These cookie bars are what happens when you can’t be bothered to scoop individual cookies onto a tray — and honestly, I think they might be better than the original. The edges get beautifully crispy while the middle stays wonderfully chewy and soft. Plus, they take about five minutes to throw together, which makes them dangerously easy to make on a whim.
I brought a batch to a friend’s house last weekend and the tin came back empty with a note that simply said “more please.”
Ingredients
- 250g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 200g light brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 350g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 200g dark chocolate chips
- 100g milk chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 23x33cm baking tin with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the melted butter and both sugars until smooth and slightly thick. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Fold together until just combined — don’t overmix. Fold in both types of chocolate chips.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared tin. It will seem like quite a thin layer, but they’ll puff up nicely.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes until golden on top but still slightly soft in the middle. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately. Leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting into bars.
The secret to the perfect texture is pulling them out while they still look slightly underdone. They set as they cool and you’ll be rewarded with that ideal balance of crisp edges and a chewy, fudgy centre. Store in an airtight tin for up to five days — if they last that long.
