toffee bars

You can thank my Grandma Braem for these heavenly bites. She made toffee bars every Christmas growing up, and I cannot wait to share them with you. I would describe them as dense, buttery, cookie-brownie-toffee squares. They include only 6 actual ingredients (if you don’t count salt), and only take a few minutes to prepare. So really you have no excuse (except food allergies, of course) not to make these.

This post deserves a shout out to two people. First, if you’re reading this, hi Grandma! Second, Liz, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry you had to wait 29 years to get this recipe.

These are an easy and addictive treat to bring to your upcoming holiday party! You could easily make them even more festive with dried cranberries or nuts in the batter.

TOFFEE BARS
adapted from a recipe by my Grandma Braem

makes one 8×8 pan

1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (198g) packed dark brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups (256 grams) flour
1-1.5 cups dark chocolate chips*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8×8 pan.

In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes, until well combined, scraping down the sides once or twice. Add egg yolk and beat for another 30 seconds. Add vanilla and salt and mix to combine. Lastly, add your flour and mix until evenly dispersed. Spread into prepared pan and press batter down to form an even, firm layer.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the edges are dark golden brown, the batter is firm, and a toothpick comes out completely clean when inserted. Turn off oven and sprinkle the dark chocolate chips evenly over the top of your bars. Bake for another 2 minutes in warm oven to melt chocolate. Spread chocolate evenly and let cool partway. Cut with a knife into desired sized squares before fully cool (so the chocolate is cut before completely set).

*1 cup for thinner layer of chocolate, 1.5 for a more generous layer (you can probably guess which I prefer)