Sometimes chocolate makes everything better. Or at least that’s what we’re sometimes led to believe. And why not? It can certainly make us feel good for a moment and take our mind off whatever is weighing heavy. I promised a friend I’d keep her in chocolate on Monday, and had every intention of making a batch of cookies, using a new recipe I had found. A typo in the recipe led to that batch being thrown away, and me scrambling at the last minute. I had to follow through on my promise. Chocolate.
I grabbed a cookbook off my shelf and started thumbing through it, looking for a delicious recipe. With chocolate. And ingredients I had on hand. And something easy since I was a bit behind schedule. I spied the picture for Chocolate Chip Dream Bars and was hoping it would do the trick.
Now even if you don’t cool the bars in the pan for an hour before refrigerating, these are good. Even if you refrigerate them for way longer than the suggested hour, these are really good. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing some of the directions are a bit forgiving, because I was in a rush and didn’t have time to follow it to the letter. Once the dish came out of the oven, I quickly did the glaze, drizzled it on and popped the whole thing in the fridge for a few hours, hoping I wasn’t ruining it in the process.
A few minutes before I left the house, I took the bars out, cut them neatly and plated them up. I stole one and ate it on the ride over. You know, quality control and all that. OMG. Rich. Chocolatey. Slightly gooey and soft. My first thought was that it’s a good thing I was taking 90% of these out of the house, because faint sweet tooth or not, I don’t think I would be able to withstand the temptation. My second thought was that if a bite of these babies doesn’t momentarily transport you to your happy place, I don’t know what will. I snuck one off the plate and shared it with another friend in the car pool lane. The kids after school got some. My mom got a few. A neighbor too. There are exactly six left on the plate in the kitchen. I told the babysitter she better come and get her share. Before they’re gone. Go on and make them. Please. And find your happy place.
Project 365
February 9, 2010, Photo #39
My apologies in advance to anyone who has these curtains. I really don’t like them. They’re just not me. And they are on four windows in the kitchen. I bought them four years ago when we first put this house up for sale. I had something a little darker in the kitchen, and went with a more neutral curtain to stage the house a bit. They’ve been there ever since. They need to go. The kitchen is my next painting project and will soon be a pale ice blue, the same blue I did the living room ceiling in. All the cabinets are white. The countertop is beige, as is the floor. I feel like I’ve looked everywhere to find the perfect kitchen curtains and I’m still coming up empty. I want something light. Bright. Fun. Everything I see is either too dark, too floral, too frou-frou or too predictable. Open to suggestions – have you got one? Please say yes.
Chocolate Chip Dream Bars
Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker’s Baking for Today
Bars
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 bag (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
Chocolate Glaze
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup brown sugar and the butter. Stir in 1 cup flour. Press in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Bake 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix eggs, 1 cup brown sugar and the vanilla. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour, the baking powder and salt. Stir in semisweet and milk chocolate chips. Spread over crust.
- Bake bars 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
- In 1-quart saucepan, heat all Chocolate Glaze ingredients over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted. Drizzle glaze over cooled bars. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. Store at room temperature.
Chocolate definitely transports me to a happy place. Especially chocolate with a brown sugar crust.
chocolate bars with a chocolate glaze? yeah, those’d take me to a happy place posthaste.
and i won’t even try to make an interior decorating suggestion to you–i’m completely inept at it. :)
Definately a chocoholics dream come true. Glad they turned out so good fudging (yes, pun intended) on the directions……
I LOVE the recipe and think I will make that since we are all snowbound. Not a good thing because I will eat more than I want to but they look soooo good! I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the curtains!!!! They are cute and since my blog is Mocha Me…how could I possibly not like them! They may not be you but they scream me!!!! lol…..
Debbie – they’re all yours if you want them! Maybe it’s because I don’t drink coffee. ;)
Ramona – love the fun pun!
Grace – I’m all for quick trips to our happy place. :)
Joanne – and the crust is a little bit shortbready to boot, which means they cut neatly, something I’m a little fanatical about.
Oh, I so could use a trip to my happy place! I’ve had my mail forwarded there, but can’t seem to find a regular time to visit! :-) The bars look scrumptious!
I can never have enough chocolate! Dark chocolate is my favorite though, and it’s healthy too! :)
The bars look fantastic, I love the chocolate glaze!
Just looking at the photo of the bars made me HAPPY!
If I had the ingredients in the house, I would make these right now! I would love to find a happy place – preferably where there is no snow :)
Oh wow, a pale ice blue sounds so peaceful for a kitchen. I love to paint but some some reason the kitchen always puts me off! These dream bars look wonderful and I could definitely use one today since chocolate can cure just about anything. Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day.
those bars look divine! i love chocolate, makes me really want to go bake something :) thank you for visiting! susan
Mmm, chocolate dream bars.
If I’m dreaming, please don’t wake me!
These look great. And, I measured yesterday that I have one measly cup of flour on hand. So bingo.
Do you think it would be ok to just use semisweet choc on hand.
I’m guessing they use both for a bit of contrast? To me they taste pretty similar. I have semi sweet chips on hand but no milk.
Thanks!!
Betsy – I’m sure it would be fine. I think I actually used all milk chocolate. Honestly, I tend to gloss over that stuff and use what I have on hand. ;)
Those look awesome! I need to wear a bathing suit in 2 weeks and these will NOT help. Oh well….at least they’ll be yummy!
Chocolate always helps me find my happy place. Thanks for the warning about how addictive they are though. I know not to make them in the next few days while I’m basically snowed in. I am heading out of town to visit some college friends in a few weeks, these will be the perfect thing to bring along!
Love chocolate and love this recipe!