cookie bars

Now are they actually called cookie bars or squares???  hmmm, oh well a point to ponder for the philosophers…

So I LOVE cookies, I love the dough, and the baked cookie (except chocolate chip, not a favorite)..  I hate baking the cookies, I feel like I’m a slave to the stove.   So I went on one of my obsessions foodgawker.com and found cookie bar recipes, all the fun and yum and none of the slavery…  I make them together usually because one calls for egg yolk the other for egg white..  So here’s the 2 recipes I’ve been baking..

Sugar Cookie Squares

Yields 24 squares

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

1 1/2 Tbsp sour cream (I just do 1 heaping Tbsp)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 recipe vanilla frosting, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13″ x 9″ baking dish, set aside. In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Stir in egg and egg white. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until blended. Slowly add dry mixture and stir until well combine. With buttered hands, gently press (so gently almost patting and I used a cup with sugar on the bottom to press so no sticking) mixture into buttered baking dish. Bake 17 – 20 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and edges are lightly golden. Cool completely, then frost and cut into squares.

Shawni’s Vanilla frosting (the recipe I found had there own frosting but I substituted mine, hence the name of the frosting or glaze)

1/2 cup butter (I use unsalted) melted

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4-1/2 cup milk

cap of vanilla extract

mix altogether until smooth.. add food coloring if desired and frost…

**I tend to eyeball my ingredients for this, as long as it tastes good and has a nice smooth consistency, I’m good…. you just don’t want it too runny, I usually compare it to pancake batter….

EAT!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Yield: 24 cookie bars

Ingredients:

2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

sea salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, briefly whisk together 2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking

soda , and 1/2 tsp salt, then set aside.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at

room temperature, 1 cup packed brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Beat on high

speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

4. Add 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and 2 tsp vanilla extract, and beat on high speed until thoroughly

combined, about 5 minutes.

5. Fold in the flour mixture by hand until well-combined.

6. Stir in 2 cups choc. chips.

7. Pour the cookie dough into the prepared pan, using a spatula to spread the dough evenly.

Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.

8. Bake, rotating halfway through, until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the

edges are starting to pull away from the pan, about 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and

let cool on a wire rack to room temperature.