Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

    I am blessed to be a stay at home mom so I do have the time to make most of the family's treats from scratch. Otherwise to meet our family's dietary needs we would be spending a small fortune to buy the specialty pre-packaged items, or going without.  Growing up I have fond memories of my dad making chocolate chip cookie bars using the recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip bag as well as the Nestle chocolate chips themselves.
    Well on the Feingold diet we cannot use the Nestle chocolate chips, I think mainly because they use the artificial vanillin and not real vanilla.  No reason we cannot still make the bars though, just using different chocolate chips. We like to use the Ghiradelli brand chocolate chips. I also substituted apple sauce for the eggs and used spelt flour instead of white flour, I honestly think both enhance the flavor instead of detracts from it. The substitutions also make the bars a little richer in color than using the straight recipe. I just made these yesterday and they are scrumptious! My kids went nuts over them.

Ingredients
2  1/4 cups all purpose flour (I used spelt flour instead)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened (I like to use Land O Lakes or Tillamook), to soften I leave the bars of butter in the paper, set on a microwavable plate in the microwave for about 12-15 seconds on 50% power. Depends on your microwave though, you do not want it melted, just softened.

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs (I used apple sauce instead, between 1/2 and 2/3 of a cup)

1 package 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli)

 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan with parchment paper. If you do not have parchment paper, just grease the pan. I think they turn out better with parchment paper though.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time (or apple sauce as I like to use), beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into the prepared jelly roll pan.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden brown. I stress until golden brown as every oven is different. Mine were perfect at about 16 minutes in my oven. Cool in pan or wire rack and cut into bars.