By Brayden turned four Sunday September 28. The small fourth-birthday-party was at our apartment Saturday afternoon. Brayden is two hundred and nine weeks old. Eden is one year and fifteen weeks. The chocolate chip cookie dough bars were the small birthday-table dessert.
The cookie dough bars are a small layered bar — a brown-sugar-and-chocolate-chip cookie-dough base (egg-free for food-safety), a small ganache-and-chocolate-chip top.
Saturday I made a pan. Sunday Brayden had a small piece for breakfast.
Brayden has been the small enthusiastic-helper at the kitchen-counter on Sunday afternoons. He hands me ingredients. He stirs the small mixing bowl. He watches the small kitchen-process with the small intent-attention of the small kid-who-might-become-a-cook-someday. The small hereditary-pattern is in the small early-signs.
Eden has been the small attentive-baby-toddler. She watches her big-brother. She mimics the small ages-three-up-to-his behavior. The small younger-sibling shape is appearing in the small everyday-rhythm.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes + cooling | Servings: 24 bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting. Lightly grease the parchment.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Combine wet and dry. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips and the nuts, if using. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of chips for the top.
- Spread and top. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and spread it evenly with the spatula — the dough will be thick. Scatter the reserved chocolate chips over the top and press them in gently. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
- Bake. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The center may look slightly underdone — that’s what you want for a fudgy, cookie-dough texture.
- Cool completely. Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting. Use the parchment overhang to lift the slab out of the pan, then cut into 24 bars.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 218 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 142mg