COOKIE BRITTLE or KOOKIE BARK

i am quite sure this is the BEST COOKIE for this year...this decade !!!!!!

right out of the gate i'm thinking this one is IT !!!

i found this recipe @ Piece of Cake. Shauna, the blogger, has quite a sense of humor. her post with this cookie is called "Really Bad Idea". trust her on this one...these ARE a really bad idea! one little piece leads to another and another and soon you're breaking up the whole thing and shoveling crunchy bits in your face as fast as you can chew. sharing becomes an immediate problem. i don't know if i want to hug her or kill her for introducing this X-treme cookie specimen. i've already made it twice and i'm thinking of another flavor combo right now. the recipe is soooo easy and you can easily change up the flavors. of course i'm already thinkin' bacon, peanuts, banana chips and cayenne...oooooh...mmmmmm...then i might go WHITE with some white chocolate macadamia nuts and Cinnamon?...hmmmm, maybe.

below i have copied the recipe for your convenience, BUT i really think you should visit Shauna's blog...... PIECE OF CAKE. she has some tasty great stuff and is a really fun read.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle

Adapted from The American Country Inn Bed and Breakfast Cookbook, Vol. 2

Try a variety of chip and nut combinations in the mix--I love bittersweet chocolate chips and cashews, but I'm thinking throwing a few butterscotch chips or shredded coconut into the mix would also be fabulous.

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsalted roasted cashews

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao--I like Ghiradelli)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set a rack to the center position. Pour the melted butter into a large bowl, and stir in the vanilla. With a wooden spoon (or your hands, if your prefer), add the sugar, salt and flour and mix to combine--the mixture will be somewhat crumbly, like a moist pie dough. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips. Press the mixture in a thin, even layer onto an ungreased cookie sheet (use the chocolate chips as your guide--try to get them in as close to a single layer as possible throughout the dough, and you'll have the right thickness). You may not fill the entire sheet with the dough--that's okay.

Bake for 23-25 minutes, until light golden brown (the edges will be a bit darker than the center). Let cool completely before breaking into whatever sized pieces you desire. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

MY NOTES...i followed the instructions exactly and i used 1/2 cup regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup butterscotch chips, 1/4(plus) heath bar chips, and chopped pecans

my first time i baked it all on parchment for easy removal, but this is totally NOT necessary. second batch was right on the cookie sheet (a large one...the largest you can fit in your oven). also, i used a small rolling pin to get it as flat as possible-using the chips as a guide. the edges might look too crumbly, as mine did (i always add extra goodies), but don't fret...just shove it together a little and the rest will bake together.

THIS IS A MUST BAKE RECIPE !!!