SHARE Toffee Squares – a favorite childhood treat which are super easy to make!
Toffee Squares – Childhood Favorite!
Toffee Squares were the treat of choice at a recent crafting day/hen party hosted by my friend Marlys. I wanted to serve a simple dessert for our light summer lunch and this bar hit the spot perfectly. These bars, featuring a buttery shortbread crust, chocolate, and toasted chopped pecans, are super easy to make. That’s probably why my Mom liked to make them, and how they became a childhood favorite of mine.
Our lunch started with a delicious salad supplied by Nancy and my Pinwheel Appetizers, which I cut into larger sandwich portions. While the food was great, our Al fresco setting on Marlys’ deck couldn’t have been more idyllic. We noshed inside a screen-enclosed haven, surrounded by a large wooded lot and lush gardens, as song birds flitted into a bank of nearby bird feeders. Just lovely. It was almost hard to tear ourselves away and finish our project!
Nancy and I had such a wonderful time, due to Marlys’ patient instruction, amazing sewing equipment and many time-saving gadgets. She even let us “shop” through her vast store of fabric for our purse project. Many kudos and a big thanks to Marlys!
Crust Conudrum
I must mention a little conudrum regarding the bake time for the crust. The original recipe I found online called for baking the crust for just 15 minutes. It was still too soft at that point so I ended up going 18 minutes. After fully cooling, this yielded a crust that was more buttery and soft. Everyone who had them really enjoyed them, including me. But they were different than what I remembered from my Mom’s recipe, which was more crisp and shortbread-like. After further research, I found a Betty Crocker recipe which called for baking the crust for 25-30 minutes. I know it’s a little unusual to give a range of 18-30 minutes, so I thought that was worth clarifying. Whether you prefer a softer or crisper crust, you can’t go wrong, they will still taste great.
Toffee Squares
Ingredients
- 1 c. butter softened
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 c. flour
- 1 package semi sweet or milk chocolate chips 12 oz.
- 1 c. coarsely chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Cream (thoroughly mix) butter and sugar together. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually beat in flour, until smooth and blended. Spread in ungreased 13×9″ pan. Bake for 18 minutes for softer crust. Bake 25-20 minutes for firmer crust.
- Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on hot crust. Let stand about 5 minutes or until chocolate is soft; spread evenly. Sprinkle with nuts.
- Cool bars at least 30 minutes in pan on wire rack before cutting.
This looks like a delicious treat!
I haven’t made these in a long time. I think I have Mom’s recipe. They are so yummy and easy to make.