High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Perfectly chewy and dense, these High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are my current jam. I made them no less than a dozen times over the summer and they received rave reviews every single time I shared!

I love a simple chocolate chip cookie. In fact, aside from pie, it’s my dessert of choice. You just can’t beat a perfect chocolate chip cookie. So much beauty in it’s simplicity, you know? I guess that’s why you’ll find so many chocolate chip cookie recipes on my site! But lately I’ve found myself making cookie bars instead. It’s not like making a batch of cookies is tough or anything but bars are SO much less time intensive. So I guess they seem easier. I’m not tethered to the oven and the bars are just as tasty as a cookie in my opinion.

Apparently my boys and their friends would agree. You know the old adage ‘eating me out of house and home’? I’m starting to get it. Both the boys had playdates last Friday and between the 5 boys, they went through 1/2 gallon of milk, 3/4 bag of gold fish, 4 bananas, 3 apples and 1/2 a pan of these cookie bars. You guys. I can’t even. They’re eating food like it’s their life’s work. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when they’re teenagers. Sheesh!

One of the little boys just happened to be here the last time I made these and he felt like he’d hit the jackpot! He told my son that he’s “so lucky” his mom is always making chocolate chip cookies. It’s so not the case but I let him believe otherwise, taking any extra credit I can. Even if it’s a bit of a stretch!

Like any high altitude baking, it’s a whole lotta trial and error until you find the perfect recipe and then spend time and money tweaking the recipe until you get it to work in your kitchen. These bars bars were no different. I love this recipe because it’s heavy on the brown sugar which creates a chewier, more flavorful cookie. The extra egg yolk gives a little bit of richness and moisture. I like that the bars are dense and chewy in the middle but the outsides are a little more crispy and cookie like. Obviously you could swap the mini chips for regular chips or even chunks of your favorite chocolate bar but I like how the mini chips ensure a little bit of chocolate in every bite!

Hope you all had a great weekend and an even better week ahead. Thanks for reading! xo, Kelley

High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews

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Ingredients

• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (or your favorite chocolate chip)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.
2. Lightly butter a 9X13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
3. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
4. With a hand mixer, whisk the melted butter and both the brown and granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined, taking care not to over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Evenly press the cooking dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula or wooden spoon.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 22-26 minutes just until the top of the bars is starting to brown. Remove the bars from the oven and let fully cool before cutting into 24 squares.