Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Although I am not a huge fan of baking cookies, I do enjoy making these chocolate chip cookie bars for my family! This recipe comes together quickly, and produces delicious cookie bars from scratch (so much better than pre-made cookie mixes!). For variety, substitute butterscotch, mint chocolate, or dark chocolate chunks for the chocolate chips. You can also leave out the chocolate entirely and substitute dried fruit for the chocolate chips (dried cranberries and coconut are a favorite!).

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla just until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to brown sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Spread into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan (you can also use a cast iron skillet or a 10 inch round baking dish instead). Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for around 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and then cut into bars. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information: Serving size: 1 bar | Servings per recipe: around 20 | Per Serving: 102 kCal | 4 g. fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat | 72 mg sodium | 11.9 g carbohydrates, 16 g fiber, 12 g. sugar | 1 g protein

* Recipe adapted from Taste of Home