Tag Archives: Chocolate

English Toffee Bars

This English Toffee Bar recipe is an old one that has been passed down to me from my Mom.  She has made these bars for Christmas for as long as I can remember.  The name is a little misleading because they are more like a buttery short bread cookie than a piece of toffee.  But, they are simple, easy to make, and delicious.  The extra fun thing is that it’s easy to decorate one tray of the bars with a lot of different toppings to make for a nice variety on a cookie tray.  I always promise not to post a recipe unless I think it’s worth your time!  I sift through what I do in my kitchen each week to share my best recipes with you.  I hosted a dinner the other night and made these bars and as simple as they are to make, they are always a big hit.  So when you are hosting a dinner and you’d rather put more time into cooking your meal than baking your dessert, try these….easy to make ahead of time and pretty too!

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English Toffee Bars (Makes 2-3 dozen)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla (plus a little more for vanilla icing)

2 cups flour

for topping:

semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 -2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp milk or cream

walnuts, candy pieces, sprinkles

DIrections:

Mix butter, brown sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and flour in mixer until smooth.  Place on a 15×10 inch cookie sheet and pat out flat.  (You can cover the bottom of a glass with butter and pat out so the dough doesn’t stick).  Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-9 minutes (do not over cook!).  Sprinkle chocolate chips on half of the toffee bars and return to oven for about 30 seconds or until chips are melted; spread until smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and start with 2 Tbsp milk or cream.  Whisk together.  Add more milk or cream if you need to thin it a bit; add more powdered sugar if you need to thicken.  Spread vanilla icing on other half of the toffee bars.  Add different colored sprinkles, crushed walnuts, or other candies.

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