Raising the BAR on Chocolate Chip cookies.
Have company coming over and not sure what to fix for a quick dessert?
These little triangles are so cute and the perfect base for putting on a small plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and drizzled with hot fudge sauce. Talk about easy!
I would have never thought to add cream cheese to a chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it really works. It keeps the bars from drying out. Yum!
Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
PREP: 15 MINUTES COOK: 25 MINUTES YIELD: 16 BARS
INGREDIENTS:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup cup full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks
- Sea salt flakes
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch metal baking pan with foil so that it extends over the edges then then grease the foil with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese.
- Once smooth, add the brown sugar, salt and baking soda and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- add the flour. Mix until combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips then transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish, pressing it into an even layer.
- Bake the bars for 18 to 23 minutes until they are golden brown and the center is barely set.
- Remove the bars from the oven and immediately sprinkle them with sea salt.
- Allow the bars to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then using the foil overhangs, lift the bars out of the pan and onto a rack to cool completely.
- Once completely cooled, use a sharp knife to cut the cookies into any size bars.
Quick Tip: If you like your cookies to be more soft and chewy, remove the bars from the oven while they’re still slightly under-baked and allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.