whole wheat chocolate chip cookie bars.

These yummy chocolate chip cookie bars aren't burnt.  The whole wheat flour turns them a darker shade, but they are soft, chewy and delish just like a good cookie bar should be!

2 c. whole wheat flour*

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 c. butter

3/4 c. honey**

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla

2 eggs

2 c. chocolate chips

*When substituting whole wheat flour in recipes that call for white all purpose flour, the exchange rate is 7/8 c. whole wheat flour to 1 c. white flour.

**Honey instead of white sugar? Yes! Honey is unrefined, natural and contains more vitamins and minerals than white sugar. Some things to keep in mind when subbing honey for sugar: Honey is sweeter than sugar, so a lot of times you won't need to use quite as much. Moreover, for every cup of honey used, add 1/2 t. baking soda. Even though I only used 3/4 c. honey, I added an extra 1/2 t. baking soda (1 1/2 t. baking soda total) to the recipe.

Bring butter and eggs to room temperature. Grease a 13 by 9 pan. Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Fluff your whole wheat flour before measuring. Make sure to make an exact measurement. In another bowl, combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs. Blend together. Add the dry ingredients a cup at a time to the wet ingredients. Blend thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour mixture into greased 13 by 9 pan. Bake for 17 minutes.

xx.

val