Bar Cookie

Salted nuts balance the sweetness of caramel in these candy-like cookies. These bars are quite rich, so feel free to cut them in half.

Classic lemon bars get a couple of twists: wheat germ adds texture to the shortbread crust, and lime juice and zest flavor the filling.

Some people prefer their brownies cakey. We developed this recipe to satisfy our craving for a bar that was just the opposite: dense, fudgy, and full of deep chocolate flavor.

Like brownies, these cookies are dense and fudgy beneath their crackly exteriors. Use your favorite nuts in place of the walnuts, or omit them altogether. The dough can be shaped into balls and refrigerated for up to two days or frozen for up to three weeks; freeze on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag.

Each of these chewy brownie cupcakes has a secret center: a chocolate-covered peppermint patty. To ensure they have a dense, fudgy texture, be careful not to overbake (start checking at thirty minutes).

This recipe is used to make the brownie hearts on page 213; some of the batter is baked in muffin tins, the rest in an 8-inch pan for cutting into heart-shaped toppers.

It’s no wonder kids adore these bar cookies. A gooey topping spills over a base filled with butterscotch chips, miniature marshmallows, chocolate chunks, and—as if that weren’t enough—melted caramels.

These bars are more rustic than traditional dried fruit bars, since they are covered with a crumbly oat topping before baking. You can substitute chopped dried figs or dates for the raisins.

Layers of texture—crumbly shortbread and a chewy toffee-like topping—balance these indulgent nut bars. Diced candied ginger adds pleasantly surprising spice.

With sweet apricot jam atop a thin, buttery dough and a piped lattice topping, this bar cookie is as lovely to look at as it is to eat.

These single-serving goodies are kitchen wizardry: Blondie batter is tucked into cupcake liners, topped with a combination of coconut, chocolate chips, walnuts, and dried cherries, and baked until golden.

This chunky bar cookie recipe presents a perfect opportunity for improvisation, as you can use whatever flavors of jam and granola you have on hand.

A moist, chocolaty brownie topped with caramel and nuts brings together the classic components of turtle candies.

If you’re a fan of store-bought fig cookies, just wait until you taste these—they’re well worth the time spent making them.

These moist, relatively thin blondies burst with gingerbread spices and white chocolate chunks.

A generous topping of fresh berries and toasted almond slices embellishes these basic blondies.

This version of a well-loved combination from childhood concentrates the flavors into a sweet dessert that appeals to all ages. We like strawberry jam, but feel free to substitute any flavor you prefer

Brown butter is simply butter that has been cooked until it takes on a delicious, subtle nutty flavor and aroma—which explains its French name, beurre noisette, or “hazelnut butter.” Be sure to keep an eye on it as it cooks, to avoid burning.

Pucker up: This version of the bake-sale favorite is the most intensely lemony one we’ve tried. A generous crown of powdered sugar not only adds to the flavor of these sweet squares, but also makes them easier to stack for storage.

Dollops of peanut butter filling are spooned onto brownie batter; pulling a knife back and forth through both results in a marbleized look.

A double dose of spice flavors these creamy bar cookies: Chopped candied ginger is mixed into the filling, and crushed gingersnaps compose the crust.

Sweetened condensed milk adds an unmistakable richness to the coconut batter for these swirly treats. When marbleizing the coconut and brownie batters, make sure the butter knife reaches the bottom of the pan.

Velvety, delicately tart cream cheese blends well with the more cakey, sugary blondie batter. The resulting bar cookies are remarkably rich and highly habit-forming.

To make the batter for these super-quick brownies, melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan, then stir the other ingredients right in. Set a batch out on a serving platter, and watch it disappear just as quickly.