Chocolate Chip Bars (or Cookie Bites)

Chocolate Chip Bars, Grandma's Recipe

 Good morning y'all! It's so great to have a new post for you, and I've got a lot more on the way I promise ya. Normally I'd make apologies for my absence from the blog and I truly did miss blogging. But honestly there was no way around it, life sometimes grabs you by the horns and things start to change and you have to learn to adjust in a completely new way, and well I guess that's what's been going on over here. We're getting ready for the arrival of our little girl in really just 15ish weeks (YIPES!!) and I've been doing some slight catering on the side which I do enjoy however I think that adventure needs to wait a little longer until this Momma doesn't have a little person blocking her way to the kitchen counter... haha! But it has been an adventure!

A few weeks ago I got a late night craving for these chocolate chip bars my Grandma used to make. My boys wanted Ice Cream, which if you follow me on Facebook you already know I've become lactose intolerant this pregnancy and Ice Cream is just not an option for me anymore (though I do still crave it!). So I decided to whip up a batch of these little treats and that just started a whole new adventure...

Just a few days later my Brother In Law asks me if I could cater the desserts for his house warming party. As much as I love my BIL I admit I had to think about it, right now anything like that requires a lot more energy and even time than I have most days. But I did agree, and pretty soon my brain starting working overtime. I came up with several ideas of things that would be good, gave him a list (which I did have to change due to a lack of fridge space) and he chose his favorites... Everything on the list... haha! Luckily for me there was only 4 things on that list. But right at the top was "Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites" and my plan was to experiment using the recipe for these Chocolate Chip Bars, and scoop the batter into mini muffin pans and go from there... Guess what?!? IT WORKED!!! They were a HUGE hit, especially with the little kids as they could so easily grab a handful and wolf them down long before the parents realized it... haha! Just kidding! But really, one of the comments I got were "Where did you get these, they look like they were store bought but taste homemade..." now I don't know about y'all but when the people in my family say that something looks like it was bought in a store that means it looks too "perfect" to have been made at home, which is a high compliment. So I'd say overall, even with the first batch of Mini Brownie Bite (recipe coming soon!) failing, 48 hours in the kitchen baking, very swollen feet and sore back... It was all worth it in the end. The party was a success, and my desserts were gobbled up before lunch was even served. (But don't ask me to cater anything for the next week... I'm pretty sure my feet still hate me!)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites, Grandma's Recipe adapted by The Farmers Wife

Ingredients: makes 1 large jelly roll pan, or roughly 56 cookie bites
1 Cup Shortening
3/4 Cup White Sugar
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Cup Water
2 2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
6 oz. Chocolate Chips (I used mini chocolate chips for the cookie bites)

Directions:
Pre heat your oven to 350F degrees, and lightly grease your pan (or mini muffin cups, I used the Baker's Joy with flour in it, worked GREAT!). In your mixer, cream together the shortening and sugars until smooth. Then add the eggs, salt, baking soda, vanilla and water and mix well. Add the flour and mix until smooth. Once smooth add in the chocolate chips. To make bars, spread evenly in a large jelly roll pan, this may require using your hands, and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden. To make cookie bites, scoop about 1 oz. of dough into each well, and bake about 12 minutes or until golden. Let cool in pan a few minutes and serve. *These will keep for a few days if in a airtight container.*

Review:
Obviously I love these, I grew up on them and have now gotten my Hubby and Son completely hooked, as well as the rest of my In Law family. And I have to say I almost like them as cookie bites more than anything else, the texture was spot on and with the mini chocolate chips there was more chocolate per bite... YUM! 5 stars.

Happy Baking!!