Marshmallowy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

Cook`s Illustrated thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie dough recipe (I used about 1/3rd of the dough): Recipe follows at end of post.

Peanut butter

7 large marshmallows cut in pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8.5x4.5 loaf pan with parchment

2. Press cookie dough with fingers until 1/2 inch thick

3. Bake 20 minutes or until the center looks just set. An inserted toothpick should have a few crumbs attached.

4. Immediately spread peanut butter over the bars

5. Layer with marshmallows

6. Return to oven and broil until marshmallows are nicely browned (it literally takes seconds so don't look away or it may burn)

7. Cool completely in pan 

The Chewiest Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Cooks Illustrated, “Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies”) 

Makes 20 extra-large, unforgettable cookies

 •2 cups plus 2 TBSP flour

 •1/2 teaspoon table salt

 •1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 •12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly

 •1 cup brown sugar

 •1/2 cup granulated sugar

 •2 large eggs

 •2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 •2 cups semi- sweet chocolate chips (one 12 oz bag)

Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave for one minute. Let cool slightly (about 4-5 minutes). 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

A note about measuring flour: First, you should always keep your flour in an opaque, tightly closing canister or tupperware container to ensure freshness. Before you scoop the flour into your measuring cup, run a fork through it a few times, lifting up and breaking any clumps that may have formed. When the flour has been sitting for a long period of time untouched, it packs down and becomes heavy. Whisking it with a fork aerates it and makes sure that when you do scoop the flour into your measuring cup, you’ll be getting the proper weight of flour- not a heavy, packed mass. 

Scoop the desired amount into your measuring cup. 

And then run the straight side of a knife across the top. Do not pack the flour down into the cup. 

Now, in the bowl of a standing mixer( or a large bowl using a hand mixer), beat the melted butter and sugars until well combined. The butter should be completely absorbed by the sugar and the mixture should look uniform in gritty texture. This should take about 2 minutes. 

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for 1 full minute to incorporate. 

The mixture should be light, somewhat fluffy, and satiny. 

Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low speed. This process should take no more than a minute and a half. Do not overbeat or you will end up with tough, bread-like cookies. 

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula a few times to ensure the batter has no pockets of unmixed flour. 

Mix in the chocolate chips. 

Give the batter one final stir to make sure no clumps remain. 

Obligatory taste test. Try to limit this step to 3 heaping spoonfuls. That is sufficient raw egg consumption.

THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP AND THE KEY TO THE CHEWIEST COOKIE: Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for up to 48 hours. The longer you let the dough rest in the refrigerator, the chewier and better tasting they’ll be. Even thirty minutes makes a marked difference. Trust me on this one. 

The caveat: Trying to forget that you have at least a baker’s dozen worth of cookie dough spoonfuls sitting in your fridge. If you make it past this final test, you are superhuman. 

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325°. Remove the dough from the fridge. 

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. You do not need to use parchment, the cookies will not stick, but it does make for a quick and easy removal. 

To make sure that you’re forming large dough balls that are all uniform in size (for even cooking), I suggest forming all of the balls before beginning to bake them. In your palm, roll golf ball size amounts of dough. Place on a cookie sheet. You should fit about 9 dough balls. Do not overcrowd the pan or the cookies will bump into each other and won’t cook as well. 

Using two fingers, gently press the dough onto the cookie sheet. If you do not slightly flatten the cookies, the edges thin too quickly as they bake in the oven and that results in an overly crispy edge and undercooked center. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are shiny on top and just beginning to turn a golden brown. You can slightly press the center and it will feel slightly firm yet a little underbaked. Always always always err on the side of underbaking them, as you can always just let them sit on the cookie sheet out of the oven for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool. Since the cookie sheet retains its heat for a short while after it comes out of the oven, it will continue to bake the cookies and set the centers. 

Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Let’s get real here: eat them as fast as possible. Nothing in this human world will ever compare to a hot, gooey chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven.

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