This past week my Handsome Hubby held a critique at his fire department for a recent structure fire. It helps all those involved improve their responses in the future. They are held after any major incident in town. As he was telling me the date of the meeting he said he would pick up a couple packages of cookies at the store to go along with the coffee. Really?!? I am known in the fire departments in all the surrounding towns for my cookies and you're going to buy store bought #4@&. He didn't want to intrude on my time. I said I had a few quick recipes I could whip up. Bars are much faster than cookies. After posting a picture and brief story on Instagram I was asked for the recipes.
Notes: I use organic ingredients and real butter - please ( I beg of you) no margarine. I prefer bittersweet chocolate chips and hubby prefers white chocolate. When making them at home we add nuts, usually pecans but, I know one of the firefighters is allergic so I don't add them for functions. What I am saying, is mix it up a little and make it your own. This cookie recipe involves less dishes as well; just one measuring cup. A 3/4 cup scooped 3 times in flour is 2 1/4 cups (blew my kids minds as little ones). And the brownies are stirred in one pot. What good is an easy recipe if you spend the next hour washing dishes?
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 egg for cookies – 3 eggs for bars
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 cups (or 1 12oz. bag) chips
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
Blend sugars and butter together. Mix in egg. Sift flour, baking soda and salt together. Add to butter mixture just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Cookie: Drop by rounded teaspoonful about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Bars: Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan until of even thickness. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
Mexican Brownies
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat; do not boil. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon (I use a whisk) until combined.
Add the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, chili powder, salt and baking powder and mix until smooth. Spread the batter in a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy (I test it by shaking the pan slightly - as soon as the middle doesn't jiggle they are done), 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack.