(from Joanne Fluke’s “Cream Puff Murder”)

1 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour

5 (3 oz.) chocolate candy bars

1/4 sugar

Line a 9×13 inch cake pan with foil,  large enough to flap over the sides. Spray the foil lined pan with Pam.

Stir butter and the sugar together until light and creamy.

Add egg and stir it in thoroughly. Mix in the vanilla extract and the salt.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. The dough will “ball up” like piecrust, and that’s fine.

Pat half of the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Smooth it out.

Make 2 rows on top of the dough with 2 candy bars in each row. Break the fifth candy bar in half lengthwise, and use it to fill in the ends of the rows.

Pat the remaining dough on top of the candy bars, distributing it as evenly as you can.

Make cross-hatches on the top of the dough with a fork, as you do with a peanut butter cookie.

Sprinkle the quarter-cup sugar over the top as evenly as possible.

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. The bars should be slightly brown around the edges an still quite white on top.

Cool the Candy Bar Bar Cookies in the pan on a metal rack.

When you can comfortably place your hand against the bottom of the pan, grasp the foil and lift the bars out of the pan.

Cut into brownie-sized pieces and serve while they’re still warm.