Tuesday, March 7, 2023

News Flash: Kids beg for dessert with chocolate in it!

It's rare that bake something with chocolate in it that my kids beg me to make sure there's some for them. These bars - were that rare diamond in the rough. I made these for a Christmas lunch at work. It's not too fancy but pretty down home delicious - also bars are easy and soft delicious. Bronwyn was my taste tester and begged for left overs. Thank heavens there were left overs and they were able to enjoy more. I even made a pan for my family Christmas - which ended up in the freezer because our Christmas got pushed back a week... darn germs. So news you can use - they freeze well too! I'm glad I found something my kids love and it's even chocolate. This is similar to another chocolate chip cookie bar recipe but half the size... we hardly finish the giant pan - so this is smaller and more manageable. Also used melted butter so you can make them on the fly instead of waiting for butter to soften.

Soft M&M Cookie Bars

2 and 3/4 cups (343g) all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 230g) unsalted butter, melted & cooled for just 5 minutes
1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups (about 260g) mini or regular-size M&Ms
3/4 cup (135) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Adjust oven rack to the center rack position. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch metal or glass baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract. Pour this into the flour mixture and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, slick, and thick. Fold in the M&Ms and chocolate chips. The M&Ms and chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
Transfer dough to the prepared baking pan and press/smooth into an even layer. Bake for 26–30 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides and top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist (not wet) crumbs. Do not over-bake. If you notice the bars browning too much before 25 minutes, tent the pan with foil. Bars puff up in the oven, but settle as they cool.
Allow the bars to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least an hour. While they’re still warm, I like to press a few more M&Ms and chocolate chips into the tops, just for looks (optional!). Once relatively cool, lift the bars out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares.
Cover leftover bars and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

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