Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Recipe

I love to make cookie bars instead of individual cookies because it saves a lot of time over forming and dropping each cookie onto the sheet. I made a few tweaks in a recipe I usually use in a cookbook and think these are the best cookie bars ever.

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup Grade B maple syrup

1/2 cup Demarana Sugar (you can identify it by its larger crystals)

1 cup butter, at room temperature (no substitutes)

2 t vanilla

1 large egg

2 1/4 cups flour (scant)

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

12 ounces milk chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat the sugars, maple syrup, and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Do not over mix. It is good to have some lumps of butter. Add the vanilla and egg and mix some more.

3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt--again, do NOT overmix. Just make sure to incorporate all dry ingredients.

4. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

5. Using a spatula, put dough into an ungreased 9"x13" metal pan. To spread dough to all edges evenly, wash your hands well and then leave them wet with cold water. Use your wet hands to press the dough evenly around the pan. If it starts to stick, re-wet your hands.

6. Bake 15-20 minutes and cool completely before cutting.

7. Store in an airtight container with a slice of bread (it helps the cookies stay moist!) When the bread dries out, replace it with a fresh slice.