Whether it is a holiday season or not, these toffee squares are delicious. Perfect for gifts or just to have on hand, they satisfy both sugar and chocolate cravings. Easy to make and easy to modify!
Crust
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Topping
- 7 to 8 ounces milk chocolate, broken into pieces, or 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet chocolate chips if you want them less sweet, which is my preference)
- 2/3 cup chopped almonds, toasted.
- 2/3 toffee bites.
You can actually modify toppings to include jam or peppermint or anything else that can melt and spread. I have added jam under the chocolate to add a fruity taste.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment.
- Prepare the crust. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt.
- On low speed, gradually beat in the flour just until mixed. The dough will be stiff. Pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the baking pan. Make sure it is about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake in the center of the oven until pale gold on top, about 20 minutes. You don’t want it to be too cooked because if it is too gold the chocolate won’t stick to the crust.
- Remove the pan from the oven and scatter the chocolate pieces (or anything else you want to melt and spread) evenly over the crust. Return the pan to the oven for 1 minute.
- Remove the pan again and, using a knife, spread the chocolate (or peanut butter or jam) evenly over the crust.
- Combine toasted almonds and toffee bites in a bowl
- Sprinkle evenly with the almonds and toffee bits over the melted chocolate
- Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into small squares, then carefully remove from the pan with a small offset spatula or an icing spatula.
Original recipe from Epicurious.com