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Old-School Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

chocolate chip cookie bars cut in squares sprinkled with salt
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These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are the old-school cookie bars you grew up eating. They are super chewy, have undeniable crispy edges, and a hefty dose of chocolate chips. Talk about nostalgia.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (117g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5.5 tablespoons (77g) unsalted butter, at room temperature*
  • 1/2 cup (100g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips, more or less as desired

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven. Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter an 8×8 inch square baking pan or 9″ cake pan (preferably light-colored to avoid over-browning). Avoid using parchment paper to get the crispiest, chewiest edges!
  2. Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
  3. Beat the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 
  4. Make the dough. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix at low speed until combined. Using a spatula, mix in the chocolate chips. 
  5. Bake.  Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer with your fingers. The batter is very sticky so do the best you can. Bake until the middle slightly wiggles and the edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean if inserted into the center of the bars. Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool completely on a baking rack.

Notes

FLOUR. If you opt to measure by volume instead of weight, whisk the flour first to aerate it, then spoon into a measuring cup, and then level it off with the back of a knife. 

BUTTER. I used room temperature butter that is 65°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the butter by placing your finger on the butter and pressing down slightly. Room temperature butter will be cool to the touch and leave a slight indentation. If this sounds too fussy, cold butter will work fine if using a stand mixer (this will not work if using a hand mixer).

BAKING FOR 1 OR 2? I suggest making the whole recipe and freezing half of dough for later use. If only using half of the dough, use a 6″ round cake pan and reduce the baking time by 4-5 minutes. 

 

Nutrition

Keywords: Nestle Toll house Chocolate Chip Cookie bar, Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars,

Find it online: https://frommarkettotable.com/old-school-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/