Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars with Hot Fudge

June. Summer again, but a different summer — a pandemic summer, a summer where the pool might not open and the Livestock Expo is canceled and the things that children do in Nebraska summers are replaced by the things children do in pandemic summers, which is: be home. Be home and be bored and be together and be home. The togetherness is both gift and challenge. The gift is presence. The challenge is that presence, in large doses, in a three-bedroom house with four children and two adults and one bathroom upstairs, tests the structural integrity of love.

Tyler turned thirteen on June 1. A teenager. My first biological child is a teenager, which is a milestone I knew was coming and which still feels sudden, like a train you see approaching for miles and which still startles you when it arrives. We had a small party — just us, just the six, a cake (chocolate sheet cake, always), presents (a fishing rod from Dave, a new video game from me, a card from Gayle with twenty dollars mailed inside because Gayle cannot come to the party but the twenty dollars can). Tyler blew out thirteen candles and did not make a wish, or made one silently, the way thirteen-year-old boys do everything: silently, internally, in the private country of early adolescence where parents are not granted visas.

I made Tyler's favorite dinner — pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, fries. The pulled pork came from the slow cooker (root beer, pork shoulder, BBQ sauce — the recipe that has been in this family for ten years and will be in this family for fifty more). Tyler ate three sandwiches. Justin ate four, because Justin will not be outperformed, even at a birthday dinner that is not his. The competition is silent and constant and I pretend not to notice.

Chocolate sheet cake is the non-negotiable in this family — it has been since before Tyler was born, and it will be long after he’s outgrown birthdays that still feel like a big deal to his mother. But some years call for something a little extra, a little more celebratory than “usual,” and a pandemic birthday with thirteen candles felt like exactly that kind of year. These edible chocolate chip cookie dough bars with hot fudge are what I reach for when I want chocolate to feel like more of an event — no oven required for the dough, no elaborate decorating, just layers of something deeply good piled into a pan and cut into squares for whoever shows up hungry.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 2 hrs 35 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

Cookie Dough Layer:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (heat-treated; see step 1)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fine salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Hot Fudge Topping:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Heat-treat the flour. Spread flour in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes, or microwave in a bowl in 30-second bursts until it reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Spread on a plate to cool completely before using. This step makes the flour safe to eat raw.
Make the cookie dough. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the cooled heat-treated flour and salt, mixing on low until a thick dough forms. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips by hand.
Press into the pan. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. Press the cookie dough into the pan in an even layer using lightly floured hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips over the top and press them gently into the surface. Refrigerate while you make the hot fudge.
Make the hot fudge. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the heavy cream, chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, and salt. Stir constantly until the chocolate is fully melted and the sauce is smooth and glossy, about 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Top and chill. Pour the warm hot fudge evenly over the chilled cookie dough layer and spread with an offset spatula. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours, until the fudge layer is fully set.
Cut and serve. Use the parchment overhang to lift the slab out of the pan onto a cutting board. Slice into 16 bars with a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts for neat edges. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars with Hot Fudge — The Birthday Chocolate That Always Shows Up