Something to Anticipate: Chocolate Cookie Bars with Creamy Filling
Moist and chocolatey cookie bars with a sweet and salty filling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup low fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the filling
- 16 oz part skim ricotta cheese or low fat cottage cheese, drained
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil.
3. In a large bowl sift together the flours, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. Cream yogurt, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla.
5. Beat in flour mixture a little at a time, until well blended and smooth.
6. Set aside 1 cup of dough and refrigerate.
7. Spread the remainder of the dough into the prepared baking pan using a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the dough into a even layer.
8 Make the filling by adding ricotta cheese, sugar, egg, honey to a medium bowl and stirring to combine.
9. Spread filling evenly over the bottom layer of dough.
10. Take out out the reserved dough from the refrigerator and using a grater, shred dough over top of filling creating third layer, or simply crumble reserved dough on top.
11. Bake 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Store in the refrigerator. Pack in lunch or bento boxes with a lunch box freezer pack or next to a bottle of frozen water.