I don’t make sweets at home that often, as I don’t really eat them. My family however, likes cookies, cakes, pies, and — you get the idea — any types of sweets. Since Christmas is just around the corner, I got really excited about baking. An added benefit is that my son likes to help when cookies are involved, so it makes it a family experience.

I like to make special things at different holidays, like pies for Thanksgiving, cookies for Christmas, and different types of breads and muffins for Easter. Part of the fun is giving out these treats to friends; it’s a bit sad that I will miss our cookie exchange at work this year.

Today’s recipe is a bar recipe that is an experiment for me. Bar cookies are easier to make and take less time than individual cookies. The recipe below is inspired by the Hershey’s recipe collection. In contrast to their recipes I use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of Hershey’s kisses (which are not so easy to bite into). I added green sanding sugar on top to make it a bit festive for Christmas. I also put nuts on the top (instead of in the mix) because it creates a really nice visual effect that is very inviting.

These were so good that my family kept going for more all evening long — even I couldn’t resist trying some!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, soften
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup heresy’s semi sweet chocolate chip, divided
• 1 cup macadamia nuts
• 1/2 tbsp. green sanding sugar

Vanilla glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with a parchment paper and set aside for later.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add macadamia nuts into a plastic zip lock bag. Use a rolling pin to break up the nuts into small pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and both sugars until fluffy, seen below.

Then, add egg and vanilla to your mixture. Make sure to beat it well.

Add flour and baking soda to the mixture, then blend everything well.

Stir in 1 cup chocolate chip to the mix.

Press this mixture into the parchment lined baking sheet you prepared earlier.

Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips, green sugar, and nuts over the cookie batter, seen below.

Bake for 22-24 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely afterwards or it may break when cutting.

Combine all the vanilla glaze ingredients in a small bowl and mix until very smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled cookie bar. Allow the drizzle to set, then cut in to squares.

Makes 24 bars

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!