Super Easy Chocolate Chip Bars

Warning: The world's easiest chocolate chip cookie bar recipe is located below.

A couple of years ago, I asked my mom to put together a family recipe box for me.  I wanted to have some default recipes I knew I could count on in cooking and baking situations.  One of the recipes she included which I have turned to a countless number of times is a recipe for Chocolate Chip Bars given to her by her mom years and years ago.  I am not quite sure where the original recipe came from.  All I know is that it is fool-proof.  Seriously.

Below I am including the original Chocolate Chip Bars recipe that calls for regular semi-sweet chocolate chips. However, before you go thinking that this is a plain chocolate chip bar recipe, think again, my friend. The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you can substitute the chocolate chips out for tons of different things.  I have made substitutions time and time again.  If you are feeling like nuts, just add some pecans.  If you have cranberries and white chocolate chips, just add those.  One time I crushed up some Butterfinger bars, mixed them into the batter, and still the bars turned out beautifully.  They just turn out great every time!  It is quite amazing.  When I made these cookie bars this weekend for a church event, I added some mint and dark chocolate chips to the batter.  The whole bar ended up tasting like a minty little treat!

(PS- If you experiment with this cookie bar recipe, I would love know how it goes!  It would be great to hear if they turned out as well as I am claiming.)

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Chocolate Chip Bars

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Take out a 9x13 pan and spray thoroughly with cooking spray.

Mix together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.  Add the egg.  Mix well.  Stir in the flour, vanilla, soda, and salt.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Spread batter over the 9x13 pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Cool and enjoy!

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