So if you like chocolate, but you don’t necessarily want an intensely chocolate dessert, this simple bar cookie might be the answer.
These squares are soft and chewy. The toffee melts and fills the bars with caramel flavors.
And you can’t say that the writers of this cookbook “So Sweet!” left anything to the imagination. The recipes are every specific – which is good if you are a cook who often comes up with lots of questions while following recipes. You’ll see what I mean. They even tell you when to turn the mixer off.
The proof is in the pudding - or bar cookie in this case.
Two more chocolate recipes to go until V-Day!
Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars
Makes 36 squares
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 ÂĽ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
ÂĽ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk chocolate chips
½ cup toffee baking bits
1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Turn an 8-inch square baking pan upside down and mold a piece of aluminum foil to the outside. You should have about an inch of overhang around the edges. Slide the foil off the pan bottom, and turn the pan right side up. Slip the foil inside the pan. Fold down any foil that extends past the top edges over the outside. Lightly butter the foil or use pan spray.
2. Put the butter and the sugar in a large bowl. Using a mixer, beat on low speed for a minute. Turn up the speed to medium and beat for another minute. The mixture should be blended and smooth. Turn off the mixer. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until well blended. Turn off the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Put the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until not patches of flour are visible. Add the chocolate chips and toffee bits and continue beat on low until they are evenly blended in the mixture.
4. Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared pan and smooth the top in an even layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Using oven mitts, transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
5. To remove the big bar from the pan, grasp the foil at the top two places opposite each other and gently pull upward. Set the big bar on a cutting board and gently peel off the foil. Using a chef’s knife, and starting at one side, cut the square into six equal strips. Then cut the six equal strips in the opposite direction. You will have 36 bars. Of course, you can cut the cookies larger or smaller, if you like. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 4 days.
–From "So Sweet! Cookies, Cupcakes, Whoopie pies and More," by Sur la table.
