Chocolate Chip Butter Bars

Chocolate Chip Butter Bars

My entire childhood was devoid of butter.

I mean, there was good reason for it. When my father had a triple bypass relatively early in my life, my mother overhauled the kitchen. If there had been butter before, it was gone forever. So I never knew what it tasted like, much less how it could elevate a baked good.

Believe me, I’m making up for lost time here. This is my favorite cookie bar base, which has very few ingredients, so it’s easy to throw together as well as delicious. I’ve filled it with milk chocolate chips and spread melted milk chocolate on top. Really, life doesn’t get much better than this.

Chocolate Chip Butter Bars

With Passover approaching in five days, I have to enjoy the good desserts while I can. It is possible to have delicious baked goods on Passover (which I’ll be sharing via my Passover Edition in coming posts), but working without standard flour is a real challenge.

Enough of that. I’ve done my complaining about Passover, so I’ll now transition to complaining about germs. In a family my size, they hop from one person to another and then back, sickening everyone. And they’re typically viral germs, which means there’s no quick solution or cure.

Chocolate Chip Butter Bars

Over the past month, we’ve been in the land of strep, followed by flu, followed by an unidentifiable sickness that looks and acts a lot like flu. Just as soon as someone recovers, someone else goes down. It’s making me wish I’d sprung for the hospital-grade thermometer instead of the reasonably priced one at CVS that kinda sorta works.

Luckily, outside temps are finally in the upper 70s to low 80s, which means I’ve flung open the windows to let the germs out and the fresh air in. I can see a change coming, everyone. The good days will be upon us any day now, and there will be sunshine and health and cheer. I’m so excited.

Chocolate Chip Butter Bars

In no time at all, the school year will be ending and I’ll be getting ready for yet another summer of fun. While my favorite part of teaching is actually being in the classroom, a nice perk is looking forward to the long, lazy days of summer. It’ll be nice toย have a change of pace away from all the germs.

Chocolate Chip Butter Bars

To celebrate prematurely, I’ve got these bars. They’re keeping me company this week as our fridge empties for Passover and switches from standard food to what-in-the-heck-is-that. I’m bringing these to work with me, but I’m not sharing. They’re too good for that.

As is my habit, I’ve used milk chocolate chips. As much as I love all chocolate, I have a special place in my heart for the creaminess of milk. It makes so many desserts just a little bit better.

Chocolate Chip Butter Bars

I hope that your life is free of disease right now and that you’re barreling toward summer with as much joy as I am. Here’s to a good week, everyone!

 

Chocolate Chip Butter Bars

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups milk chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough to hang over the sides. Coat with cooking spray.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the margarine and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again. Gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in half of the milk chocolate chips.
  3. Pat the cookie dough onto the prepared pan evenly. Bake for 20 minutes.
  4. Remove the pain from the oven and sprinkle on the remaining cup of chocolate chips evenly over the top. Turn the oven off and return the pan to the oven for five minutes.
  5. Take the pan out once more and spread the melted chocolate over the bars.
  6. Let the chocolate set overnight. If you're in a hurry, 30 minutes in the fridge will also work, but your top might crack as you cut it.
  7. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.
http://justaboutbaked.com/chocolate-chip-butter-bars/

 

 

Mir

I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner. This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker. Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.

This Post Has 29 Comments

  1. Medha @ Whisk & Shout

    Milk chocolate chips are the best! These butter cookie bars look amazing- stay healthy and enjoy the weather ๐Ÿ™‚
    Medha @ Whisk & Shout recently posted…{Vegan} Banana, Blueberry, Coconut, and White Chocolate MuffinsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I totally will, Medha! 80 today!

  2. Aria

    No butter? AHH That’s terrible! Please, over here, we love butter so much that once my little brother actually took a stick and bit into it. It’s good you’re making up for lost time ๐Ÿ˜‰ And these look delicious! Anything with chocolate and butter, right? And I’m really quite interested to see your Passover recipes.
    Aria recently posted…Little ThingsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      That sounds kinda gross, but I’m sure he enjoyed it. I still can’t have butter on its own, but I love baking it into things!

  3. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust

    See, even when my mom had her (second) stent…the butter stayed. Which is why I’ll never be thin!! ๐Ÿ™‚ I love these bars, I’d eat the whole pan. Germs…don’t get me started!
    Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted…No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding PieMy Profile

    1. Mir

      You’re gorgeous, Dorothy. And butter is definitely special!

