How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars

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posted by Liz Berg

on July 13, 2017 (updated 10/25/23)

Apparently, I have a knack for cutting desserts in an attractive way that others find difficult. After many requests, I decided to dedicate a post on how to cut perfect cookie bars, squares, and brownies.

Below are ALL my tricks for cutting perfect squares and bars. From brownies to chocolate chip bars to fruit bars, you can perfect your dessert-cutting skills with a few tips.

How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars - Like a PRO! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (1)

Table of Contents hide

1 How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars

2 Tips Before You Cut the Bars

3 Tips for Slicing Bar Cookies

4 Tips for Cutting Brownies

5 Knife Tips

6 Bar Cookies and Brownie Recipes:

7 Frequently Asked Questions

8 You May Also Like:

With a few tips and lots of practice, you can have perfect dessert squares for your family and company. I don’t usually utilize a ruler, but it will help keep your bars consistent as you learn the ropes. Here is my method:

PRO-Tip: Line your baking pan with Non-Stick Foil. This will aid in easily removing the bars from the pan. It is much easier to place the uncut bars on a cutting board and not have to deal with circumventing the sides of the pan.
Parchment paper can be used in place of non-stick foil. Or spray your regular foil with non-stick cooking spray to make your own non-stick foil.

How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars - Like a PRO! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (2)

Tips Before You Cut the Bars

Use a Small Offset Spatulato spread your cookie dough evenly in the pan. The bars will look more professional if both the tops and bottoms are level.
Before removing the bars or brownies from the pan, fully cool them on a cooling rack. Then cover and place them in the refrigerator to chill.
PRO-Tip: Cold bars cut more cleanly than room temperature bars. But note that they most often taste better when not chilled.

How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars - Like a PRO! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (3)

Tips for Slicing Bar Cookies

Once chilled, remove the bars from the pan to a cutting board, using the foil as a lift.
When I bake bars in an 8 x 8-inch pan, I like to cut the batch into 16 bars. They will each be slightly smaller than 2×2 inches.. This way you can start by making your first cut down the middle, rotate the pan and make a second, perpendicular cut down the middle. From there, each of the four squares can be subdivided into 4 more squares. As you get comfortable making straight cuts, you can cut into 25 or 36 bars, but that will take a little more finesse!
PRO-Tip: Use a ruler at first to make the straightest cuts possible.
You may want to trim the edges of the bars if you prefer 4 clean-looking sides on all your bars.

Tips for Cutting Brownies

Many of the same techniques work for slicing brownies, like lining the pan with non-stick foil or parchment.
Chill the brownies for about 30 minutes before cutting to minimize sticking to the knife.
Score or mark the top of the brownies to guide where you want to cut. Use a ruler if needed to make straight lines.
PRO-Tip: Purchase a large plastic knife to cut your brownies. Brownies stick less to plastic than metal. Even using one of those small plastic knives you take on a picnic works well.
Wipe off the knife after every cut is made. Moist brownies tend to adhere to the knife and a clean knife slices better than a dirty one.

Knife Tips

I like using a large sharp knife like my Wusthof Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife. But first I run the blade through hot water (I have a hot water dispenser on my kitchen sink that is around 190 degrees), then dry it off. This helps cut through chocolate topping very slickly and will also assist in cutting through chilled bars.
Remember to use a ruler as a guide if needed.
When using a heated knife, you’ll need to wipe off the blade and reheat it at frequent intervals. I use paper toweling to clean the knife, especially if chocolate is involved.
If the bars have a crust on top, like those pictured above, I like to use the tip of a knife to poke a few holes along the line where I plan to cut. If you start cutting without doing this, you may see lots of cracking across the surface. Sometimes a serrated knife works best. You’ll need to experiment with your knives to see which works best with each variety of cookie bars.

I hope this simple tutorial on how to cut the perfect cookie bars will help make your squares picture-perfect! Please let me know if you have other tips to add or if you have any questions. Please scroll down to find some of my favorite bar cookies to try!

