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Halfway to Heaven bars are part cookie, part meringue, and 100% decadent! I take a layer of cookie dough, top it with chocolate chips, and then add a layer of fluffy meringue. What I end up with is a chewy, gooey bar I can really sink my teeth into. These are ideal for potlucks, parties, or any sort of gathering where you want to impress!
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“Made these last night and they were a huge hit with all 5 of us! This will be a new cookie added to our list of recipes that we bake for 250 clients each Christmas! Thank you and I look forward to trying more new recipes from your site!” -Lisa
The Only Cookie Bar You Need To Bake
Homemade halfway to heaven bars are all I need in this world. When I lived in Florida and traveled home for Christmas, I would hope and pray these chocolate chip cookie bars would be on the menu for the holidays. A family favorite and a true texture lover’s dream, with 3 heavenly layers to devour: a chewy cookie base, sweet chocolate chips, and a fluffy brown sugar meringue. The combination is truly delightful—heavenly, even.
I keep this cookie bar recipe on hand whenever I need a from-scratch dessert that will really impress. I love making these bars for cookie exchanges, potlucks, and parties as this recipe makes enough to feed a small crowd.
Tips for Beginners
- Use your favorite chocolate chips. Semisweet, milk, dark, mini, or white chocolate chips are all delicious options. Or, use a combination.
- Make a half batch. These bars are really decadent, so if you want to make half a batch so you don’t overindulge, halve all of the ingredients and follow the recipe as written. Use an 8×8-inch pan and bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until the top is light brown and the meringue is set and cooked.
- Beat your meringue in a clean mixing bowl. Even a little oil or other residue could ruin your meringue, as fat stops the egg proteins from holding onto air, which is needed to create the fluffy texture.
- You may need to beat a few extra minutes. Because brown sugar has more moisture than white sugar, it may take a little bit longer for the stiff peaks to form.
- A little goes a long way. I cut these bars into small pieces, as even a small serving satisfies a sweet tooth. Typically, I can get about 24 bars out of a single batch.
Halfway to Heaven Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240g
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder 4g
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113g, room temperature (1 stick)
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100g
- ½ cup brown sugar 107g
- 2 egg yolks 28g, room temperature
- 1 tbsp water 14g room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 4g
- 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips 340g
For the Meringue
- 2 egg whites 70g
- 1 cup brown sugar 213g
Instructions
For the Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch jelly roll pan or baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar
- Add the egg yolks, water, and vanilla. Beat well and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.2 egg yolks, 1 tbsp water, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
- Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared pan. Press the dough into an even layer.
- Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cookie dough. Slightly press the chips into the dough. Set aside while you make the meringue.12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
For the Meringue
- Add the egg whites to a clean stand mixer bowl. Beat on high until they are almost stiff.2 egg whites
- With the mixer running on high speed, carefully and gradually add the brown sugar. Beat until the egg whites are stiff.1 cup brown sugar
- Spread the brown sugar meringue on top of the chocolate chips.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is light brown and the meringue is set and cooked.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Allow the bars to cool completely, slice, and serve.
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Stand Mixer
Becky’s Tips
- Semisweet, milk, dark, mini, or white chocolate chips are all delicious chocolate chip options.
- For a small crowd, use half of all of the ingredients and follow the recipe as written. Bake in an 8X8-inch pan at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until the top has browned and the meringue is set.
- Use a clean bowl to make the meringue, as any residue could prohibit the egg whites from beating properly.
- The meringue may take a little longer to take shape as brown sugar contains more moisture than white sugar.
- Cut into small pieces, as these squares are decadent.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Meringue does not freeze well.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Store
Store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing these bars, as the meringue topping does not freeze and thaw well.
Serving Suggestions
When I want to take these bars completely over the top, I’ll add a dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
I love making these for special occasions or for cookie trays at Christmas. They look beautiful alongside chocolate covered pretzels and snowball cookies and I love having a mix of different flavors and textures to choose from. They always add something a little extra special to my holiday spread!
More Dessert Bar Recipes To Try
- These Lemon Raspberry Bars turn out with the perfect flavor, the perfect texture, and the perfect pink color.
- Snickers Cookie Bars feature a shortbread crust, a layer of peanut-studded caramel, and, of course chocolate.
- S’Mores Bars feature layers of sweet mini marshmallows, Hershey’s chocolate, and graham crackers sitting on top of a cookie dough base.
I remember these from my childhood 60 years ago, they were called Cookies Plus and are the best cookie ever. I remember the base being just a little more crumbly, probably somewhat less butter. They also had chopped walnuts, which makes them even better.
My mother made these nearly 70 years ago. The recipe was on the Nestle’s chocolate chip package and they were called halfway chocolatechip cookirs. Thetr was no mention of heaven although they definitely are heavenly
Ghdy’re nust hslfway like a cookie.
Such a fun memory!
I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted something so badly before. These look so amazing, I love anything with meringue in it. Chocolate chip cookies are not my favorite, so I may make another type of cookie (toffee or macadamia?), but I can’t wait to try this idea out. I am so glad I saw this post today. Thanks!
My Mom had the EXACT SAME RECIPE. I thought it was a deep, dark family secret. Apparently, others knew it too. It is also the center of our holiday cookie-fest. We call them “halfway cookies” but never understood it. On my Mom’s cooking Index cards from 1959, it is labelled as “halfway Cookies”. Thanks for filling in the gaps!
My mother just called these chocolate chip squares and of course used sporting instead of butter.😋
Made these last night and they were a huge hit with all 5 of us! This will be a new cookie added to our list of recipes that we bake for 250 clients each Christmas! Thank you and I look forward to trying more new recipes from your site. Merry Christmas!
is there no flour in the cookie base part? seems like there should be? These look so good!
thanks! Can’t wait to try!
What type of flour? All-purp or self rising?
All purpose, hope you enjoy!
These cookie bars are similar to some my Mom used to make called Sea Foam Squares. The cookie base was very similar but had some rolled oats in it. Then we put the brown sugar meringue on followed by sprinkling the chocolate chips on top along with Spanish salted peanuts, then bake. This is the very best version of this cookie bar.
All I can say is YUM!!!!
Can I come to your mom’s for Christmas?? ;P These look delicious!