Toffee bars are a classic treat made with a few ingredients. Everything you love about English toffee in cookie bar form!
Want the real deal? Check out our amazing toffee recipes! English toffee, churro toffee, and Take 5 toffee.
Toffee bars are a childhood favorite treat. My mom would make these, and they were so buttery and good. She would mix the chocolate chips right into the cookie dough, then bake them into bars. I had no idea that classic toffee bars were made by spreading the chocolate on top until I was an adult. I've made them both ways, and they are equally delicious, but if you want bars that LOOK like toffee, make them the way Betty Crocker does — with the chocolate on top.
What I Like This Recipe
- Quick and easy dessert. Cookie bars are easier to make than cookies. No need to shape or bake batch after batch. Simply press into a pan and bake!
- Soft and rich. Without a leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder, these cookie bars are rich and don't puff up like standard cookies. They are made with butter and only brown sugar (not white), which also lends a soft, rich texture.
- Tastes like toffee. Rich, buttery, coated in chocolate and nuts, just like toffee---just softer.
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Tips and Tricks
Spread the chocolate chips while they are still warm. As soon as the cookie bars come out of the oven, sprinkle them with chocolate chips and allow them to soften before spreading. No need to melt the chocolate chips; this is an easy way to warm them up to a perfectly soft consistency.
Allow the chocolate to harden completely before serving. If you try serving the toffee bars while warm, the chocolate will be a melty mess. Once set, they are a dream to slice and serve.
Ingredients
- Butter (salted or unsalted)
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Flour
- Milk chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Toffee Bars
Step 1: Combine butter, brown sugar, an egg, and vanilla. Then add flour and salt.
Step 2: Press the dough into a 9x13" baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Step 3: Once the cookie bars have baked until light brown, sprinkle with chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes. This will give the chocolate chips time to soften, no need to melt them in the microwave or double boiler.
Step 4: Use a spatula or butter knife to spread melted chocolate evenly across the cookie bars. Sprinkled with chopped pecans, if desired. Let bars cool for 30 minutes, then cut into squares (the chocolate will still be soft).
This recipe makes at least 24 delicious bars. Cover with plastic or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days for best results.
Toffee Bars FAQs
Despite the name, there isn't an ounce of toffee inside these bars. They are a cookie bar with all of the same elements as English toffee: butter, sugar, chocolate, and nuts. The base is a brown sugar shortbread cookie spread with chocolate and topped with chopped pecans (or walnuts or almonds), just like toffee. If making toffee intimidates you, these are a delicious alternative.
Cover with plastic or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days for best results.
You can use whatever kind of nut you'd like. You can even toast them for even more flavor before sprinkling them over the bars. I like using pecans or walnuts.
More Cookie Bar Recipes To Make
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Classic Toffee Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 2 cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until cookie dough forms.
- Press cookie dough into an ungreased 9x13 baking dish.
- Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Sprinkle with milk chocolate chips. Let sit 5 minutes. Spread chocolate evenly over bars.
- Sprinkle with pecans.
- Let cool 30 minutes. Slice into 24 bars.
- Allow chocolate to set completely before serving.
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