Halfway Cookie Bars

Hello and welcome to 2013! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  I've spent the last week at home on vacation, playing with new toys, eating leftovers, and nursing my sick family back to health.
2012 ended with all of us suffering from the flu. The house is still a mess, but we are finally feeling better and ready to get back into our usual routines. 

Christmas day we spent at my parent's house.  This is the view off the back deck.  We got the surprise of our lives and had a white Christmas.  It looked magical!

It was cold and frosty outside, but warm and cozy inside.  All of the preparations and anticipations paid off.  We had a lovely day!

 

Some of us enjoyed it more than others! : )

 

Once the holiday was over it was time to decompress and catch up on some rest.  One of my favorite gifts from Santa is this new chenille polka-dot robe. It's soft and warm and just what I needed when I was sick.  I've spent the last three days wrapped up in it, catching up on podcasts and diving into a new book - Gone Girl. 

I'm also loving this hand lotion from Williams-Sonoma.  The scent is "Vert Frais".

Fresh Green with lime and mandarin.  It's sooooo nice!  The perfect winter scent.  I'm obsessed with it!

As soon as I felt better it was time to get back to baking.  I needed something comforting in the house, so I decided to make these Halfway Cookie Bars.  The recipe comes from my sister Kim's recipe box.  I can picture a pan of these cookies cooling on her stove top many years ago when her boys were small.  Mine aren't as good as hers, but they still make me feel good inside.  So do the memories.

 

 

 

 

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbs water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 bag chocolate chips
2 egg whites & 1 cup brown sugar for top

Cream shortening and sugars.  Add egg yolks, water, and vanilla.  Blend.

Mix in dry ingredients.

Spread batter evenly into a 9x13 ungreased pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. 

Beat egg whites and brown sugar until stiff.  Spread on top.

Bake @ 350 degrees 25 - 30 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting.

The egg white and brown sugar topping make a light crust on top and inside is an ooey-gooey chocolaty-chip cookie bar.  They are amazing!!! 

Happy and Healthy 2013 to all of my friends!  Let's make this a great year.  Good things to come!!!!

Danielle xo