Tag Archives: toffee

Apr 3

Salted Caramel Toffee Chip Cookie Bars With Milk Chocolate Ganache

Wow. That title is quite a mouthful. But I figure the best way to describe these delicious, decadent bars is to disclose everything I put in them right off the bat.

It all started a couple of days ago, when I found myself craving a thick, chewy chocolate chip cookie bar. (Don’t get me wrong – I love cookies. But I happen to be an even bigger fan of the cookie bar.) I thought about making a batch, but when I started digging through my pantry in search of semisweet chocolate chips, I was shocked to find that I was completely out. I did, however, spot a few bags of toffee bits, and hence the idea was born.

What you’ve got here is a classic chocolate chip cookie base that features toffee pieces instead of chocolate chips. Then, in the middle, you’ve got a soft layer of salted caramel that adds the perfect amount of contrast to an otherwise sweet concoction. And then, to top it all off, you’ve got a nice layer of milk chocolate ganache – just in case you were missing the chocolate.

These babies are everything a cookie bar should be: chewy, somewhat gooey, rich, and just plain yummy. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that this recipe has multiple steps. Each one is fairly simple, and the bars don’t take very long to set up. You can easily start this recipe at some point in the morning and have a nice supply of cookie bars handy for an afternoon snack.

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Salted Caramel Toffee Chip Cookie Bars With Milk Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups toffee bits (alternatively, you can chop up some Heath bars or substitute for chocolate chips if you prefer)

For the salted caramel:

1 cup Kraft caramels, unwrapped (other brands are fine, of course, but Kraft tends to be the easiest to find in my neck of the woods)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 and 1/2 teaspoons course sea salt

For the milk chocolate ganache:

6 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9×9 baking pan and set aside.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and sugars until well-combined. Add the eggs and vanilla; mix until well-blended.
  4. Add in the dry ingredients in two to three batches, mixing at a low speed until just combined. Stir in the toffee bits.
  5. Combine the caramels and heavy cream and heat in the microwave in 30-second increments until melted. (Make sure to stir the mixture in between each zap.)
  6. Press half of the cookie dough into your prepared pan.
  7. With an offset spatula, spread the caramel sauce over the bottom cookie dough layer. Sprinkle the sea salt evenly over the caramel. Then, press the remaining cookie dough over the caramel layer.
  8. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top of the bars start to turn light golden brown. Cool the bars in their pan for about 90 minutes at room temperature. Then, place the bars in the refrigerator while you make the ganache.
  9. To make the ganache, combine the chocolate and confectioners sugar in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it gets hot without bubbling too much. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and sugar, and stir or whisk until the mixture turns smooth and glossy.
  10. Remove the bars from the fridge. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the ganache over the tops of the bars.
  11. Return the pan to the fridge for 30-60 minutes to set. You may want to cut them while they’re slightly cold, but not straight out of the fridge. I like these bars at room temperature, or even slightly warmed. And you can’t go wrong throwing a few of them in a bowl, heating them up, and topping them off with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Dec 20

Chocolate Macadamia Toffee Bark

As I mentioned earlier this week, I’ve been deep into candy-making mode. The great thing about making your own holiday bark is that you can feel free to get as creative as you’d like with the flavors and textures you most enjoy. Along these lines, I present my chocolate macadamia toffee bark: an easy recipe to follow, and a delicious one to snack on once it’s done.

Chocolate Macadamia Toffee Bark

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Ingredients:

2 cups milk chocolate morsels or melting discs
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
2/3 cup toffee bits, plus another 1/3 cup for topping
3/4 cup white chocolate morsels or baking discs

Method:

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Melt the milk chocolate using either a double boiler or the microwave at 50% power for 30-second increments. Pay attention to your chocolate and remove it from the heat once it’s mostly melted. If you leave it too long, your chocolate might seize.
  3. Once melted, quickly stir in the chopped macadamia nuts and 2/3 cup toffee bits.
  4. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, using the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread it evenly.
  5. Melt the white chocolate using the methods described above.
  6. Once melted, use the back of a spoon or a knife to swirl it around on top of the milk chocolate layer.
  7. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup toffee bits on top of the newly poured white chocolate, using your fingers to press in the bits as needed to get them to stick.
  8. Place the baking sheet in the fridge and leave for at least one hour to set before breaking into pieces.
Oct 2

Caramel Apple Toffee Bars

I just love caramel apples. I don’t have them often, but they’re definitely one of my all-time favorites fall treats. The problem with caramel apples, however, is that every time I eat one, I spend way too much worrying that I’m about to lose a tooth or three just by biting in. That’s why I think these caramel apple toffee bars are such a wonderful idea. They basically offer the same delicious taste of caramel apples without the potential dental repercussions. And while they do lack the crunch and texture that only an actual apple could offer, the toffee bits help make up for that slightly, especially when sprinkled generously on top.

