Cookie Bark Recipe

Description

Buttery crisp and super chocolatey, this chocolate chip cookie bark is bound to be your new favorite way to eat chocolate chip cookies. It’s quick and easy to make, and you don’t even need a mixer. It’s a fun salty and sweet addition to a holiday cookie tray, and makes a thoughtful homemade gift to any cookie lover. (If you even want to share it!)

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/3 cups (167g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled
• 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (90g) mini chocolate chips

For Topping

• 8 ounces (226g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (two 4-ounce baking bars)
• optional: flaky sea salt or sprinkles, for topping

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line a 12×17-inch baking sheet (half sheet pan) with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and, using a silicone spatula, mix everything together until completely combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Dough will be very soft and look greasy.
4. Press the dough into the prepared pan, to an even thickness—covering the entire parchment paper-lined baking sheet. I like to use my hands to press it down at first, and then I switch to an offset spatula to really get the dough to all edges of the pan. It will take a few minutes, but I promise eventually you will get it pressed thin enough to cover the entire pan.
5. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a deep golden brown on top. Keep an eye on it after 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chopped chocolate all over the surface of the cookie. Return to the oven and bake for another 1–2 minutes, to melt the chocolate.
7. Place the pan on a cooling rack, and with an offset spatula (or the back of a spoon), spread the chocolate in an even layer over the cookie layer. Top with flaky sea salt or sprinkles, if using. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then transfer the pan, still on the cooling rack, to the refrigerator, and chill for at least 30 minutes, until the chocolate is set.
8. Break or cut the cookie bark into bite-size pieces and enjoy!
9. Store leftover cookie bark at room temperature in an airtight container (with parchment paper between layers) for up to 5 days. We noticed it starts to taste a bit stale around day 4 or 5. But really, is it even possible to have any of this chocolate chip cookie bark left for that long? I doubt it!

Notes

1. Freezing Instructions: Bark can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Texture won’t be quite as crispy after freezing and thawing.
2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Offset Spatula | Cooling Rack
3. Baking Pan: It is best to use a 12×17-inch or 13×18-inch baking pan. Instead, you can try using 2 9×13-inch pans and stretching the dough as thin as possible between them. I am unsure of the best bake time, but it will be shorter. Same oven temperature.
4. Use Mini Chocolate Chips: Since the dough is pressed so thin, it’s best to use mini chocolate chips. If you only have regular-size chocolate chips, give them a rough chop so the pieces are smaller and use 1/2 cup chopped chocolate chips. Or feel free to omit the chocolate chips and make the cookie layer without them. You’ll still have chocolate in every bite from the top layer.
5. Chocolate: You need 2 standard bars (4 oz./113g each) of semi-sweet or bittersweet baking chocolate. (Or feel free to use half chocolate and half white chocolate and swirl them together!) I like Ghirardelli, Baker’s, and Guittard brands, which I find in the baking aisle of my grocery store, near the chocolate chips. Because we’re melting the chocolate, avoid using chocolate chips, which contain stabilizers that prevent them from fully melting.