Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

​Surely, I'm not the only mom with a teenager who forgets until 9:30 at night to tell me that he needs treats for school for the following morning?  I will spare you all of the "not so pleasant" details of the conversation regarding these much needed snacks but I should tell you in his defense however, that he did offer to make the snacks himself.  With my son standing in front of me, I had a split second decision to make: allow my 16 year old to make a batch of cookies - unassisted - and face the mess that would inevitably be left in the kitchen or --- bake them myself.  As much as I love to have him help in the kitchen, I decided that I didn't have enough energy to clean up after him that night.  (Sometime's it's just quicker and easier to make something myself.)  I turned to a recipe for chocolate chip cookie cake on Thatssoyummy.com because it was the easiest thing that I could thing of to make on such short notice.  

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
1 stick butter, unsalted
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Cream the butter, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined.

Add the egg.

​Add the dry ingredients and combine.

​Add the chocolate chips and mix for a few seconds until combined.

Scrape the batter into a greased and lined 9-inch round (or square) cake pan.  

​Bake until lightly golden and puffy around the edges (the center should still feel quite soft), 18 – 22 minutes.

​Cool for 10 minutes and then run a paring knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. 
Cool for at least 4 hours before turning the cake out of the pan and onto a large plate.
Slice then serve…

​So if any of you are faced with a late night baking project, try this chocolate chip cookie cake.  Kids love it.

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe