Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 

 I'm still on a strawberry kick, but just with dishes!  I love using these Pier 1 strawberry plates in the warm months.  The pitcher is from Sur La Table, years ago.

 This pretty teacup is one from my friend Rosie's Mom's collection.  It's called , appropriately, Strawberry, by Royal Grafton.  It looks like a Royal Albert, doesn't it?  It has such a vintage look to it that I just love!

Before we get to the recipe, I wanted to share a picture of two little flowers that were spotted at the Dallas Arboretum!  They are cousins and two of my granddaughters.  My youngest son and DIL invited me to brunch overlooking White Rock Lake, at the arboretum.  What a fun day! 

Oh my, these chocolate chip cookie bars, recipe from King Arthur Flour are so chewy, moist and downright delectable!  Don't you just love making bars instead of cookies?  They're so much easier! I had several opened bags of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in my pantry (how'd that happen??), and used them all up.

Here's the recipe, if you'd like to give them a try:

• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon butterscotch flavor or vanilla-butternut flavor, optional (I skipped this)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional (this adds a nice subtle flavor)
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 3 cups chocolate chips; or a combination of different flavored chips, or chips and nuts
• *Use 1 teaspoon salt if you use unsalted butter.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan. (Since I used a glass dish, I turned the oven to 325 degrees.  
2. Melt the butter, and stir in the brown sugar. Add the salt, vanilla, and flavor, stirring until well combined.
3. Allow the mixture to cool slightly (if it's very hot to the touch), then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl midway through this process.
4. Add the baking powder, espresso powder, and flour, stirring to combine.
5. Stir in the chips or other additions of your choice.
6. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges with a wet spatula (or your wet fingers). Smooth the top as best you can.
7. Bake the bars for 30 to 32 minutes, until they've risen, and their top is shiny and golden. Bake for the shorter amount of time in a darker pan; the longer time in a light/shiny pan. A cake tester inserted into the center won't come out clean; in fact, the center of the very middle of the pan may look quite molten when you dig into it. But so long as no wet batter is showing farther out towards the edges, the bars are done. As they cool, the center will solidify.
8. Remove the bars from the oven, and use a heatproof spatula to press down the risen edges; this will make bars with flat, rather than humped tops. Let the bars cool completely before cutting; overnight is best. Once bars are cool, wrap airtight. Store wrapped bars at room temperature for a couple of days.  I ended up freezing the extra bars.  When I want one, I thaw in the microwave and then heat for a few seconds....sooo good!
9. Yield: 2 dozen nice size bars.  

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea 

No Place Like Home 

Bernideen's Tea Time, Collage and Garden Blog Party

Tea Cup Tuesday 

Cooking and Crafting with J & J  

Share Your Cup

Full Plate
Thoughts of Home on Thursday 

Foodie Friday

Weekend Potluck
Tea in the Garden
Dishing It! & Digging It!