Best of all, these bars are really easy to make, and they taste even better when warmed up and served with a bit of vanilla ice cream. If you’re a fan of caramel apples, be sure to add these to your to-do list.

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Caramel Apple Toffee Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups diced and peeled apples
1 cup toffee bits, divided into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
1 cup caramel sauce (store-bought is fine, or you can make your own by combining about 15 Kraft caramels with two tablespoons of milk and melting in the microwave)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugars and butter. Whisk thoroughly until well-combined.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating or whisking well to combine. Add vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
5. Fold in the flour mixture a little bit at a time until just combined. Stir in apples, caramel sauce, and 3/4 cup toffee bits.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of toffee bits on top.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The bars will/should be soft.
8. Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely (at least two hours) before slicing and serving.

Sep 18

White Chocolate Toffee Toasted Pecan Blondies

I’ve talked about my sweet tooth many times before, but let’s discuss my obsession with sweet things one more time for the purpose of sharing my latest sugar-infused creation. This concoction is actually based on the white chocolate cranberry blondies I made over the summer. But whereas the dried cranberries in that recipe cut the sweetness factor a little, the toffee and toasted pecans in this one serve the opposite purpose. In other words, you’ve been warned: These blondies are sweet. Very sweet. But if you’re like me, that’s not such a bad thing.

toastedpecanblond

White Chocolate Toffee Toasted Pecan Blondies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp
1 and 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/4 cups AP flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup toffee bits
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until well-combined.
3. Beat or whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
5. Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture.
6. Stir in the white chocolate chips, toffee bits, and pecans. The batter will be thick.
7. Spread your batter into the prepared pan and bake for 27-32 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let the blondies cool in their pan completely before cutting and serving.

Mar 6

Heath Bar Blondies

I’m a firm believer that yummy desserts don’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Case in point: these Heath bar blondies. They took me almost no time to whip up, and the end result was just insanely good—crispy toffee and chocolate pieces scattered amidst dense, chewy blondie goodness. Does it really get better than that?

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Heath Bar Blondies
Recipe from Lovin From The Oven (a great site, by the way – check it out)

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped Heath Bars

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 baking pan.
2. Mix or whisk together the brown sugar and melted butter until well-combined.
3. Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well-blended.
5. Stir in the chopped-up Heath pieces.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let the blondies cool completely in their pan before cutting into them.

 

Jan 20

Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Pecan Toffee Blondies

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a wonderful little blog called Dunk and Crumble while looking for a chewy blondie recipe—‘cause that’s just how I like my blondies. I found this recipe and decided to tweak it just a bit by adding toffee bits to the mix. This recipe makes a nice-sized 9 x 13 pan, and it took almost no time to throw together. Best of all, I didn’t have to bust out the stand mixer, hand mixer, food processor, or anything of the sort. All I needed were some mixing bowls, a whisk, a spoon, and a pot for browning the butter. The result? A tasty, chewy blondie that made this busy baking mama a very happy gal.

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Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Pecan Toffee Blondies

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the pan
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks (I used Ghirardelli—they were on sale)
½ cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup toffee bits

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper, letting two inches of the paper hang over the side of the pan.
3. Combine the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt in a small-medium bowl
4. Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and keep heating it, stirring frequently, until it turns nice and golden brown. Once browned, bring the butter back to or close to room temperature (if you’re impatient like me, you can consider cheating and putting it in the fridge for a few minutes).
5. Mix the white and brown sugars in a medium bowl.
6. Add the cooled butter to the sugars and whisk until well-combined.
7. Add the eggs to the sugar-butter mixture and whisk.
8. Whisk in vanilla.
9. Add in the flour mixture and whisk until just incorporated.
10. Stir in the chocolate chunks, pecans, and toffee bits.
11. Transfer your batter into the prepared pan (it will be pretty sticky and dense, but resist the urge to mess with it).
12. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top and sides start to brown slightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
13. Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper and cool on a rack. Once they’re completely cool, feel free to slice ‘em up—and do your best not to eat half of them in a single sitting.