The Oatmeal cookies were good, but I needed to satisfy a chocolate craving and made a quick batch of the toffee bars mentioned earlier. After reading through the comments and scanning some recipes from cookbooks, I made some revisions to the old Tasha Tudor recipe and came up with these.
Just for fun, I covered half of the bars in Dove milk chocolate and half in Ghirardelli Chocolate Covered Caramel Squares. The Dove chocolate melted nicely as expected. The Ghirardelli Caramel Square just kind of sank into the top and melted into a chocolate/caramel mass. Luckily, after a stint in the refrigerator, the caramel solidified, so the half made with caramel squares had an interesting chocolate/caramel top.
I’ve seen variations on this recipe hundreds of times and am happy I finally got around to trying it. It’s definitely a good cookie for showcasing flavored or high quality chocolate, which is good, because these days I don’t like chocolate unless it’s somehow combined with a cookie.
- 2 sticks (230 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar (200 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (260 grams)
- 8 oz good quality dark or milk chocolate, chopped up (or some caramel squares)
- 1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 inch metal pan or line with non-stick foil.
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, salt, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in the flour. When flour is blended in, press the dough evenly into the baking pan..
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Immediately cover with chopped chocolate. When the chocolate has softened, spread it with a knife and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Let set for about 20 minutes, then score and cut. For firmer bars, score, then chill before slicing.
- Makes 1 13x9 inch pan.
Anna says
December 9, 2009 at 7:47 amHi Sarah,
I don’t think the bake time will change too much. If I were you, I would check at about 23 minutes. My guess is they’ll take 23-28 minutes.
sarah says
December 8, 2009 at 9:17 pmthese sound so good i’m going to make a giant batch over the weekend. i’m multiplying it all by 6 and baking them in 3 jelly roll pans. how long do you think they should bake for? will it make a difference if i bake them all at once or not?
sandra says
August 14, 2009 at 10:48 amthese look great! ive always wanted to make my own toffee to give to friends for christmas gifts. i was comparing this recipe to your other “the best almond toffee ever” recipe. but i guess this one is more of a bar type thing than toffee. anyone have a preference between the 2?
amy says
June 25, 2008 at 7:32 pmHave you tried cracker cookies? Very similar, but with a cracker base instead. Girl…to die for! And way too easy.
mariah says
June 6, 2008 at 11:48 amOh Anna, you are such a naughty girl…
you fill my mind with visions of food porn.
And so, in my kitchen right now, I am making my own naughty episode….
Crust, meet the toffee covering for matzah candy….
I know you SHOULDN’T pour yourself over the crust, but you just can’t help yourself….
and now, oh no…..the chocolate is melting for you both.
Whatever am I to do but let them have their way with each other….
And me, if Iam a really good girl, and mow the back yard? Then I can have one indulgent bite…and give some to the neighbors….
Gee Anna, thanks for the extra pound!
Heidi says
June 6, 2008 at 6:11 amI make the toffee candy from David Lebovitz but I never thought about making a similar cookie…
Tanya says
June 6, 2008 at 5:25 amI make some very similar and they are so easy and so good! How’s that puppy?
Janet says
June 6, 2008 at 5:07 amI know what I am making today!!! Thanks, Anna! My mouth is watering just looking at them.
KAnn says
June 5, 2008 at 11:22 pmMy Mom has been making these since shortly after she was married in 1956…they have been a treasured family recipe. My Mom preferred pecans and I use pecans or walnuts…the almonds sound good, too! We have always laughed looking at an old recipe cars that refers to using the large Hershey bar-the 29 cent one!
Average Jane Crafter says
June 5, 2008 at 10:44 pmMust. Have. Toffee. Bars.
😉
Anna says
June 5, 2008 at 8:09 pmI loved Katy’s idea of using whole toasted almonds. The almonds are thick and crunchy and that seems to work well with the thick crust. Plus almonds are healthy….so that make the bars health food!
Katie, I think I’ve done that particular meme, but thanks for tagging me. Maybe I’ll do it again.
BB, they’re more like a chocolate covered shortbread than a blondie.
VG, yes! I wish I could satisfy that craving with just a piece of chocolate. I must have butter & sugar cravings too.
Lisa, I’m glad you got a chance to try the Levain’s. I hope your break from baking goes by quickly. I need to take one, but if I did, what would I blog about?
Lisa says
June 5, 2008 at 7:01 pmThese look great! Toffee is one of my favorite kinds of bars. Unfortunately, I am taking a break from baking for a few days but I did make one of your Levains copycats yesterday. They were outstanding!
VeggieGirl says
June 5, 2008 at 6:40 pmLooks like a super-delicious way to satisfy a chocolate craving!!
bakingblonde says
June 5, 2008 at 6:36 pmThey look like a thin blondie! Yum!! I love that you covered them in chocolate and nuts, what a great combo!
Katie says
June 5, 2008 at 6:10 pmTag, you’re it!
Katy says
June 5, 2008 at 5:51 pmBingo! that’s how I make them and they’re always a hit. And they look much fancier and more complicated than they actually are to make.