Athough some purists may dispute classifying bars as cookies, inch for inch, they carry just as much flavor as their rolled and cut-out peers.

They may be rectangular, but bars round out a holiday, cookie platter beautifully.

Getting a picture-perfect presentation, starts before you even begin baking. Prior to putting your batter in the pan, line it with parchment paper or foil. Doing so, helps to ensure that your bars don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Be sure to extend the foil or parchment above the edges of the pan, to create "handles" for lifting the cooled bars out.

When you’re ready to cut your bars, remove the paper, place them on a cutting board and use a serrated knife to trim the edges off the entire sheet. From there, you can use a ruler to help you cut your bars into neat squares or rectangles. The easiest way to get a triangular bar is to first cut the sheet into squares and then cut each square in half, from corner to corner.

Next week’s final "12 Days of Cookies" installment will focus on sweet treats that aren’t your average cookie.