Graduation cookie bars white chocolate (Printable Version)

Chewy bars featuring chocolate chips and a white chocolate drizzle, easy to customize with school colors.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
05 - 1 cup packed light brown sugar
06 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Mix-ins and Toppings

09 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 - 1/2 cup colored candy-coated chocolates
11 - 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped or chips
12 - 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
13 - Optional: additional colored sprinkles for decoration

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until well combined.
04 - Gradually fold in the dry ingredients until just incorporated, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Stir in chocolate chips and candy-coated chocolates until evenly distributed.
06 - Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
07 - Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
08 - Cool the bars completely in the pan on a wire rack.
09 - Once cool, melt white chocolate with vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring until smooth.
10 - Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cooled bars using a spoon or piping bag. Add sprinkles if using.
11 - Allow the drizzle to set before lifting the bars from the pan and cutting into 16 squares.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They come together in under an hour from start to finish, which means you can make them the morning of the party without losing your mind.
  • The candy-coated chocolates and drizzle let you customize with literally any school colors, making them feel like a personal gift rather than a generic dessert.
  • Unlike finicky cookies, these are forgiving—a few extra minutes in the oven won't ruin them, and they stay soft and chewy for days.
02 -
  • Don't skip cooling the bars completely before drizzling—warm bars will melt the white chocolate on contact, and you'll lose that gorgeous defined drizzle effect.
  • Overmixing the dough once you add the flour turns these from chewy to tough, so embrace a few lumps and walk away from the bowl feeling confident.
03 -
  • Let the melted butter cool for a minute before adding eggs to avoid any scrambling, but don't let it get cold enough to solidify—you want everything to mix smoothly.
  • The secret to that perfect chew is pulling the bars from the oven when they still look slightly underdone in the center; they continue cooking from residual heat as they cool.
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