Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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I think I just fell in love. When I came across this recipe, I knew it was fate- they called to me. These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are combination of my two favourite things: chocolate chip cookies and brownies. They have the consistency of chewy, moist brownies and have the sweet, buttery flavour of chocolate chip cookies. There is also a hint of coffee due to a small amount of espresso in the batter, which adds a wonderful depth of flavour. (Confession: I used instant coffee instead! It was what I had on hand, and being a student, I try to be frugal.) Plus, they are loaded with chocolate- a whole bag's worth of chocolate chips. And chocolate... well, it's pretty much my life.

Seriously, how good do they look?! Browned outside, gooey, chewy, chocolately goodness inside... You simply can't go wrong with this one, folks.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

• 2/3 cup (10 2/3 tablespoons) butter
• 1 pound (2 firmly packed cups + 2 tablespoons) brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (1 teaspoon if you’ve used unsalted butter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (or instant coffee)
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (or one 16-oz bag) of milk chocolate chips 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.
2. Melt butter, and stir in brown sugar. Add salt vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl midway through this process. The eggs should thicken and lighten the batter.
4. Add baking powder and espresso power. Add flour and stir until well combined.
5. Add chocolate chips. Stir until the chips are thoroughly dispersed throughout the batter.
6. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges with wet hands. Smooth the top as best you can.
7. Dump the batter into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Then flatten it out with wet hands. I always tend to push all the batter to the edges, so make sure that it's all flat!
8. Once you've flattened out the dough, bake at 350 degrees F for 32-33 minutes. Don't bother testing it with a toothpick, because it won't be fully cooked in the middle when it's finished. The bars finish cooking as they cool, which is how they become so moist and gooey in the middle. Just touch it lightly with your finger and if the crust bounces back, it's done. If the indent of your fingerprint stays, bake it for a few more minutes. And then be sure to cool these for at least 15 minutes: if you cut into it too soon, it will be undercooked and too doughy. Remember: good things come to those who wait. In this case, wonderful, fudgy, delicious chocolate chip cookie bars!

This recipe was slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Cheers,
Izzy V. Pin It