Christmas Cookie Bars Recipe

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Make one delicious cookie bar bottom and top with assorted Christmasy things like crushed candy cane, shelled pistachios, popcorn, drizzles or splashes of white chocolate tinted red or green, nonpareils, flakes of confectioner's gold or silver, or anything you fancy.

Cookie Bottom
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon almond extract)
1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Chocolate Layer
6 ounces of chocolate; milk, semisweet, or bittersweet; finely chopped

Toppings  as described above

Instructions
1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 13x9 baking dish.
2.  Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light; approximately 2 minutes.  Add the sugars and salt and beat for another 1-2 minutes.  Beat in the vanilla.   Add the flour in 1/2 increments, beating well between each addition. Spread the dough into the bottom of the foil lined pan.  Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and puffed up.  Cool thoroughly for several hours at room temperature before continuing to "set" the base.
3.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare the toppings.
4.  Scatter the chopped chocolate on top of the baked cookie bottom.  Bake for about 2 minutes or until the chocolate is melted enough to spread.  Immediately scatter the toppings and lightly press into the chocolate to set in place.  Cool before removing from the pan and peel away the foil.  Cut into bars.