Toffee Cookie Bars

My mother discovered the recipe for these cookie bars when I was 10 years old. We took a road trip to Canada soon after and distributed them to my relatives as we met them. Now, more than a decade later, these bars are still mentioned at family visits. I kid you not. They have chocolate and toffee and nuts and cookie and caramel. What more could a (cookie-bar loving) girl ask for? 

This is one of those recipes that produces an easy take along item (hence the reason we brought them on a road trip to Toronto). These are great for bake sales, family reunions, treat days and of course (and most importantly), bribery. 

Toffee Cookie Bars
By Skor Toffee, Adapted by Alexandra Rogers


Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz.) package of milk chocolate covered toffee baking bits*
butter for greasing pan


Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a 9 x 13" baking pan and set aside.
2. In a medium container, mix chocolate chips and chopped nuts together. Set aside. Also set aside 1/4 cup of toffee bits.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour and sugar together. Add butter, chopped into tablespoon-sized pieces and smoosh it into the mixture with your fingers, until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg and mix well with a fork.
4. Stir 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chip/nut mixture into the crumb mixture. Once thoroughly combined, reserve 1 1/2 cups of the dough mixture and set aside. Press the remaining crumb mixture onto the bottom of the 9 x 13" pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the partially baked crust, spreading with a spatula to make sure it evenly coats. 
6. Sprinkle toffee bits (everything you have except the 1/4 cup you set aside in step 2) over the layer in the pan. 
7. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture and remaining chocolate chip/nut mixture over the top. 
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup toffee bits.
9. Let cool, then cut into 1" x 2" rectangles and serve. Makes approximately 24 cookie bars.


*If you can find toffee baking bits that are not covered in chocolate, those would be better--and are what the original recipe calls for. I believe these have been discontinued because I haven't found them for years, but if you can find them, more power to you. Also, if you find them, will you please tell me where so I can go stock up? 

Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

The last few weeks were a little rough. I barely saw my kitchen, my bed or my boyfriend. Meanwhile, my little graduate school community was experiencing quite a few hardships. So, I decided to bring cookies into school. Because cookies make everything better.

There is something about getting lost in the ritual of baking that calms me down. It's funny, because I don't consider myself a baker (I'm much more natural as a cook because I tend to think of measuring as an option). Maybe growing up in a house where my mother baked to solve problems or soothe heartache actually rubbed off on me. I love the smell of butter and sugar coming together, and the way the aroma of vanilla extract rises out of the bowl as I add it. Snacking on dough while rounding spoonfuls of batter onto a cookie sheet is sweet (pun intended). Concentrating on getting the right amount of flour and baking soda and salt puts my mind in the kitchen and nowhere else. I'm hoping the people that eat these cookies will have a moment of relief as well. 

Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips
By Reese's


Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 eggs
1-2/3 cups (10 ounce bag) peanut butter chips
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla


Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt, then set aside.


In the bowl of a standup mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy and well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Once wet ingredients are well combined, add the dry mixture slowly. 


Once all ingredients are well combined, add peanut butter chips. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not bake over 10 minutes. The cookies will rise in the oven, but will fall while cooling. 


Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies. Maybe more, if you don't eat the dough while cooking, like I did...Enjoy with milk.