When I spied these little icing decorations on clearance at the grocery store, I knew immediately what I wanted to make with them. That scares me a little because it very possibly means that I've seen this idea before and that's why it popped into my head so quickly.
(If I'm stealing your idea, please let me know in the comments.) :)
Chocolate chip cookie bark. I love this recipe. It's so easy...and addicting. I ate a good portion of it as I was breaking it into pieces. That's another good thing about this recipe...no one will ever know. Unless, you know, you write about it on your blog.
The cookie bark is crispy, but not overly crunchy. It's a buttery cookie that tastes like traditional chocolate chip cookies with just a hint of sugar cookie thanks to all granulated sugar in the recipe.
There's no egg here. No baking soda or powder. No poofing...and that's what gives the bark its crispy "breakability."
I've made this before with regular chocolate chips, but I really like it with mini chips...especially with the added decorations.
The dough is crumbly, so you'll press it in the pan with your fingers.
Once the bark comes out of the oven, you'll press in the glasses icing decorations.
When it's cool, break it apart.
Smart Cookie Bark
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
icing decorations, glasses
Preheat oven to 350. Line 10 x 15" cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Mix in the salt and vanilla.
On low speed, add the flour in 2 additions, scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Press the crumbly dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and immediately press the icing decorations onto the hot cookie. Place pan on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, break into pieces.
*adapted from "cookie breakup" from Everyday Food, Jan. 2004
Smart cookie bark for your smart cookies!
