Best Cookie Bar Recipe

Cookies are a favorite for everyone. While most people enjoy eating them, there are some who don’t necessarily love making them. I’m told by my non-cookie baking friend that the reasons she avoids baking cookies are the monotonous chore of scooping and dropping each cookie, and then waiting for the multiple batches to bake. The answer to these cookie baking issues is the cookie bar. Cookie bars taste like a delicious cookie, but they are much easier, and faster to bake. They can also be decorated and presented as a birthday cake substitute for those non cake eating people. This is an awesome cookie bar recipe I have recently found and tweaked. The combination and taste of the different flavors in this bar are phenomenal, and the texture is soft with a very subtle crunch. Whether you love baking (or just love eating) cookies this recipe is simple and delicious. It’s the best cookie bar recipe I have found!

• add your favorite sprinkles on top before baking for a festive look
• pipe a buttercream border around this giant cookie, then add a birthday pick and candles http://hubpages.com/hub/WhatistheDifferenceBetweenButtercreams
• top with vanilla ice cream and your favorite sauce for an ice cream sunday
• melt chocolate chips and fill a zip lock bag with the melted chocolate, snip off the corner of the bag, then zig zag chocolate across the bars for a cool effect
• use cookies cutters to cut into different shapes when cool
• try adding crushed candy canes or mint flavored chocolate chips for the holidays

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 c. peanut butter (chunky or creamy)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. oatmeal

1 c. coconut flakes (If you don’t like coconut, you can just use 2 c. oatmeal)

1 bag chocolate chips (I use dark chocolate!)

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. After that, cream the butter and sugars. Now add the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter and mix well. Next, pour in the flour, salt, soda, and oats and combine completely. Then stir in the chocolate chips. Finally, spread the cookie mixture into a well greased 12x16 jelly roll pan. Be careful not to spread the dough all the way to the edge; it will spread while baking. Bake in the oven for about 20 min. Remove it promptly when done. The top of the bar will be an even, golden brown color and the center will feel firm. Cool completely and then cut into bars.