Barbara Ann Bar Cookies

Miss Carroll's Kitchen - September 2023

Barbara Ann Bar Cookies

When my husband, Charlie, was a boy, his mom, Barbara Ann, baked these bar cookies for him and his four siblings. The smell of these cookies baking in my kitchen brings back good memories for Charlie of his mom, him as a boy and the deliciousness of these cookies.

I have baked these cookies for 45 years and my daughters often request these bar cookies when they visit. It was our daughters who named these cookies, the Barbara Ann Cookies.

The tender cookie, with the melted chocolate and various toppings will satisfy your sweet cravings and dressy enough to use in a cookie exchange and a holiday gift for your friends and family.

Make memories with your family by baking these Barbara Ann Bar Cookies. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Assembly Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
Servings: Approximately 2 dozen bar cookies

Cooking Tools

Mixer
Measuring spoons and cups
DoughMaker Rimmed Baking Sheet

Barbara Ann Bar Cookies Ingredients

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup Crisco shortening
¾ cup pure cane granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs at room temperature
6 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Full Size bars
⅓ cup mini-M&M’s
⅓ cup chopped pecans
⅓ cup mini chocolate chips

Barbara Ann Bar Cookies Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside
In a mixer, beat butter and shortening until creamy.
Add granulated sugar and brown sugar to the butter mixture, beat at medium speed until creamy.
Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Do not overmix.
Gradually blend dry mixture into a creamed mixture.
Spread cookie dough out onto the rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and immediately lay the 6 broken Hershey Milk Chocolate bars onto the baked cookie dough.
Allow chocolate to melt. Then, carefully spread over the entire bar cookie.
While chocolate is wet, in 3 different columns, add a column of chocolate chips, then M&M’s and chopped pecans. Leave a 4th column without a topping to enjoy just the cookie and chocolate.
Allow to fully cool before cutting into bars.
Share with your friends - they will love you always!