Tasty Treat: Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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You know you're in Bourjaily-land when you peer into a tin of brownies and see all of the edges have been removed. We are an outside-in kind of family. My mother, father and older brother each got an entire long, narrow edge of brownie to munch on. While my younger brother and I had to be satisfied with the warm gooey innards. Tough life, I know. It wasn't until I started baking brownies that I finally even got to see what the big edge deal was and boy was it fabulous. Chewy and soft and chocolatey and sweet. I really shouldn't write a post like this unless I'm armed with a fresh pan of brownies... or chocolate chip cookie bars.


Last week, in my ongoing quest for the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie, I made some seriously tasty and chewy cookies. However, they were way too flat. So, I shoveled the rest of the dough into a brownie pan and thought, what the hey, let's see what happens. What happened is my less than perfect chocolate chip cookie became the most wonderful chocolate chip cookie bars I've ever had. I'm talking chewy edges beyond my wildest dreams and soft gooey innards that all you non-chewies would adore. I'm still determined to figure out the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, but, in the meantime, here's a recipe that knocked my socks off and hopefully will tug at yours.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

(The beauty of these bars is you don't have to wait for the butter to soften and you don't have to put tray after tray of cookie dough in the oven. When a craving strikes, you can meet it head-on in about an hour... maybe 90 minutes.)

What You'll Need:

2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 heaping tsp Salt

1 c Butter (2 sticks)

1 1/3 c Brown Sugar

2/3 c Sugar

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 large Eggs

2 cups Chocolate Chips (About 12 oz)

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch square baking pan.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. 

Place the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and zap it for about 30 seconds or until the butter is partially melted and very soft.

Using the paddle attachment to your mixer, beat the butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy. Turn the the second lowest setting and beat in the eggs one at a time. Then the vanilla. Wait until it's fully incorporated and then turn it down to the lowest setting and add the flour mixture. Turn off the mixer and incorporate the chocolate chips by hand. Pour the dough in the pan and spread it out evenly. Bake until the top is brown and the dough are pulling away from the sides. About 30-40 minutes.

Approximate Cost:

Groceries: $5
Cost per Meal: Hmm, this is a tough one. Probably 12-24 servings depending on your will power.