Extra Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

If you love a buttery cookie with bite, try my grandma’s extra chewy chocolate chip cookie bars. They are loaded with chocolate chips!

At work this week the subject of every other email has been “treats in kitchen.” ‘Tis the season, I suppose.

With the cupcakes, brownies and other goodies, I will have no problem coming up with a resolution for January:

Do not indulge in food at the office!

No surprise, I’ve been devouring all those irresistible sweet gifts and baking some of my favorites to share.

My grandmother’s extra chewy chocolate chip cookie bars are legendary in our family.

Although it’s not because she was a big baker.

In fact, she didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. As a different woman for her generation, my grandfather did most of the cooking.

She was a busy woman who preferred focusing on work and the family business rather than domestic pursuits.

A Recipe And Family Memories

My grandmother clipped the recipe from the newspaper, and it has lived on for years.

Thanks to my mom, it’s handwritten on a dog-eared yellow index card.

My brother bakes them, and I do, too.

These cookies are buttery and irresistibly chewy with lots of chocolate chips, so it’s no wonder that we all love them so much.

Most importantly, it brings back wonderful memories of Grandma. Food is magic that can take you back to a time and place in a single bite. 

How To Make Extra Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars

The recipe is pretty straightforward.

The first step is to cream the granulated and brown sugar with the butter until it is light and fluffy. 

In my version, I tweak the amount of brown sugar that’s in the original recipe, but they still have a distinct molasses-y flavor that I remember so vividly.

Next you to beat in the egg followed by the vanilla extract. I tend to go a little over on vanilla extract, a purposeful, slightly off measurement.

The final step is to fold the combined dry ingredients into wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips. 

Besides how tasty they are, bar cookies are the best because you can cut them whatever size you want depending on how many people you are feeding.

Extra Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 22-25 minutes
• Total Time: 37-40 minutes
• Yield: 16 squares 1x

If you love a buttery cookie with bite, try my grandma’s extra chewy chocolate chip cookie bars. They are loaded with chocolate chips!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir in the chocolate chips. Transfer to the prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer.
4. Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Let the pan cool on a wire rack before cutting into 16 equal bars. Store in an airtight container.

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 22-25 minutes
• Total Time: 37-40 minutes
• Yield: 16 squares 1x