Bar Cookies and Brownie Recipes:

Ricotta Cheesecake Browniesfrom That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Ganache Topped Caramel Barsfrom That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Candy Bar Blondiesfrom That Skinny Chick Can Bake
One Bowl Fudgy Browniesfrom That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Simple Fudgy Browniesfrom That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Apricot Barsfrom That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Browniesfrom That Skinny Chick Can Bake
90+ Bar Cookie Recipes
50+ Best Brownie Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Cut Lemon Bars?

Make sure to bake your bars in a pan lined with non-stick foil. Use the foil as a sling to remove the cooled and chilled bars onto a cutting board. Dip your knife into a tall cup of very hot water, wipe it dry, and make your first slice. Clean off the knife and repeat the heating, wiping, and slicing.

How to Cut Brownies?

Bake in a pan lined with non-stick foil for easy removal. For the cleanest slices, chill your brownies first. Using a plastic knife is a trick that has been around for years. There are even (affiliate link) large plastic brownie knives. You can also spray your knife with cooking spray like Pam, slice, wipe the knife clean, and make another slice, repeating until the brownies are all cut.

How Do You Slice Magic Cookie Bars?

38 Comments on “How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars”

Claudia Lamascolo — January 6, 2020 @ 10:51 am Reply

I am on this page constantly to remember these tips best information ever and I am now bookmarking so I don’t lose it thanks again for your expertise its fabulous and works!
What's cooking — October 14, 2018 @ 6:34 am Reply

Great data, valuable and excellent style, as share excellent material with good some ideas and concepts, plenty of good data and inspiration, both of which I need, thanks to offer this type of valuable information here.
Felice — September 4, 2018 @ 2:12 am Reply

Thanks you so much for sharing your tips with us. I usually don’t chill my bars and I think that may be my downfall as it is always so hot here.
Kim @ Berly's Kitchen — September 3, 2018 @ 9:29 pm Reply

Liz, this is amazing and really helpful! Thanks so much for sharing your tips. Also, a hot water dispenser! That’s pretty cool. 🙂
Claudia Lamascolo — September 3, 2018 @ 12:42 pm Reply

thanks for all the tips, what a great wealth of information to have mine always are different shapes lol
Nancy Clark — August 19, 2017 @ 12:02 pm Reply

Do you know how to get nice slices of cheesecake? Mine always look terrible.
- Liz Berg — August 19, 2017 @ 1:34 pm Reply
  
  Hi, Nancy,
  I’d recommend making sure your cheesecake is cold. Try using a hot knife (run under very hot water, the dry your knife), cut, wipe the knife, then repeat the process. See if that works for you!
Jeff — July 23, 2017 @ 10:34 pm Reply

i have to say, your bars cretainly are very clean. Thanks for the tips!
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons — July 18, 2017 @ 8:27 pm Reply

I love your tips, Liz! Keep them coming!

See Also
Bruschetta is the Simple Appetizer Everyone Loves
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) — July 18, 2017 @ 6:54 pm Reply

ahhhh SO HELPFUL
Art from My Table — July 18, 2017 @ 8:13 am Reply

Your bars are simply gorgeous! Such a great idea to use a ruler to make the cuts perfect and uniform.
Kristen Chidsey — July 17, 2017 @ 9:26 pm Reply

Well now I know how to get picture perfect bars 🙂
Anna @ shenANNAgans — July 17, 2017 @ 2:14 am Reply

Liz, this is awesome! Love that your instructions are so detailed too. I had noted that you always have perfectly sliced cakes, this would be why. 🙂
Emma @ Bake Then Eat — July 15, 2017 @ 5:11 pm Reply

You do always have such beautifully presented bars & slices. I think my problem is I can never wait for them to chill in the fridge and I just don’t have a steady hand. I am definitely going to give your tips a try and see if I can improve the look a bit more.
Jennifer — July 15, 2017 @ 2:45 pm Reply

Good tips! 🙂 Now I’m craving bar cookies!
Easyfoodsmith — July 15, 2017 @ 1:04 pm Reply

Thanks for sharing this informative and detailed tutorial Liz and for those handy tips.
Margaret T Baranowski — July 15, 2017 @ 8:42 am Reply

