Chocolate chip cookies are one of the first cookies we all learn to bake and the one we keep going back to making more than others, because they are so easy and delicious every single time.

This time we will be making a chocolate chip cookie with a little twist — we will be making bars instead of cookies. The taste is going to be the same, just the shape will be different because I will be using a square pan, like the one for brownies, and will make a large cookie that will be cut into rectangles once baked. This is actually quicker as one doesn’t have to make so many balls of the dough.

You can use dark chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips.

Ingredients

• 100 grams unsalted butter, softened

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated or coarse sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method

Preheat the oven to 375, and line an 8x8-inch brownie pan with parchment paper or aluminium foil. I used foil to line because I didn’t have parchment paper. Leave excess foil on the sides so that you can remove it easily by pulling up from the sides

In a medium-sized bowl, cream butter and sugars with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until combined. Next, add flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and fold everything together until smooth. Finally add chocolate chips and fold lightly.

Spread the batter evenly in the baking tin. I used a peeler to add a bit of cooking chocolate flakes on top and bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The original recipe said it would bake in 15 minutes but, for some reason, it took me double the time.

The edges of the cookie should start to brown while the top may seem a bit soft. If you overcook, they’ll be too dry.

Cool in the pan for five minutes, and then use the extra foil edges to remove the cookie from the pan. Place them on a cooling rack, and let it cool completely before slicing and serving.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 9th, 2019