Recipe: Chocolate Chip & Pretzle Cookie Bars

We love prezles and chocolate chip cookies at our house, so this recipe was certainly worth trying.  You can't go wrong with a mix of sweet and salty.  This cookie is a perfect mix of chunky sweet dark chocolate chips, a hint of peanut butter and salty goodness.  I found it on a great baking blog called The Brown Eyed Baker.

Like any bar cookie, this was simple to make as you don't have to spoon out individual cookies.  Next time I make it, though, I'm gonna try to make single cookies.  I played with the drizzled chocolate a bit and melted white chocolate in the microwave, then stirred in a Tablespoon of peanut butter.  Then I carefully (it's hot!) poured it into a gallon sized plastic Ziploc, snipped the corner off, then drizzled it over the bars.  This was the first time I've sucessfully drizzled and it was so simple I can't believe I didn't try it before.

CHOCOLATE CHIP & PRETZLE COOKIE BARS
recipe from The Brown Eyed Baker


Makes 32 squares

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12-ounce bag bittersweet (or semisweet, if you prefer) chocolate chips (I used dark choc. chips)

1½ cups mini pretzel twists, coarsely chopped

¼ cup chocolate chips, for drizzling (optional) (I melted white chocolate, then mixed in peanut butter)

¼ cup peanut butter, for drizzling (optional)

¼ cup pretzels, crumbled, for topping (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

3. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and press it down evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely.

4. In separate sandwich size baggies, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cut off a small corner on each bag and drizzle the chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars. Sprinkle the extra crushed pretzels on top. Let set and then cut into squares.

Find a printable copy of the recipe here.
 
Enjoy!  Sarah
 
from the book "When We Were Very Young" (this was my Mum's book when she was litle)
by A. A. Milne
1950 E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York