7-Layer Bar Cookies from Salt & Baker

7-Layer Bar Cookies - made dough July 4, 2024 from Salt & Baker

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/8 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I used almonds)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add egg, vanilla extract and corn syrup, beating until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 2 additions, mixing on low speed after each addition, until just combined.
5. Add coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and nuts, mixing on low speed until evenly disbursed.
6. Portion dough into golf-ball size dough balls, cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. 
8. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw or shiny. Let rest on baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

I'm fond of 7-layer bars. Normally I'm a purist and prefer only a few flavor ingredients in my baked goods but I like the combination of graham cracker crumbs, coconut, chocolate chips and even nuts blanketed in a sweet layer over the base crust.

So I was willing to try whether the 7-layer bar cookie in actual cookie form would work. Okay, and because I had coconut, butterscotch chips and chocolate chips to use up. I even set aside my bias against nuts in cookies to include them here. But I used almonds instead of walnuts as I don't like the bitterness of walnuts. I had to draw the line somewhere and walnuts are a bridge too far.

I don't know that I would consider this one of my favorite cookies but it was pretty good if you like the 7-layer cookie combination. All the ingredients worked to make an almost faithful rendition of the bar cookie. I say almost because one thing I preferred in bar cookie form versus round cookie form is the prevalence of the graham cracker crust. In the cookie form, the graham crackers are mixed in the dough. It imparts the flavor but not the same texture as in the bar cookie base.

This is still a good cookie - the dough handled well, the cookie didn't spread much and it's packed full of 7-layer cookie flavor. I'm glad I tried it and it makes a nice change but the original 7-layer bar cookie still reigns for me.