Sweet

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bar Mountain // take a megabite

Well, it snowed here in Detroit. And it’s super cute until your car gets stuck. I guess I should probably leave my car in it’s parking spot until spring and spend all of my time baking cookie bar mountain towns for all the mini deer and trees in my life. It’s the only answer that makes sense, ya know? So come on over! I’ll make you sit by my pink christmas tree with a  cookie bar feast and some hot cocoa to chug.

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bar Dough // take a megabite

Cindy told me about these back when she made them twice in one week! And I’ve wanted to make them ever since I saw her perfectly tetris-ed cookie stacks of my dreams. And guess what, Cindy’s not a liar! They are super good. I might even call them the bomb. I just might. You see, they’re made with  brown butter and cream cheese. This magical combo causes these to be almost cake-y and a touch tart. I mean, just make them! You’ll see what I mean!

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars // take a megabite

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars
Recipe adapted from Hungry Girl Por Vida

Ingredients:

  • 9 T unsalted butter
  • 4 oz. (half a bar) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 t vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 t baking powder
  • 3/4 t kosher salt, + 1/4t more for sprinkling*
  • 6 oz. dark chocolate chopped
  • 6 oz. peanut butter chips
  • 5 oz. toasted nuts, optional

* I used fleur de sel for sprinkling.

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease 9×13″ baking dish and line with parchment paper, grease again. Toast nuts, if using, for 5-10 minutes on a baking sheet.
  2. Brown the butter in a saucepan on medium-low, until milk solids are brown and the butter itself has darkened and smells like toffee. Remove from heat and scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl. Add the cream cheese and sugars, and beat for 5-7 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well, and scraping after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, while mixing on low, until just combined, leaving a few flour streaks. Fold in the chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips.
  4. Spread dough in the prepared pan until smooth. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the edges are deeply brown and the center is just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan.

Yay! Click HERE for a printable pdf of the recipe above.

Lately // take a megabite

Work Christmas party at The Lark // Yule be sorry! //
Fondue pot miracle // Kevin McCallister

38 thoughts on “Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars”

  1. I feel your pain, girl. I’m in MN and this winter’s been starting out with a bang. Lots of snow and a week straight of below zero temps. Oh, and I’ve got a broken and I’m on crutches. So yeah…this winter’s gonna be all about baking cookies and cakes. I’ll work it off at the gym in April.

  2. I saw your adorable photo on Instagram and couldn’t wait for the recipe. One q: When you say “4oz (half a bar), softened” I assume you mean the cream cheese, right?

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