Calling All Coffee Lovers and Chocoholics – Recipe: Sublimely Delicious Coffee Toffee Bars

There comes a moment in every cook’s life when you try a new recipe and actually think, “Oh my glorious baking dish, this is the best dessert ever!”

You might even be inclined to say this this out loud, when no one can hear you boast. But in this instance, I hope you are listening.

I hope you can hear my roar because, “Oh my glorious baking dish, this is the best dessert ever!”

I am aware that we food bloggers can get caught up from time to time singing the praises of the dishes we create or meals we’ve eaten, but I swear by my Kitchen Aid mixer, this is the best darn batch of cookie bars I have ever made or tasted. Ever. EVAH.

I’m a writer by trade, yet I’m so overjoyed by the flavors and texture of this treat that it’s hard for me to find the adjectives to accurately describe it. If you only knew how much I love to write (and talk), you would understand the gravity of my predicament.

Regardless, I will give it a go: scrumptious; decadent; smooth; succulent? yes, succulent; creamy; rich; crunchy; chocolatey sweet yet well-balanced by coffee; amazing; indulgent; and sooo worth putting on a pound (or two) over.

There. That’s at least a beginning. And if I could perhaps (slurp) quit licking my fingers (mmm) and eating these bars (I think I’m addicted), I could type a little faster (mmm) and just get to the recipe (slurp).

FYI – The ONLY reasons I can think to stop reading this post and begin avoiding this dessert entirely would be:

1. If you are a serious diabetic.
2. Absolutely, positively detest chocolate.
3. Refuse to let coffee pass between your lips.

Otherwise (slurp, mmm) here we go…

Sublimely Delicious Coffee Toffee Bars

(the following recipe appears in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, circa 1999)

Note: To whomever originally created this recipe, I love you. I seriously love you.

• 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon Kahlua or strongly brewed coffee (I used strong coffee steeped in my French press)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I used an equal mixture of black walnuts and pecans)
• 1 cup chocolate-covered coffee beans, chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped English toffee-flavored candy bars (I used Heath bars)

Assembly

Beat 3/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add brown sugar, beating well. Add egg yolk, beat well.

Add flour and salt, stirring until just blended. Press dough into a lightly greased 13×9 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Set aside.

Combine sweetened condensed milk and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in Kahlua or strongly brewed coffee. Pour mixture over prepared crust. Sprinkle with walnuts (or preferred nut mixture).

Bake again at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle warm bars with chopped chocolate-covered coffee beans and toffee bars.

(A must-have in this recipe: Starbucks’ chocolate-covered coffee beans.)

Gently press mixture into uncut bars (be careful, the bars will be hot).

Allow to cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill until chocolate is firm. Let stand 5-10 minutes at room temperature before cutting into bars.

Yield: approximately 4 dozen.

Enjoy!

Welcome back! Be sure to check out the newly remodeled Recipe Index and subscribe to Inn Cuisine's free RSS feed so you never miss a recipe.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tagged as: bar cookie recipes, chocolate-covered coffee beans, coffee flavored cookie recipes, coffee toffee bar recipe, coffee toffee bars, cookie recipes, toffee flavored cookie recipes