Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars {my favorite bar recipe!}

I know I post a lot of cookies. Like...a lot.of.cookies. I love cookies. Cookies are probably my dessert of choice. And I've already typed cookies several times and I've just started. Well, I'm not breakin' out the thesaurus. My point is I've baked a lot of cookies, and I have my "go-to" cookie recipe, but these are cookie BARS. Meaning, they are even easier because you don't have to measure them out, space them, stand near by to bake batch after batch. Yep...these are homemade cookies, made easier, and just as awesome. You're welcome.

This is my favorite cookie bar recipe to date. No waiting for butter to soften, no scooping out even amounts of dough, just mix it up, slap it in a pan, and bake. Did I mention they are soft, chewy and delicious? These were made with all chocolate chips, but we made some for Thanksgiving with chocolate chips and M and M's.

I like the ease of this recipe, and you can cut them into any size you want, so they can feed a crowd if needed. I hate to say how quickly the 4 of us can go through a batch. It's embarrassing. 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 1/8 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg
1 large egg yolk*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

*we have made this without the additional yolk and they were just as good, in my opinion

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 11x7 inch baking pan. (Can use a smaller pan for thicker bars or a 9x13 pan for thinner bars, adjust bake time accordingly.)
• In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until combined.
• Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the sugar mixture and mix well.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix just until combined; do not overmix. 
• Fold in chocolate chips. (Can reserve a few for the tops if desired.)
• Press the dough into prepared pan and level out with spatula (or hands). Sprinkle reserved chocolate chips on top if desired. 
• Bake approximately 25 minutes (depending on pan size), until the top of the bars are a light golden brown. They should still be a little glossy on top, like they are not quite fully baked so they will be nice and chewy.

Recipe Source: What Megan's Making

So...who's ready to make cookies?! Above is my favorite homemade cookie bar recipe (as of this posting anyway!), this is my favorite for individual cookies, and this is my favorite cookie bar using a cake mix!

I may be linking up at any of the following - (Monday) The Tumbleweed Contessa, The Dedicated House, Skip to my Lou, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Huckleberry Love (Tuesday) Mandy's Recipe Box, Sowdering About in Seattle, Naptime Creations, Memories By the Mile, VMG206, Anyonita Nibbles (Wednesday) The Newlyweds Pilgrimage, Fluster Buster, Ginger Snap Crafts, Naptime is My Time, Tessa the Domestic Diva (Thursday) Joyful Homemaking, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lamberts Lately (Friday) Project Inspire, Just Us Four, Diana Rambles, The Better Baker,Close to Home, Walking on Sunshine, Vintage Chic, Daily Dish