Your precision, attention to detail and styling are so impressive! I love your blog and am so thankful for your delicious recipes! ????
- Liz Berg — July 15, 2017 @ 12:41 pm Reply
  
  Thank you so much, Margaret! Thanks so much for being such a loyal follower and friend!!! xoxo
Vicki Bensinger — July 15, 2017 @ 8:15 am Reply

Great tips Liz and your instructions are so detailed. So glad you posted this. You always have perfectly sliced cookie or cake bars. Thanks for sharing!!!
Chris Scheuer — July 14, 2017 @ 6:23 pm Reply

How did you know I needed this Liz! I am HORRIBLE at cutting bars, even with a ruler! Your tips are very helpful!!
Evelyne CulturEatz — July 14, 2017 @ 3:35 pm Reply

Yes yuo do cut beautiful bars lol. Great tips, I think I need to chill mine like you suggest, and run the knife under hot water. I also love my Santoku Knife.
Katherine | Love In My Oven — July 14, 2017 @ 2:29 pm Reply

This is very helpful Liz!! I often have crumbly edges or pieces that fall off my bars – I will be referring to this tutorial often!!
All That I'm Eating — July 14, 2017 @ 8:05 am Reply

I’ve always wondered how people end up with perfect squares – I’m so impatient to taste it I’m not sure I could wait to get a ruler out!!
Thao @ In Good Flavor — July 13, 2017 @ 10:37 pm Reply

Thanks for the great tips, Liz!! Making clean, pretty cuts is not my forte. I’m definitely going to try out your techniques!
Nancy | The Bitter Side of Sweet — July 13, 2017 @ 9:11 pm Reply

You do have the BEST looking bars! I never would of thought to use a ruler! Thanks!
Healthy World Cuisine — July 13, 2017 @ 7:51 pm Reply

Thanks, it was like you were reading my mind. Will have to try that warm knife trick.
Amy (Savory Moments) — July 13, 2017 @ 5:49 pm Reply

Your cuts are definitely perfection!! These are great tips!
Juliana — July 13, 2017 @ 2:07 pm Reply

Thanks for the tips Liz…yes, your bars are always cut perfectly…thank you so much for sharing it…simple tricks to make them look perfect!
I hope you are having a fantastic week 🙂
GiGi Eats — July 13, 2017 @ 12:23 pm Reply

I don’t need perfect squares in my mouth – as long as they taste amazing – I am A OK with imperfection! 😉
Danielle — July 13, 2017 @ 11:51 am Reply

Wonderful tips! My biggest challenge is waiting for them to cool. And I love the knife in hot water trick. I’ll definitely be giving these a try next time I make bars.
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen — July 13, 2017 @ 11:27 am Reply

I feel like kind of a dummy right now because in all my years of baking I’ve never thought to use a ruler to make my bars even. Duh, Kelsie! I’ve always just cut hopelessly uneven bars and laughed because I’d never make it as a professional cookie slicer :). THANK YOU for this tutorial!
themadscientiststskitchen — July 13, 2017 @ 9:44 am Reply

Thanks a lot, I end up with shabby pieces or have to depend on someone else to do the job and I am not satisfied with that too. 😀
Will try your method of cutting.
Debra Eliotseats — July 13, 2017 @ 9:42 am Reply

Great tips and those are perfect portioned squares!
Angie@Angie's Recipes — July 13, 2017 @ 8:45 am Reply

I always love your cookie bars…thanks for the tips. I usually can’t wait till they are completely cool… :-))
Eva Taylor — July 13, 2017 @ 8:22 am Reply

Thanks for this informative tutorial, wiping down the blade is essential. I always line me pans with parchment, I found nt like using foil directly against the food because of aluminum. I use the nonstick foil a lot in food styling. Your bars are always so beautiful.
movita beaucoup — July 13, 2017 @ 7:47 am Reply

This is basically how we cut bars at baking school and in the bakery I worked in! Rulers are the bestest! You really do have a knack for it though. Picture perfect!
Claudia Lamascolo — July 13, 2017 @ 7:16 am Reply

Amazed. The precision of cuts are just perfect I alway admire your bars and cuts … bravo!! thanks I pinned it!

How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars - Like a PRO! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake (2024)