Polka Dot Cookie Bars

My eleven-year-old daughter loves baking almost as much as I do!  I often find my recipe books dog eared on the pages where she has found a new recipe to try.  When I checked out the Taste of Home Baking Book from the library she was so excited she could barely contain herself at all the fun new recipes to try.  This recipe is one she found there and decided to make as a gift for her teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week.  Since none of the rest of the kids wanted to go empty handed to school, she was kind enough to share her tasty bounty with the rest of them as well.  I was left with exactly a 1-inch by 1-inch square as my sample, but that small sample was enough to realize that it was a recipe worth keeping.  

The ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2-1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 pkg. (10-12 oz.) vanilla or white chips

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in extract.  Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Set aside 1/4 cup vanilla chips; stir remaining chips into batter.  Spread into a greased 15x10x1" baking pan.  Sprinkle with reserved chips.  

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut into bars.  Makes 3 dozen bars.  

Enjoy!