Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Sea Salt

In the past month I've made these delicious cookie bars three times. Yes - three times! They are that freaking good! They are not your average chocolate chip bars because they are sprinkled with sea salt before they are baked. This takes them to a whole new salty/sweet level. I made them for a potluck at hubby's work and people raved about them, so I made them again for a party and then one more time for hubby's coworkers. They are best warm and make a nice big batch so make them when you want to share - and believe me they will go fast!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Sea Salt
From Two Peas & Their Pod
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (can be scaled back if you would like)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chip
Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9X13 inch baking pan. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the melted butter and sugars until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients at low speed until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Pour the dough into the prepared pan and smooth so it evens out. Sprinkle the bars very lightly with sea salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the bars are light brown and start to pull away from the pan. Allow bars to cook on a wire rack before cutting into squares and serving. 

Chocolate Oat Bars

It is bad that I made these chocolate oatmeal bars solely because I wanted to use up a can of condensed milk? Well that and because I love the combination of oatmeal and chocolate. It's pretty terrific. 

But mostly this dessert came to be because I had a can of condensed milk that was going to spoil soon. After you make these and take a bite and discover how rich, moist, (thanks to the condensed milk) and decadent they are, I know you'll be in gooey chocolate heaven. I had a handful of white chocolate chips left over so used them up in this recipe as well. Another good decision! 

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
From About.com
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
For the filling:
1 (15 oz can) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired (I omitted these)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. In another bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt. Then stir in oats. Stir dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until well blended; set aside. Pat about 2/3 of the oat mixture into the bottom of a greased 10X15X1 pan. Set aside remaining oat mixture. In a heavy saucepan over low heat combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 

Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla and pecans or walnuts if desired. 
Spread filling mixture over bottom crust of oatmeal in the baking pan and then crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool before cutting into squares. 

Week of Holiday Treats: Almond Bars

I have so many goodies to share with you for the holidays that I decided for the next week I will only post yummy treats. Today I am starting with my Aunt Chris' Almond Bars. These bars are a family favorite and every time Aunt Chris makes them they're gone in a flash. Pure almond paste is the shining star in this recipe. I had never bought it before and still haven't! A friend who was moving gave me a can of it (Thanks Racheal!) and right then and there I knew I had to make Almond Bars. 

These bars are like a thick almond sugar cookie bars, sprinkled with toasted almonds. I brought these to a neighbor's going away party and everyone complimented me on them. Perfect for the Holidays when you are tired of chocolate and frosting (if you get tired of chocolate and frosting that is!).

Almond Bars

From my Auntie Chris

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine

8 ounces almond paste

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this since I used butter that had salt)

2 cups flour

1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray. Cream together butter and almond paste, beat in sugar and eggs. Add in flour and salt. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with almonds. 

Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and and cut into bars. 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

I had chocolate chips sitting in my pantry for a while and when our neighbors invited us over for dinner I said I'd bring dessert. I was originally thinking of just making chocolate chip cookies, but that's just too boring, not to mention cookies take a good chunk of time to bake. So I searched for a chocolate chip cookie bar recipe but then thought, well why not add in peanut butter? Isn't chocolate and peanut butter better than just plain ol' chocolate? I had to resist eating the entire batch of dough, it is sooooo good! These cookie bars are moist, thick, and delicious. We made them even better by heating them up in the microwave and placing a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
From Bake at 350
Printable Version
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips 
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 X 8 pan. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. Cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Beat in the sugars until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add in the flour mixture. 

By hand, stir in the chocolate chips until combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. 

Bake for 30 - 32 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. 

Blondies

Last week my husband had his last overnight call as a resident physician. To help celebrate the end of a long road I decided to bring him and his co-workers some goodies, including these Blondies. There was a nice butterscotch flavoring but because hubby doesn't really like nuts, I went plain Jane with these - no coconut or chopped nuts like the recipe suggests. Although hubby said the Blondies were gone in less than hour, I think they would have been much better with a little extra oomph, so definitely recommend adding in 1 cup chopped nuts or 1 cup coconut if you give them a try.

Blondies
From Better Homes and Garden Cookbook
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 cups packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13X9X2 inch baking pan and set aside. In a medium saucepan heat brown sugar and butter over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Cool slightly. Stir in eggs, 1 at a time; stir in vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda. *If using coconut stir in at this time too.

Spread batter in prepared baking pan. If using nuts sprinkle on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Cut into bars while warm.

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Here is another outstanding recipe from Beantown Baker. My Mom made these while I was visiting my family this summer, so I got to just take pictures and enjoy the deliciousness. These sugar cookie bars are soooo yummy and the best part is that they use ingredients that you (most likely) already have at home. If you are a fan of Ice House Frosted Sugar Cookies, you will LOVE these! They make a huge batch, perfect for a potluck or family get together, like we used them for. You can use whatever sprinkles you want depending on the season, holiday, or your mood! :)


Sugar Cookie Bars
From Beantown Baker


Printable Version

For the bars:
Ingredients
1 cup of butter at room temperature
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla
5 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, and soda and stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost. 

For the frosting:
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups of powdered sugar
5 tablespoons of milk
food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles

Directions
Combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk and mix until smooth and of spreading consistency. 

Spread over cooled cookie bar. Add sprinkles then cut into bars. 

Snickerdoodle Blondies

When I came across this recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies on one of my newly found favorite cooking blogs, Beantown Baker I immediately knew I had to try it, since Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookies. I am not sure what I did wrong but the original recipe says to bake the dough in a 9 X 13 pan and when I tried spreading it out, it was very thin so I changed to a 8 X 8 brownie pan. I added about 15 minutes on the to cooking time and the results were super thick and mildly doughy bars but I actually like the fact that they were a teeny bit undercooked. They have the crunchy cinnamon/sugar top of a snickerdoodle but the texture is more like a brownie. Soooooo good!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

From Beantown Baker (who got the recipe here)

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 X 13 inch pan (or in my case a  8 X 8).

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl beat together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in a prepared pan. Note: Mixture will be somewhat like cookie batter and you may want to wet your hands to spread the batter into the pan.

Combine the white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm cut into bars with sharp knife.