Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Common problem in my house: we’re running out of desserts but I don’t have time to put together something complicated.
The solution? An easy crowd pleaser – chewy chocolate chip cookie bars from King Arthur Baking. They come together quickly with a bowl and a spoon, and can be made without an electrical mixer (either standing or handheld). Here is the basic approach:
Melt 11 tablespoons of butter (156 g) in a large bowl using a microwave
Add 450 g of brown sugar and 1 tsp of salt and stir until well combined
Stir in 5 mL of vanilla extract
Mix in 3 eggs, one at a time, until well combined
Mix 2 tsp baking powder and 330 g all purpose flour and add to wet ingredients, stirring until just combined
Add in 500 g of chocolate chips (and/or other add ins) and stir to evenly distribute
Spread into 13×9 pan and bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes. The bars will look undercooked but will set up with resting. Cool in pan.
The recipe can be halved, but the tricky part is the eggs. It works fine with half the recipe in an 8×8 pan using two eggs instead of 1.5, but it’s a little bit moister. They are not particularly complex or sophisticated, but they have straightforward appeal and can easily be customized with add-ins.
