How do you celebrate Father's Day? With fabulous food of course. Sunday was filled with brisket, blue-cheese and bacon stuffed vidalia onions, cole slaw and homemade berry sherbet. Monday was filled with garlic and dijon stuffed pork loin, roasted vegetable couscous, lemon broccoli, and this little show stopper: pretzel-crusted chocolate chip cookie bars. I saw them on Pinterest last week (http://simmerandshoot.com/chocolate-chip-bars-on-a-pretzel-crust/) and just had to give it a try. This blogger's recipe called for butter in the crust and the cookie bar layer. Since my husband is lactose intolerant I subbed coconut oil, which reacts similarly to butter. The finished product was that perfect combination of salty and sweet. For your next picnic or get together, I implore you to give this recipe a try!

Pretzel-Crusted Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Adapted from Simmer and Shoot (who adapted fromTasty Kitchen)

Ingredients

Pretzel Crust

3 1/2 cups pretzel sticks
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Layer

3/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 10 oz. bag chocolate chips (I used 60% cocoa Ghiradelli Chips)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Place pretzels in a food processor, pulse until thoroughly crushed. Combine the pretzel pieces with the melted coconut oil and spread over the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes.

Pretzel Crust

While the crust is baking, beat the coconut oil and sugars until fluffy and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and stir until blended. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the crust, spreading it out evenly with your fingers. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove when the top is a nice golden color and a tester comes out clean.

Drop spoonfuls of the cookie dough evenly across the pretzel crust.

Let bars cool, then remove from the pan using the parchment paper and cut into 24 bars.

Cookie Dough layered on top of the pretzel crust just before baking

Just in case you wanted to see my pork loin stuffed with garlic and dijon mustard....

Crockpot Chicken Wings

serves 4

Ingredients

12 whole wings

1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup Bull's Eye Original Barbecue Sauce (or the sauce of your choice)

Directions

Spray the inside of your crockpot/slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the whole wings into the drumette, wing, and discard the tip/nub. Slice Yukon gold potatoes crosswise into 2 inch high circles. Place the circles on the bottom of the slow cooker. This will elevate the chicken wings. Drizzle potatoes with one teaspoon of vegetable oil and a pinch of kosher salt. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the wings with Tony Chachere's and one teaspoon of vegetable oil. Stir to coat each wing. Cook on low for 9 hours.