Full of buttery toffee flavor, Pecan Chocolate Toffee Bars are simply heavenly. A cookie base reminiscent of shortbread is prepared with brown sugar (providing that luscious toffee flavor) and, once baked, is topped with melted chocolate and chopped toasted pecans. Super easy to prepare, these Toffee Bars are true crowd pleasers!
Toffee Bars
Toffee has always been a favorite in the Clayton household. Mom was famous for her toffee candy (find the recipe in A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®). She packaged it in pretty boxes and gave it to friends and family at Christmas. Such an anticipated gift, if mom ran behind schedule with the deliveries, her friends would call me, asking if they’d been dropped from her list. When mom became ill and could no longer make it, I took over the tradition. When a toffee craving hits and I don’t have time to make mom’s recipe, I simply whip up a batch of these flavorful and easy to prepare toffee-flavored cookies to satisfy my hunger.
What is Toffee?
Toffee is a hard candy that’s made by cooking together sugar (granulated or brown) and butter until it reaches the “hard crack” stage (around 300 degrees at sea level). Often, water and a small amount of corn syrup are added, to keep the candy from becoming too hard.
How does this Toffee Chocolate Bars Recipe differ from typical toffee?
These Toffee Bars are cookies, not candy. While they contain the basic toffee ingredients (sugar and butter), the cooking process for these toffee-flavored cookies is completely different – and includes several other ingredients (egg yolk, vanilla flour) not found in toffee candy.
How to make Toffee Bars with Chocolate and Pecans
Here are the easy steps to making these sinfully delicious cookies:
- Prep oven and baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a half sheet (15 by 10-inch) pan with parchment paper. - Blend butter and sugar.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until well mixed and light in color, around 5 minutes. - Add wet ingredients.
With the mixer running, add the egg yolk and vanilla; beat until blended. - Add dry ingredients.
Add the salt and flour and beat just until blended. - Place in pan and bake.
Spread tablespoonful size clumps of dough around the prepared pan. Top with a piece of waxed paper; push down on the paper to spread the dough evenly in the pan. Remove paper and, using wet fingers, smooth the dough into an even layer filling the pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven. - Prepare chocolate topping while cookies bake.
In a small glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir; mike again for 20 seconds. Stir and mike again for 20 seconds. Stir until all the chocolate is melted. Take care not to overheat; the chocolate can turn white. - Add topping.
Immediately brush melted chocolate over top of cookie base. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, pressing down lightly to make sure they adhere to the chocolate. - Cool, cut and serve.
Let cool until the chocolate hardens (I cool the cookies to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for around 1 hour). Cut into bars and serve.
Can these toffee bars be made without nuts?
Yes, they can. You can substitute sunflower or pumpkin (pepita) seeds, or even chopped dried cranberries.
How to Store Chocolate Toffee Bars
Store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll last for around 4 to 5 days (but they’re always eaten up before then in my house!). Bring to room temperature before serving.
Can you freeze toffee squares?
Yes, you can freeze these cookies in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.
Other delicious cookie recipes to try
Chocolate Pecan Toffee Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces milk chocolate, such as Hershey brand, broken into pieces
- 1 cup roasted pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a half-sheet (15 by 10-inch) pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until well mixed and light in color, around 5 minutes.?Add the salt and flour and beat just until blended.
- Spread tablespoonful size clumps of dough around the prepared pan. Top with a piece of waxed paper; push down on the paper to spread the dough evenly in the pan. Remove paper and, using wet fingers, smooth the dough into an even layer filling the pan.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven.
- ?While the cookie base is baking, in a small glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir; mike again for 20 seconds. Stir and mike again for 20 seconds. Stir until all the chocolate is melted. Take care not to overheat; the chocolate can turn white.?
- Immediately brush melted chocolate over top of cookie base. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, pressing down lightly to make sure they adhere to the chocolate.
- Let cookies cool until the chocolate hardens (I cool the cookies to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for around 1 hour).
- Cut into bars and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is the best ever. I have been making this same recipe for 35 years or longer. And every year this is the top request for Christmas. So every year I make them now. Use to make them when ever, now Christmas only. You will love them!
Only for the top I melt 1/2 bag of chocolate chips and 1/2 bag of butterscotch chips together, and spread. Everyone loves them!
I love this idea for the top. I’m going to try it the next time I make these cookies!
YUM! These sound so good! I just made a toffee cookie recipe myself as well…I love it too! I’ll be sharing this on my Facebook page tomorrow afternoon!
These are amazing! I made them for a potluck event at work and they were a big hit!
The only suggestion i have is to use a rolling pin over top of the wax paper. This allowed me to get the dough spread evenly and into the corners of the pan. Other than that, very simple recipe and very tasty.