Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I love chocolate chip cookies. Not in that I always got to have way, but in the once I eat one, I want more way. There seems to be a big debate over what makes a good chocolate chip cookie. In my opinion, since you asked, lol, the perfect cookie has a soft chewy center and bit of slightly harder outside. Many will say they are best out of the oven (wrong), but I like mine at room temperature. Why go into this deal? Because these bars bring together the best features of the cookie and are much easier to make. No scooping out perfectly sized portions and baking batch after batch, I'm hungry and eating the batter while preparing these (blah blah blah, salmonella from the eggs, whatevs. I'm still living to write this post) only made me want them more. Add a big plus is you don't have to use a mixer! Just combined the ingredients and pour in a baking dish, that's it!

My boyfriend isn't a big fan of chocolate, he's crazy, so next time I make these, I will use white chocolate chips and add some macadamia nuts. I might have to make those tonight since they already sound amazing and he deserves them because he's amazing. I had a friend as work ask me if you could make these with no mix-ins since he agrees that sometimes chocolate is just too much (he's crazy too). I guess you can, but would have to try it out. This recipe took under 10 minutes to prepare and 26 minutes to bake. I cut them into one inch squares, or just a bit bigger, then cut them again on the diagonal; I wanted them to go a long way. You could add any mix-in you want, if you find a good combo, I would love to hear about it!

 Recipe from Real Mom Kitchen

• 2 1/8 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (one 12oz bag) chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan/dish.
3. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
4. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.
5. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not over mix. 
6. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.
7. Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Mine took 26 minutes. Do not over cook or you will lose the chewy center.
8. Let cool at room temperature then cut into 1-inch squares and serve. Cut in again diagonally if you need more servings.

Tips and Tricks

• Use real vanilla, not the imitation stuff. You will taste the difference.
• Use your favorite mix-ins to create your own cookie bars.
• If you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.
• For easy removal from pan, line in foil with an extra 5 inches hanging out on each side of the shorter end. Spray foil before putting batter in.
• Each oven is different, so cook for 24 minutes, then check and cook,if needed, in one minute increments until the edges are cracked.