  4. Vivian | stayaliveandcooking

    Can I order a batch please? These look delicious!
    Vivian | stayaliveandcooking recently posted…Coffees at Barista Cafe in BredaMy Profile

    1. Mir

      These are seriously my lunch today, and I’m not sharing! ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Megan - The Emotional Baker

    So sorry your family’s been under the weather! But these bars would certainly help anyone feel better ๐Ÿ™‚ Decadent treats are the best!
    Megan – The Emotional Baker recently posted…Dirt CookiesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      They are totally the best. They make me happy!

  6. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    So glad you’ve made up for no butter when you were younger! But it’s definitely understandable, though. And I’m loving the warm weather, too! I’ve been airing out my house like crazy! These bars look incredible, Mir. I just want to dig right into them!
    Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Strawberry Nutella Overnight Oats {And A New Design!}My Profile

    1. Mir

      Seriously making up for lost time, right? But I’m doing it as much as I can!

  7. Kate @ Framed Cooks

    I’m all for celebrating both feeling better and feeling warmer (yay for 80 degrees today!) with these delectable bars – bring on the butter! Happy Monday, Mir!
    Kate @ Framed Cooks recently posted…One Bowl Suppers: Tuna with Roasted FennelMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I’m SO excited about wearing a sundress today, Kate!

  8. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy

    I am glad that you are making up for lost time when it comes to butter! I think I must have eaten your share of butter when I was a kid haha.
    Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Eggplant Parmesan by DanniiMy Profile

    1. Mir

      At least someone did, Dannii! I really had none that I can remember!

  9. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

    You grew up without butter?! I’m so sorry to hear that. And to hear about your father! Hugs girlfriend. But I would say you have totally made up for all the butter lack in your early years here on your site. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Butta’ for everyone! These bars look FAB!! I don’t celebrate Passover, but I’m thinking I might start to celebrate it daily so I have an excuse to eat these on the regular. Te-he! Cheers, girlfriend!
    P.S. I hope everyone in your house starts to feel better soon!!! Fingers crossed!
    Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…One Skillet Cumin-Lime Chicken and Rice with Avocado-Pineapple Salsa {& A Giveaway}My Profile

    1. Mir

      My dad is just fine, thanks to a no-butter diet. But boy, is it good stuff. And Passover makes me bake up everything in sight!

  10. Amanda

    I’m so happy about the warmer temperatures and fewer colds. I usually like fall and winter, but it seemed to go on forever this time around, and I was getting really sick of runny nose after runny nose.
    These are just the kind of bars that are super tempting to me. I could eat these up pretty quickly, and sometimes I just really get in the mood for milk chocolate!
    Amanda recently posted…Butter CoffeeMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I never like the colder months, so I’m super happy right now!

  11. Jessica @ Citrus Blossom Bliss

    Today was the first day it was warm enough for a skirt at work…I was so excited!!! Also, my waistline says “oh, no” to the words “butter bars”, but my heart says “I NEED THAT”. I totally wouldn’t want to share these either!
    Jessica @ Citrus Blossom Bliss recently posted…Blogging Photography BasicsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I wore a cute sundress and it was such a happy feeling!

  12. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom

    Mir, these bars .. OH MY GAWD! They look soooooooo good! Holy crap! well, I hope no one else in your family gets sick! so hooray for the sunshine, health and cheer, like you said!!!!
    Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom recently posted…Leek Potato and Fennel SoupMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Sunshine always feels like a natural healer. I know it’s bad for us, but it small doses it’s the best. And a natural source of Vitamin D, too!

  13. Manali @ CookWithManali

    you make the best bars Mir, so fudgy and thick, love these ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Mir

      Thanks, Manali. I take my bars VERY seriously.

  14. Michele @ Alwayzbakin

    These bars look SO thick and buttery! My mom never bought butter when I was a kid either. Once I started baking as an adult and using it, I couldn’t believe how good it was and what I had been missing. I hope your family is all feeling better and germ-free!
    Michele @ Alwayzbakin recently posted…Texas Sheet CakeMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Butter makes ALL the difference!

  15. Pingback: Celebrate Ice Cream Day with Goodness A La Mode | Cheddarโ€™s Scratch Kitchen

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