These Chocolate Halfway Bars feature a chewy blondie base studded with chocolate chips and finished with a brown sugar meringue. The result is a delightful contrast of chewy, crunchy, and sweet textures best enjoyed the day they’re baked.
I have a chocolate chip habit. Starting at noon (never before — I have self-restraint!), I snack on a few semi-sweet chips throughout the day. My fiancé suggests buying a chocolate bar and being done with it, but part of the joy for me is keeping chocolate chips on hand so I can bake whenever inspiration strikes. Discovering this Chocolate Halfway Bars recipe made me grateful I always have chocolate chips in the pantry.
While leafing through my favorite Good Housekeeping Cookbook (1955 edition), I came across these unusual bars. They’re essentially a blondie base loaded with chocolate chips, topped with a brown sugar meringue that bakes to a lovely golden finish. The name piqued my curiosity — whatever “halfway” implies, the flavor certainly isn’t halfway!
There are a couple of caveats: these bars don’t travel well and they’re best on the day they’re made. The meringue delivers a perfect balance of crisp and chewy, while the blondie base is richly satisfying on its own. It’s surprising these bars aren’t more widely known today — they deserve a place alongside classic American favorites like Seven Layer Bars and Almond Bars.
Chocolate Halfway Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup soft shortening
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons water
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (author often uses 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (for meringue)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 12″x8″x2″ baking dish (or use an 8″ square pan for thicker bars). Lining the pan with parchment makes cleanup easier, especially with meringue.
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Cream the shortening with the granulated and 1/4 cup brown sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, water, and vanilla; mix well. Stir in the flour mixture until combined. Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
- Beat the egg white until still, then gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar until glossy and slightly stiff. Spread the meringue over the chocolate chips.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and the bars are set. Cut into bars while warm and allow to cool completely before serving. Best eaten the same day.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 22 g |
Protein: 2 g |
Fat: 9 g |
Sugar: 15 g
