These Hershey bar cookies are soft, chewy, and buttery, with little pockets of melty milk chocolate in every bite. Instead of chocolate chips, I break up plain Hershey’s bars, so the chocolate goes soft and gooey as it bakes. Melted butter means no mixer, just a couple of bowls and a whisk.
More Chewy Chocolate Treats:
The Keys to Nailing This Recipe
This dough is simple, but it’s soft. Three things make the difference between thick, chewy cookies and flat ones.
-
Chill the dough twice —
The first chill makes the dough firm enough to scoop. The second keeps the balls from spreading, so the cookies bake up thick. -
Spoon and level the flour —
Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour, and the cookies come out dry and cakey. -
Pull them out early —
Take them out when the edges are golden but the centers still look soft. They finish setting on the hot pan.
Why Hershey Bars Instead of Chocolate Chips?
Chocolate chips are made to hold their shape in the oven, so they stay in neat little chips. A Hershey’s bar doesn’t do that. Break it into pieces and bake it, and the chocolate softens into melty pockets all through the cookie.
You also get that classic, creamy Hershey’s milk chocolate flavor. Three standard bars cover the whole batch: two go into the dough and one goes on top.
How to Make Hershey Bar Cookies
There’s no mixer and no softened butter here. Most of the time is hands-off chilling, so you can clean up while the dough firms up.
1. Break Up the Chocolate
Break the Hershey’s bars by hand into pieces about the size of chocolate chips. Set two bars’ worth aside for the dough and keep the third bar separate for the tops.
Break the topping pieces smaller than the rest. One bar has to cover about 28 cookies at 3 or 4 pieces each, so each little rectangle of the bar should give you roughly 8 small bits. They don’t need to be even.
2. Whisk the Butter and Sugars
Melt the butter and let it cool for a few minutes. It should be warm, not hot. Hot butter can start to cook the egg and melt the chocolate before it ever hits the oven.
Whisk the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
3. Stir in the Dry Ingredients and Chocolate
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the butter mixture and stir just until no dry flour is left. Overmixing makes the cookies tough, so stop as soon as it comes together.
Fold in the chocolate pieces from two bars. Don’t worry if the dough looks soft and a little greasy. Cover it and refrigerate for about 15 minutes, and it’ll firm up enough to scoop.
4. Scoop, Top, and Chill Again
Use a small cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon) or a rounded tablespoon to portion the dough into about 28 balls. Set them on a parchment-lined tray that fits in your fridge. They can sit close together here since they aren’t baking yet.
Don’t flatten them. Rounded balls bake up thicker. Gently press 3 or 4 of the reserved chocolate pieces onto the top of each one, keeping the round shape. Then refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
Skip the scooping! My Giant Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie bakes as one big cookie you can cut into wedges. All that cookie goodness, with less fuss.
5. Bake on a Cool Sheet
While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F. Move the chilled dough balls to a cool, parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Keep the rest in the fridge until their turn.
✦ Start every batch on a cool sheet. A warm sheet starts melting the butter before the cookies reach the oven, and they spread. Let the pan cool between batches, or switch between two pans.
Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, and start checking at 7. They’re ready when the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look puffy and soft. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack.
The chocolate on top will look glossy and soft while the cookies are warm. It sets back up as they cool.
For Perfectly Round Cookies
This trick is optional, but it’s fun. Right after the cookies come out of the oven, set an upside-down glass or a round cookie cutter a little bigger than the cookie over it. Gently swirl it in small circles so the rim nudges the edges into a neat circle.
Keep the rim on the baking sheet instead of pressing down on the cookie. Then let them cool as usual.
Storing and Freezing
To store: Once the cookies are completely cool, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Wait until the chocolate on top has set before stacking, or it’ll smear.
To freeze baked cookies: Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw on the counter.
To freeze the dough: After you scoop and top the dough balls, freeze them on the tray until solid, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen at 350°F, adding 1 to 2 minutes. That way you can bake a few fresh cookies whenever you want.
FAQs
Can I use chocolate chips instead of Hershey bars?
Yes. The three bars add up to about 4.6 ounces of chocolate, which is roughly ¾ cup of chips. Use about ½ cup in the dough and ¼ cup on top. Milk chocolate chips taste closest, but they hold their shape, so you won’t get the same melty pockets.
Will the chocolate harden again after the cookies cool?
Yes. The chocolate looks glossy and soft right out of the oven, but it sets back up as the cookies cool. Give them about an hour before stacking or packing them in a container. Pieces inside the cookie stay a little softer than a plain bar.
Can I use a different Hershey’s bar?
Yes. Special Dark, milk chocolate with almonds, or Cookies ‘n’ Creme all work. Use about the same total amount, three standard bars or around 4.6 ounces. Dark chocolate makes a less sweet cookie, and the almond bars add a little crunch.
Can I skip the second chill?
You can, but the cookies spread more and bake up thinner and flatter. The second chill is what keeps them thick and round. If you’re short on time, 15 minutes in the freezer works in place of the longer fridge chill.
More for Your Holiday Table
Baking for a holiday spread? These fit right in on a cookie tray. My collection of Easy Christmas Recipes has more ideas for the whole holiday table, from sweets to dinner.
See the Christmas CollectionMore Easy Baking Recipes
- Cheesecake Brownies
- Chocolate Banana Bread Bliss
- Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Muffins
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Break up the chocolate: Break the Hershey's bars by hand into small, chocolate-chip-sized pieces. Set aside two bars' worth for the dough and reserve the third bar, broken smaller, for the tops.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Make the dough: In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir just until no dry flour remains. Fold in the chocolate from two bars.
- Chill the dough: Cover and refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to scoop.
- Scoop and top: Portion the dough into about 28 balls and place on a parchment-lined tray that fits in your fridge. Don't flatten them. Gently press 3 to 4 reserved chocolate pieces onto each ball.
- Chill again: Refrigerate the dough balls for 30 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F while they chill.
- Bake: Arrange the chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on a cool, parchment-lined baking sheet. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look soft.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- Measure the flour gently: Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Packed flour makes dry cookies.
- Keep it cold: Chill the dough balls and use a cool baking sheet for every batch, so the cookies don’t spread.
- Don’t overbake: Start checking at 7 minutes. The centers keep setting as the cookies rest on the pan.
- Using chips instead: Use about ½ cup milk chocolate chips in the dough and ¼ cup on top.
- Rounder cookies (optional): Right after baking, swirl an upside-down glass or round cutter around each warm cookie to shape the edges. Keep the rim on the pan.
- Storage: Store cooled cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Freeze the dough: Freeze scooped, topped dough balls until solid, then bag them. Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
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