Rachel, my grocery store just had those Ghiradelli chips on closeout for 99 cents a bag!! I should have bought a whole ton of them because they ARE wonderful!!

Here’s are two recipes for bar cookies that are great if you don’t have a lot of time (does that happen to anyone else?!):

Chocolate fillers:
3/4 c butter (you can sub margarine, but they’re not as good!)
3/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
2 c flour
Cut in the above ingredients till fine. Pat 2/3 of the mix into an ungreased 13x9 pan. Meanwhile, heat till melts together:
1 can Eagle Brand (I use the generic sweetened condensed milk from Aldi’s)
1 c. chocolate chips
Pour the chocolate mixture over the bottom layer; sprinkle the remaining 1/3 crumb mix on top. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. When cool, cut into 36 bars (or more)

Scotcheroos:
1 c sugar
1 c light corn syrup
Melt the above together in large pot. When mixture just begins to boil, remove from heat and add:
1 c peanut butter
Mix well. Then add:
6 c Rice Krispies cereal
Mix together till cereal is coated. Press this mixture in greased 13x9 pan. Set aside. In double boiler melt together:
1 c chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips
When melted, pour over the cereal mixture. Let stand till cooled and chocolate is set (can put in fridge, but I don’t recommend leaving in there for long).
Scotcheroos are our favorite and are the first to go at picnics and parties!!

Every time I take these to a party, they are gone within minutes.

White Chocolate Chewies
(From “The Cake Mix Doctor)

1 pkg devil’s food cake mix
1/3 c water
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c white chocolate chips
(Sometimes I add semi-sweet chips, in addition to the white ones. :O )

Mix all ingredients together, except chips, with a hand mixer, for 1 min. Scrape down the bowl and mix for 1 more min.  Fold chips in.  Batter will be sticky.

Drop heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart, on a greased of parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake in center of oven, at 350* for 10-12 min. Remove cookies to cooling rack to cool for 20 min. (I usually can’t wait that long. YUM!)

One from Down Under:

ANZAC Biscuits
1 Cup rolled oats
1 cup (5 oz)brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup (3oz) dessicated coconut
1 cup (4oz) plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
125g (4oz) butter
1 tbs golden syrup (light corn syrup)
1 tsp bicarb of soda
2 tbs boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Grease baking trays
2. Place oats, sugar and coconut into a bowl. Sift in flour, ginger and salt. Mix thoroughly.
3. Melt butter in saucepan; remove from heat and add golden syrup. Dissolve bicarb soda in the boiling water and add to saucepan, stirring well; pour over flour mixture and blend well.
4. drop spoonfuls onto greased tray, allowing room for spreading.
5 Bake for 10-12 min. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the tray.

ANZAC stands for the Australia and New Zealand Army Corp. Tradition has it that these biscuits were sent to soldiers in during WW1 because they kept well.
Interesting legal note: The term ANZAC is protected under Australian and New Zealand Law. There is a general exemption granted for Anzac biscuits, as long as these biscuits remain basically true to the original recipe and are both referred to and sold as Anzac biscuits and never as cookies.

Eleven Minute Brownies

(because that’s how long it takes for me to get them into the oven)

preheat oven to 350

microwave for 2 min on high:
1/2 C butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate

stir with wooden spoon and set aside.  It’s OK if the chocolate isn’t completely melted yet.  It will be.

in a large mixing bowl, beat 4 eggs
add 2 C sugar and 1 tsp vanilla
continue beating until well combined.  “fluffy” isn’t the right word, but volume should increase.  You can use any speed of the mixer!  I use a low setting and beat 1-2 min, but the recipe is flexible.

Add chocolate/butter and stir in by hand (remember that wooden spoon?)
Add 1 C flour

Pour into greased 9x13 pan

Cook 25-30 min - until there is a crack about an inch from the edge all the way around the pan.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into bars
Makes 2 dozen chewy brownies

No Bake fiber bars…(not cookies, but super easy and healthy!)

4 cups oats
1 cup flax or wheat germ/bran
1 cup ground nuts
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup natural nut butter (PB or almond,etc)
3/4 cup honey
cocoa powder, optional
dried fruit, optional

Line a 9x13 baking dish with wax paper sprayed with non-stick spray.  Toast first 4 ingredients on a large baking sheet at 350 for 10 min. don’t let it burn!  Heat honey and nut butter until simmering,stirring constantly (nut butter should be a runny consistency and blend with the honey) add cocoa ( 1/4 - 1/2 cup) if using and stir until dissolved. In a large bowl mix toasted ingredients with hot honey mixture and any dried fruit you want, make sure all ingredients are covered well with the honey mixture.  Dump the mixture into the prepared pan and compact ingredients together well by pressing down firmly all over the pan with your hands or a spatula (if ingredients don’t stick add more honey or nut butter).  Cover firmly with a sprayed piece of wax paper.  Allow to cool and set for several hours (the refrigerator speeds this).  Once cool, remove from pan and cut into bars.  I cut mine into about two dozen bars. 

These are really tasty and healthy.  Like anything high in fiber, make sure to drink a glass of water with them.  Also, I just realized when making this recipe that cocoa is high in fiber! 1g/Tbs.

My husbands all time favorite: Butter Cookies
1c butter
3/4c sugar
1 egg yolk
2tsp vanilla
2c flour
colored sugar for sprinkling, optional

Cream butter & sugar.  Add egg yolk & vanilla.  Gradually add flour.  Shape into a log (I usually wrap in plastic wrap, wax paper would work too) chill.  Slice about 1/4in thick and bake 325 for 16-18 minutes or until edges are browned.  You can also roll the dough and use cookie cutters if you want to get fancy