The bar cookie is a beautiful thing. Same handheld gem as a regular cookie but far less scooping and dropping. Emma's Sour Cream Raisin Bars whetted our appetite for some interesting recipes, and Bon Appétit happens to have an entire slideshow.
Bar cookies are also travel friendly. You can leave them in the pan and cut them when you get to the party (whether it's across town or in your backyard), or you can stack them (with waxed or parchment paper in between layers). They're sturdy, rarely break, and make a great foundation for a scoop of ice cream.
Bon Appétit has a few of the standbys, like blondies and brownies, but there are also Lemon Cheesecake Squares with Fresh Berries (above), Gingerbread Bars, and a twist on lemon squares—Coconut-Lime Bars with Hazelnut Shortbread Crust. Hm, those sound a little bit like these.
• See the slideshow: Bar Cookies at Bon Appétit
What are your favorite bar cookies?
Related: Recipe: Coconut Jam and Banana Bars
(Image: Yoko Inoue for Bon Appétit)
10 Ways to Put a Muffin Pan to Good Use (Other Than Making Muffins!)
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
Find Your Style: 20 Classic to Contemporary Kitchens to Add to Your Inspiration Board
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
My favorite bar cookie is what my mom allways called "Hello Dollys". They're basically your normal Seven Layer bar, only without all seven layers. They're also insanely easy.
Pick a pan, any pan! I usually do a 9x13, but pretty much anything will work.
Put about 1/4 inch of ghram cracker crumbs in the bottom, then drizzle with enough melted butter to make a crust. For the 9x13, I usually use about half a stick of butter.
Top the crust with: chocolate chips, coconut, and whatever else you want (we usually just do the chips and coconut, but I've also used butterscotch chips, and different kinds of nuts) and then drizzle the whole thing over with a can of sweetened condensed milk. The whole can does a 9x13 pan easily, so you will probably use a lot less for smaller pans, but if you want it gooey, use the whole thing. ~_^
Bake at 350*F until the coconut is starting to brown, usually about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. You can serve these warm, but they'll be gooey and messy (and great over ice cream!) so I usually serve them at room temp.
weird....I was literally going to write the same thing deliriumsama! Hello Dolly's are my go-to dessert. So easy, so delicious, so many memories of making them with my mom!