Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Toffee Cookie Bars

**This post is made in sponsorship with  Barnes & Noble.  All content, ideas, and words are my own.**

Calling all cookie lovers! This Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Toffee Cookie Bar is for you. It’s easy to make and combines two classics: chocolate chip cookies meets oatmeal cookies for a cookie bar mash up that’s pumped up with toffee sprinkles for added crunch and flavor.

Barnes & Noble is full of stories and one of my favorite places to shop. This year they are asking customers to share the story of their favorite holiday cookie along with the recipe and I’ve partnered with Barnes & Noble to share the story behind these cookie bars.

Baking and kids is nothing new in my home. For little ones, they are very well versed when it comes to things like knowing how to cream butter to separating eggs. But most importantly for this recipe – they know how to work together to make this with very little direction from me. And that’s why my family loves this recipe, because making a cookie bar allows for some forgiveness and that’s the whole point—I just want my kids in the kitchen with me.

Admittedly, I’ve never been a huge dessert lover, but put a cookie in front of me and it brings out my inner child. It doesn’t matter what kind of cookie, just give me a cookie, a glass of milk and it’s all over. I’ve seemed to pass this on to my boys—they are all about the cookie when it comes to sweets. Especially Connor my toddler, has a sweet tooth that rivals his baker mom, Naomi. So baking – and specifically this recipe – combines all my family’s favorite things: spending time together and making some sweet treats.

To make things even merrier this season, I’m joining Barnes & Noble for their My Cookie Story Contest and want to hear all your cookie stories behind your favorite recipes.

The contest runs December 4th to December 17^th. To enter, all you need to do is share a 200-words or less story of your favorite holiday cookie along with the recipe. Submissions can be submitted in person at the drop box in the café or at the customer service desk where there are no cafes. (**All entries require signing up online). You could win $5000, have your cookie sold at Barnes & Noble during the 2019 holiday season and bragging rights for life.  Now go and enter. Good luck!

Barnes & Noble is so much more than a book store. It’s a place I’ve taken all my boys since they were kids for their featured story time, to read books to them, buy toys, buy gifts for them and others. I’m all about Barnes & Noble all year around, but more so during the holiday season, since I can basically hit most of my holiday shopping list with one stop.

I love that I can get any book I need for everyone on my list, but along with books I use Barnes & Noble as place to buy things like DVDs and CDs. The kids sections makes it holiday shopping a one-stop task, since I can choose from books to toys to games—literally are so many options.  And depending on who you talk to, toys aren’t just for kids hit the gift area and you’ll find everything from leather bound journals to collectibles, office gifts, board games to puzzles and so much more.

I’m hoping it won’t be long now before my kids can grab their favorite cookbook and try to do a recipe from start to finish without my help—now that is the kind of holiday wish, I’m wishing hard for!

Yield: Makes 36 2-inch cookie bars

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Toffee Cookie Bars

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old fashion oatmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 4 oz. chocolate chips
• 4 oz. toffee chip

Instructions

1. Preparation: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly cover a 13-by-9-inch pan with baking spray.
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together, butter, olive oil, both sugars and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the flour in all once, beat on low until just combined.
4. Turn off mixer and fold in chocolate chips and toffee chips.
5. Scrape dough into prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until top is shiny and just starts to crack. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Cut and serve.