one cookie bar on brown parchment paper in foreground with other bars blurred in the backgroundone cookie bar on brown parchment paper in foreground with other bars blurred in the background

How To Make Them

These bars are a simple to make as making one big cookie and adding some toppings. Here’s a quick look at what to do. For more detailed instructions, go to the recipe card below.

Make the cookies

  • Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Prep a 9-inch square pan with baking spray and parchment paper.
  • Make the cookie dough: Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light in color and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract and beer and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix together.
  • Add mix ins: Stir in the chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips and bacon just until evenly distributed.
  • Add to pan and bake: Press the cookie dough into the pan. Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden and the center just looks set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the cake pan.
fully combined cookie dough in silver mixing bowlfully combined cookie dough in silver mixing bowl
cookie dough spread evenly in baking pancookie dough spread evenly in baking pan
baked cookie bars in baking panbaked cookie bars in baking pan

Add the toppings

  • Make the caramel: Add the caramels and beer to a large pot over medium heat. Stir regularly until combined and fully melted. Pour half of the caramel mixture on top of the cooled bars and spread evenly.
  • Add toppings: Sprinkle the potato chips, pretzels and bacon over the caramel sauce. Drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the bars.
  • Add chocolate drizzle: Heat the heavy whipping cream until it begins to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 2-3 minutes, then gently stir until everything is well combined. Drizzle the chocolate over the top of the bars
  • Cool and Serve: Set the bars in the fridge to cool and firm up. Lift the bars out of the pan and cut. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
cookie bars with a layer of caramel spread on topcookie bars with a layer of caramel spread on top
cookie bars with chopped chips, bacon and pretzels on topcookie bars with chopped chips, bacon and pretzels on top
cookie bars with caramel and chocolate drizzles added on topcookie bars with caramel and chocolate drizzles added on top

Get Them Right the First Time

These bars aren’t complicated, but here’s a few things to keep in mind to make sure they’re just right.

  • Measure your ingredients accurately – I highly recommend using a food scale, particularly with the flour. If you don’t have one, use the spoon and level method.
  • Don’t skimp on creaming time – When creaming together the butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla, do so until the mixture has significantly lightened in color and become fluffy.
  • Don’t over mix – Once you add the dry ingredients to the batter, it is important not to over mix. Over mixing can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, giving you tough, overly dense cookie bars.
  • Chop toppings small-ish – You don’t want the chips and pretzels on top of the bars to be in too big chunks, or they won’t stay on top of the bars as well. The caramel on bottom and top, along with the chocolate, should help hold things in place.
cookie bars piled onto speckled plate with bacon and beer in backgroundcookie bars piled onto speckled plate with bacon and beer in background

How to Store Them

Store the bars in an air-tight container in the fridge. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Best if eaten within 4-5 days. If you’d like to freeze them, I’d recommend doing it before adding the toppings. The chips and pretzels could soften and you’ll lose that crunch. Defrost the bar before adding the toppings.

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three cookie. bars stacked on top of each other on marble counter with beer and bacon in backgroundthree cookie. bars stacked on top of each other on marble counter with beer and bacon in background