Coffee Cookie Bars

I go through phases with my baking. Sometimes it seems like I make nothing but bar cookies. Other times I look through my posts and I realize that I haven’t made bar cookies in forever. I wanted to change that this week, also with the hopes that I would be able to take the cookies into work to share. Due to my disorganization, that didn’t happen, but in the end, it allowed me to taste the cookies at different points in time, which was helpful.

These cookies are interesting, in that the topping is made of primarily sweetened condensed milk. It seems like you have a lot of milk but when you pour it on the bars it is the thinnest of layers. It bubbles while it is in the oven and it retains that bubbly look, although that is less obvious once the bars are cut. At first, I thought that I had baked the base too long, but after 24 hours I am not so sure.

You make a fairly standard base, with some espresso powder, and bake that for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes the cookies didn’t look done, but I think I should not have worried about that. I put them in for another few minutes, which resulted in a very crunchy cookie. I thought I should have left it as is, but then after I cut the cookies and they sat overnight, the base softened somewhat. I do prefer them less crunchy, but that’s me. The topping becomes something like a frosting when you eat them, which is lovely. I can barely taste coffee, as I didn’t use very much, but you could certainly add more coffee if you are making them for a coffee lover.

Coffee Cookie Bars
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoons espresso powder

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
Salt, for finishing

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium until combined. Add the flour, chocolate chips, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and espresso powder and mix on low until the dough comes together.
Press the mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. While the bars are baking, make the topping.

In a small saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk and the butter. Heat on low, stirring frequently, until smooth. Make sure that the mixture doesn’t burn. Just before the bars come out of the oven, remove the sweetened condensed milk mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Once the bars look set, remove from the oven, and pour the sweetened condensed milk mixture over the bars, ensuring that the mixture covers evenly.

Bake for an additional 10 minutes. When you remove the bars from the oven, the topping will be bubbling. Sprinkle the pan with salt. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe from Kroll’s Korner