One foodie trend that I can not get enough of is the combination of chocolate and salt. We’ve definitely posted a lot of recipes that include this combo (see Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Fleur de Sel, Sea Salt Caramel Brownies, and Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars.) When I came across this recipe for crisp toffee chocolate bars in one of my favorite cookbooks, Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn, I knew I had to try it.
This recipe is very easy to make and it doesn’t require any specialty ingredients. In fact, I had the entire ingredient list on hand and did not need to make a trip to the grocery store (that’s definitely a huge bonus this time of year!) This recipe for crisp toffee chocolate bars can be upgraded by using a higher quality dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate. I ended up using a combination of 70% cacao dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips. These bars went so fast in our household that I already need to make another batch!
- cooking spray
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup dark chocolate, or semisweet chocolate chips (or a combination of the two)
- cooking spray
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add the sifted flour and stir to combine. Mix in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
- Add the dough to glass baking dish and press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake until golden and set, about 20 minutes. Cut into small squares while still warm.
Source: Slightly Adapted from Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn
