TOO LAZY TO MAKE COOKIES: WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT BARS: Guest post by Kathleen Taylor

I love when my mystery and chocolate worlds collide, and in the case of Kathleen Taylor, that collision also includes my photography world. Kathleen Taylor is the author of 6 Tory Bauer Mysteries, 5 knitting books, 3 coloring books, one coming of age novel, and a couple of still-unpublished mid-grade fantasies.

KATHLEEN TAYLOR:
Too Lazy to Make Cookies White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars

You know how it is, when you want something sweet, but you want it fast, and you don't want to hover over the oven for the next two hours. And you also have a lovely bag of macadamia nuts in the pantry?

I do.

My solution? Make bars instead of cookies. And if you have macadamia nuts on hand, make White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars 

Preheat Oven 350 degrees 
Spray a 9" x 13" pan with nonstick spray
Makes 24 approx 2" x 3" bars 

Ingredients
1 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, lightly chopped (in about quarters)
2 cups white chocolate chips (or equivalent white chocolate chunks)

Directions:
Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, stir until thoroughly blended. Stir in macadamia nuts and white chocolate.

Spread evenly in the sprayed 13" x 9" pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until edges are slightly brown. When in doubt, undercook. These bars get dry and crumbly easily.

Eat warm, or (better yet) serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.