Wednesday, January 25, 2012

English Toffee Bars


This is such nice change for baking a dessert: instead of hauling out the mixer or even a mixing bowl, the dough is prepared in a saucepan.  The shortbread-cookie base is baked, and when it's removed from the oven, you spread chocolate chips and toffee pieces over the top.  They will melt, you will spread it like velvet icing, and then you will melt as you take a bite.

This is a very similar recipe to my Dark Chocolate Toffee Bars:  but, really.  Can one ever have enough toffee recipes up her sleeve?  I didn't think so.


Here is the printable recipe.

English Toffee Bars
Makes 16 bars

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3 ounces) plus 3 tablespoons toffee chips (such as Heath or Skor)
1/2 cup (3 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir the butter until it is melted, light brown, and has a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes.  Watch carefully to prevent burning.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the brown sugar and vanilla.  Stir in the flour to make a stiff dough, then stir in the 1/2 cup toffee chips.

Spread and pat the dough into an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish.  Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Place the pan on a rack.  Immediately sprinkle with the chocolate chips.  Wait 1 minute to allow the chocolate to melt, then spread over the bars to form an icing.  (If the chocolate does not melt, return pan to the oven for a few seconds, then spread.)  Sprinkle over the remaining 3 tablespoons of toffee chips.

Let the bars cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut into 16 squares.  Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes more, then refrigerate for at least 5 to 10 minutes to set the chocolate before using a small spatula to remove the bars from the pan.  

The bars can be stored, tightly covered, for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

From:  Short & Sweet: Sophisticated Desserts in 30 Minutes or Less

1 comments:

Mary said...

I always laugh at the "storage" comment at the end of a recipe, bc a batch of these wouldn't last a whole day at my house. I think "Why bother dirtying a storage container for 4 hours? Just leave it in the pan and they will disappear by bedtime!" And by bedtime I can usually find the empty baking dish sitting next to the sink waiting to be washed!