Chewy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 140 grams white whole wheat flour

• 140 grams all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

• 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar

• 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar

• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

• optional: sprinkle of flaky sea salt

  Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch square pan with parchment, leaving enough overhang to lift the bars out later.

• Whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter with both sugars until smooth. Add the egg, extra yolk, and vanilla—the mixture will be thick. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until just combined; the dough will be soft, slick, and thick.

• Fold in the chocolate chips (they may resist sticking a bit thanks to the melted butter, but keep folding). Press the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Lightly sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt, if desired.

• Bake for 30-34 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. Err on the side of under-baking and do NOT over-bake, or the cookie bars will taste a little dry and cakey. Use a toothpick to test for doneness; if it comes out mostly clean from the center of the pan, the bars are done.

• Allow the bars to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least an hour. Once relatively cool, lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment and cut into squares. Cover and store leftover bars at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to freeze most of them the day of baking.