Introduction: Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars

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About: I'm a graduate student in product design and love to work with my hands. I don't know how I lived for the past few years without a laser cutter, but I hope to never be without one again. I'm passionate about…

I was truly inspired once I saw these Monster Cookie Bars, they looked absolutely delicious and I wanted to make something similar.  But instead of M&Ms and marshmallows, I wanted to throw in even more fantastic treats (always a fan of overdoing it!).  So here is my version of the Everything but the Kitchen Sink cookie treat, I've added in a mixture of salty and sweet to make a very indulgent dessert.

My recipe was based off of these amazing looking bars.  I definitely suggest perusing RecipeCarr for more great recipes.

Warning: This dessert is not only decadent but very complex. Make sure to fully disclose to those consuming a list of ingredients for allergy issues and all that jazz.

Step 1: Ingredients

The cookie ingredients:
  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups oatmeal
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
And the additives:
  • Fritos (I crushed these up)
  • Mini Reese's cups
  • Mini chocolate chips
  • Toasted almond slivers (which I toasted and crushed)
  • Peanut butter chips (not in the photo since it was a late addition)
I had many of these ingredients in my kitchen already.  So I suggest going through your cabinet, taking any delicious ingredients and adding them into the mix.  Yes, fritos are a bit outrageous, but I love them.  If that is too much, try pretzels or potato chips because crunchy and salty are a necessity folks.

Step 2: Combine Wet Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 325°F.  

Now for the pan I only had a 13" x 9" available so I chose to use it.  Unfortunately this made the bars a bit thick and somewhat overwhelming.  I suggest going following RecipeCarr's recommendation and using a 16" x 12" x 1" pan for thinner bars.  Whichever pan you go with, make sure to grease it well.

Cream the butter and sugar.  Then add the eggs and vanilla to the mixture.

Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Step 4: Combine Ingredients

With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry to the wet ingredients. Then stir in the oatmeal and coconut. Make sure they are well mixed.

At this point I mixed in the fritos, Reese's, chocolate chips, almonds, and peanut butter chips until just combined. To make this less daunting, I added one at a time, but try not to overmix.

Step 5: Bake

Press the dough into your pan.  Try to spread it evenly.

Bake for 40-45 minutes in a 13" x 9" pan. If you use a 16" x 12" pan then the time is reduced to 20-25 minutes. Make sure to check up on them and use your discretion. I waited until everything was evenly browned and the middle was no longer jiggly.

Allow the bars to cool before cutting them into squares.  My pan yielded 24 bars which were a bit too large for some of the guests...

Enjoy and remember to share! (Especially because eating more than one will increase your cholesterol drastically.)

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