May I forewarn you: I have an ego when it comes to my chocolate chip cookies. I’ve been baking them since I was 11 years old, and I’ve had years to perfect my recipe and execution. My cookies are renowned among friends and family. But of course, sometimes I need to switch things up a bit. I enjoy brownies particularly for the texture of the bar, and I’ve made my chocolate chip cookies as bars once before. I enjoyed the heft it added to the cookie’s texture (of course, my hips don’t appreciate that extra heft, but it’s all about balance, kidlets). So Tuesday evening, I decided I wanted to make a cookie bar to celebrate my husband being home from the hospital and my in-law’s 42nd wedding anniversary. I made a couple of adjustments to my regular cookie recipe, starting by halving the recipe to fit an 8×8″ baking dish.
1/2 stick of unsalted sweet cream butter (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/8 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp natural cocoa powder (NOT dutch process — save that for drinks and syrups)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
6 ounces (half a bag) of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease an 8×8 (or 9×9) baking dish. Melt the butter. Whisk together melted butter, oil, and brown sugar, making sure to break up any sugar clumps. Add granulated sugar, and whisk in the egg. Add vanilla and cocoa powder, and whisk some more. Add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and whisk. Then add the flour. Whisk until combined. If your whisk isn’t up to the challenge, you could also employ the use of your hand or stand mixer. Once you have a cookie dough, stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough evenly in your baking dish. Baking in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely — patience, grasshopper! — for roughly half an hour to an hour. Cut into bars, and dig in! Eat them straight up, with a glass of milk, or with a warm cuppa. Enjoy!
