Toffee Bars
A buttery, brown sugar crust topped with chocolate and hazelnuts. A riff on Alice Medrich's Toffee Bars.
Equipment
- 8x8 inch square pan or 9' tart pan with removable bottom. Any pan with roughly same area I like to use a 12x5 rectangular tart pan and cut the cookies into wedges.
Ingredients
Shortbread base
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Topping
- 6 ounces milk or semisweet chocolate chopped, if bar or block or use chips
- 1/2 cup toasted nuts your choice!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position rack in lower third of oven
Shortbread base
- Cut butter into chunks and melt in a saucepan over medium heat or place in heatproof glass bowl, loosely cover and microwave at 40% power for 15 seconds, repeat if necessary.
- Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Add flour and mix just until combined.
- Press dough into a lined (parchment or foil) 8x8-inch pan or a tart pan with a removable bottom
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until well browned at the edges and golden brown in the center
Topping
- Scatter chocolate evenly on top of warm crust. Let stand to allow the chocolate to melt. If necessary, place in the oven for a minute to help melt the chocolate. Spread chocolate evenly over the crust with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Sprinkle toasted chopped nuts over chocolate. Set on rack to cool.
- Lift and transfer bar to cutting board. Use a sharp knife (I like using a serrated knife)and cut into 2x2" squares or wedges. If necessary chill in fridge to set chocolate.
- See story above for variations.