1-Preheat oven and prepare pan: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal later. This step ensures your bars come out clean and intact, making cleanup a breeze.

2-Whisk dry ingredients: Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (270g), 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt; set it aside for now.

3-Mix wet ingredients: Then, in a larger bowl, mix ¾ cup unsalted butter (170g, melted and cooled slightly) with 1 cup packed light brown sugar (220g) and ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133g); whisk for about 30 seconds until it thickens up. Add 2 large eggs (room temperature) and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, whisking well for about 1 minute to blend everything smoothly.

4-Combine and add chips: Stir in the flour mixture using a silicone spatula until it’s almost fully combined, but leave a few dry streaks for that perfect texture. Reserve about ¼ cup of the 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (360g total) and fold the rest into the dough. Spread the dough evenly in your prepared pan, keep some texture on top, and sprinkle on the reserved chocolate chips before baking.

5-Bake for 55 minutes: (Implicit from the numbering, no explicit text given other than the list item).

6-Cool for 1 hour: Once baked, let the bars cool in the pan for about 1 hour before cutting them into pieces. For a fun twist, you might add apple-oat variations from similar recipes to experiment.