Chocolate chip cookies baked like brownies! Thick chocolate chip cookie bars are moist, chewy, and delicious.
Melt butter on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl. If in the microwave, melt in 30 second bursts until mostly melted, then microwave in 10 second bursts until completely melted.
Using a rubber spatula, stir in brown sugar, mixing until combined. Add salt and vanilla.
Add the eggs and stir well to combine. (If the mixture is still hot, let it cool slightly so it won't cook the eggs when you add them.)
Stir in flour and baking powder, mixing until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Add chocolate chips.
Spread batter in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Be sure the edges are filled, then smooth the top as best as you can. The batter will be thick.
Bake in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle will not come out clean. If it looks a little damp/wet on the ends, then the bars will be gooey (in the best kind of way). If you want to bake them all the way through instead, bake until a toothpick has moist crumbs attached (like with brownies). The top of the bars will be shiny, although the 2 inches around the edges will look done. Bars will firm up somewhat as they cool.
Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting and removing any from the pan, but cut only what you want to eat. Cool completely before cutting and storing the rest. Store cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature.
This recipe can be made using an electric mixer, or stirring by hand. Stirring by hand will incorporate less air into the bars, which will make them a little more dense and gooey. If you'd like them to have a more traditional texture, use a mixer.
For gooey bars, bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out damp/wet, but doesn't have batter. For bars that are cooked all the way through, bake until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs on it. Bars will firm up a little as they cool.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour