Few treats carry with them the nostalgia that these Classic Cookie Bars do. Each sweet, melt-in-your-mouth cookie, loaded with rich melted chocolate and crunchy nuts, brings back memories of happy childhoods and joyous desserts after a long day! Notes of brown sugar and vanilla make the Classic Cookie Bars even more delectable. Easy, speedy, and fun, these desserts are called “classic” for good reason!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups nuts, of your choice, optional, coarsely chopped (if not using nuts, double the amount of chocolate chips)
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper and aluminum foil with an overhang on two sides.
Step 3 –In a small bowl, stir the flour, the baking soda, and the salt together.
Step 4 –In a large mixing bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the butter, the sugar, the brown sugar, and the vanilla together until creamy.
Step 5 –Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, mixing well between each addition.
Step 6 –Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. The dough should be very thick.
Step 7 –Add the chocolate chips and the nuts, optionally reserving about 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips for the top, and mix on low speed until combined in the dough.
Step 8 –Press or spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
Step 9 –Press the reserved chocolate chips onto the top of the dough.
Step 10 –Bake until the top is golden-brown and the edges are set, about 20-25 minutes.
Step 11 –Allow the cookies to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes, and optimally until completely cool.
Step 12 –Slice and serve.
