Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Pretzel Crust

This was recently posted on the Tasty Kitchen Blog. I love cookie dough! I can eat it by the spoonful. These are yummy! Give them a try.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with pretzel crust:

Cookie dough:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 bag (11 oz) milk chocolate chips

Crust:

3 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper.

Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until just blended.

Combine flour, soda and salt. Gradually add to sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

For the crust, combine pretzels and butter. Spread mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes.

Here's the hard part: Drop large spoonfuls of cookie dough over pretzel crust. Using clean fingers, carefully spread the batter over the crust.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove when the bars are golden brown. When bars are cooled, remove from pan and cut.

Source: Tasty Kitchen Blog

Lemon Crinkles

I stumbled upon this recipe when I was volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House Charlotte. During my shift a cookie crew came in and baked these cookies. Normally I am all about chocolate in a cookie. If it doesn't have chocolate chips, i usually skip it! These smelled so good I had to try one and boy am I glad I did. If you volunteer to be a cookie crew you are asked to leave the recipe so people with food allergies are aware of the ingredients. Well... I copied the recipe they left behind and went home to make them. The recipe below is doubled from the one I copied. They turned out perfect!

Lemon Crinkles

1 cup shortening (Crisco)

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 TBSP lemon zest

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tarter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ginger

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and lemon zest. Combine flour, soda, tarter, salt and ginger. Add to sugar mixture until just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX. Shape into balls and roll in sugar. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies

These make a festive addition to any holiday table...

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies

Nonstick spray

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

6 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup finely chopped red and white striped hard peppermint candies or candy canes

2 oz white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stray 13x9x2 inch pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; immedieately sprinkle chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.

Melt white chocolate. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces. *Can be made 1 week ahead and stored in refrigerator in airtight containers between wax paper or parchment paper.

Source: Bon Appetit December 2009

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

For Playgroup on Izzy's birthday i decided to serve a special treat, homemade ice cream sandwiches. I have made them several times since upon my children's request. I made it easy by using Williams-Sonoma's Vanilla Ice Cream Starter. We made the vanilla ice cream according to package directions and then 5 minutes before hard freezing we added mini chocolate chips. It was very tasty. The chocolate chip cookies were just the right size and texture for the ice cream sandwiches.

Chocolate Chip Cookies.... a family recipe

1 cup crisco

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

6 oz chocolate chips

Cream crisco and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Whisk together flour, salt, and soda. Add and mix until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a small scoop, drop on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-11 minutes.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

My husband is more of a cookie dessert guy than fancy. So we make a lot of cookies at our house. These were in one of my Martha Stewart Living magazines. They definitely satisfy any craving for peanut butter. Paired with a tall glass of cold milk they make the perfect late night snack!

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

Put butter and sugars into bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs, then peanut butter.

Reduce to low speed and add in flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until just combined after each addition. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Drop dough using scoop. Press cookies with fork to flatten and create a cross-hatch pattern.

Bake until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

Cinnamon and Sugar is one of the best combinations.. These cookies are perfect!

Snickerdoodles

2 Tablespoons plus 3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/3 cup flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

Big pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put 2 TBSP sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl and stir to combine; set aside.

Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Mix.

Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in large mixing bowl. With mixer on low speed add the flour mixture and beat until the ingredients are well combined.

Roll 1 rounded teaspoonful of dough between your palms into a ball. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Put the sugar-coated ball on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake at 400 for 9-10 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen

Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

I also made this for the teacher breakfast. I figured one new recipe and one tried and true. The sausage balls were tried and true and now for the new! These were awesome. I found the recipe on joythebaker.com. I made gingerbread cinnamon chip biscotti this year for Christmas treats and they were awesome so when i saw this recipe i wanted to try it out. Cinnamon sugar is big in our house so i couldn't resist. I was not disappointed. Before they were finished baking we were eating the scraps from the ends after slicing! Yum! Pour a big glass of milk or mug of steamy hot coffee and dunk away!

Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

6 TBSP unsalted butter, room temp

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

For Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 beaten egg (for brushing biscotti before baking)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and arrange two baking racks in upper portion of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Also combine sugar and cinnamon for topping and set aside.

In large bowl of a stand mixer, fit with paddle, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down and beat in egg followed by egg yolk. Beat in vanilla.

Add all dry ingredients all at once. With mixer bring all the ingredients together until a somewhat stiff dough forms.

Divide the dough into two 9 inch long and 1 1/2 inch wide logs. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle very generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake the two sheets on the racks in oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheets for even baking and bake for 20 more minutes until golden and firm to the touch.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Using serrated knife cut logs into 1/2 inch diagonal slices. Place biscotti cut side down on baking sheet and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Bake again for 10 minutes.

Source: www.joythebaker.com