Thursday, January 18, 2018

Frigid Weather = Comfort Food (Dessert!)

.....and comfort food includes desserts and sweets too!



While most of the country is in a deep freeze, there may be some of you that are still enjoying a balmy 80 degrees. You'll want to turn your oven on for these too.

We all have made the chocolate chip cookie bars from the back of the chocolate chips at least a hundred times, right?



Well, I am tired of those. The last time I made them they were too thin and too crunchy.

I searched for a new recipe and the one that I found is so good that I made two batches, one after the other while the oven was hot. I need one batch for an event this weekend and I could not bear to bring them all and not have any for home!

My new favorite word to describe something really, really good is Ridiculous.

These chocolate chip cookie bars are RIDICULOUS.



Delicious Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars
(they had me with this title)

Ingredients

2 1/8 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter ( 1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the flour, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into a prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from the sides of the pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Lift bars out of the pan with the foil edges and cut into squares.



TIPS:

I followed this recipe to a tee. I usually "cheat" and put everything into the electric mixer but I think the hand stirring is what keeps these so fluffy and light.

It took mine the full 28 minutes to be done.

A good baker has to test her goods. I trim the ends off to a straight edge and eat that slice of goodness. There are no calories in the ends.


Start your new year off with some comfort food and chocolate chips. You have the whole rest of the year to work the calories off!

AnnMarie xoxo

28 comments :

  1. Oh my, these have my mouth watering like crazy! They look amazing, my friend. I wish I could come over and enjoy a piece...or two along with some sweet fellowship {{smiles}}

    Stay warm, dear one! Thinking of you! Hugs

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  2. This looks SO good. If I wasn't traveling tomorrow, I would go to the kitchen and make this RIGHT NOW!

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  3. Oh wow, my mouth is watering looking at these, AnnMarie!! And now? I'm off in search of some chocolate, thank you very much!! :)

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  4. Hi AnnMarie: I vote for desserts as comfort food too! These look especially good. I have a stew simmering on the stove as we speak..Happy Thursday..Judy

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  5. Looks delish - I saved your recipe to try out soon! THX

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  6. That sounds delicious! My mother always made chocolate chip cookie bars instead of cookies. I have not had these in years so I am copying this recipe over to my files.
    Hope you have a good blessed weekend. xo Diana

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  7. WHOA! These look so yummy. choco chip ANYTHING is my fav!

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  8. Thanks. My hips thank you. My butt thanks you. This weather is killing my diet haha! These do look RIDICULOUS . . . in such a good/bad way. Thanks for sharing - also glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks that trimmed edge has no calories!

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  9. Oh my ! These look so dang good . Wish i had one with a cup of coffee . Yum . Hugs and blessings , Cindy

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  10. Looks delicious! That must be why I like the corners then, since there's no calories in the ends! I love that you said that; it made me smile.

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  11. I baked in jelly roll pan, using cookie cutters, cut into shapes and my whisk,drizzled the tops by melting chocolate and peanut butter together.
    Go ahead and make your loved ones some heart shaped cookies for Valentine's Day

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  12. I have a good recipe for chocolate chip bars, but yours sounds and looks even better! I will have to give them a try! I love making these, because they are so much quicker than waiting for each individual batch of cookies to bake. Glad you found such a "ridiculously yummy" recipe and sharing it with us :)

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  13. This will be a great comfort food dessert to help get you through a very cold day! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

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  14. Yum! I love that the ends have no calories, too! Pinning these just because they look so 'ridiculous' :) xx Karen

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  15. I think I have had these and they are so yummy! I am pinning and going to whip some up soon. :) Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  16. Bom aspecto. Deve ser delicioso. Boa semana. Cumprimentos.

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  17. THis looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

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  18. AnnMarie, I swear sometimes I think we are twins separated at birth! Yes, I, too, sample my baked goods by trimming off the edges (and eating ALL of them, I might add), and no, of course they don't have any calories! These look so good - thick and chewy? I'm in!

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  19. Those look delicious! I am going to have to try them this weekend!

    xo Dianne

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  20. AnnMarie, now you shouldn't be tempting us this time of year! We are all trying to diet! Having said that, I had a giant cookie and a brownie yesterday. I've lost all control! Chocolate chip cookies are probably my very favorite. I know these bars would be decadent. :)

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  21. Congratulations!
    Your awesome post is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. I just pinned it to our Featured board and enjoy your new Red Plate! Thanks so much for sharing with us and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

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  22. Wow AnneMarie these chocolate chip bars sound like they are pretty easy to make and look so delicious. Thanks for the recipe to make them.
    Hope you are staying warm. Enjoy the end of the week and weekend.
    Julie xo

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  23. They sound delicious, I would love to give them a try. In this cold weather calories are almost a must :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  24. Yum! Although I have sworn off of baking, cookies are my favorite dessert, and nothing is going to keep me from making them. However, making cookies as easily as possible is what I'm all about, and this recipe looks super easy and super delicious. Thanks for sharing, I'm trying these. Have a great weekend.

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  25. I had a recipe many years ago for chocolate chip cookie bars and lost it. This looks very similar. Can't wait to make them and see. You are being featured at Over The Moon party today.
    Hugs,
    Bev

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  26. I'm drooling over these, AnnMarie. The fact that it's almost time for lunch and my stomach is growling doesn't help! LOL

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  27. I know you love to bake, as I do, AnnMarie, and because I've seen many of your culinary creations, I completely believe you on this one; these look and sound RIDICULOUSLY scrumptious!

    Happy weekend,
    Poppy

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