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Butter Toffee Bars

4.7

(15)

Butter toffee bars cut into squares in a baking pan.
Photo by Max Milla

My grandmother (of UK origin) has been making these gooey, blondie-like English toffee squares forever—she calls them “brickle bars.” I’ve fully plagiarized her recipe, so Ami, if you’re reading this, please don’t pursue legal action! 

I love to use my own homemade vanilla extract here—mine has been aging for two and a half years so far—but store-bought can be substituted as needed.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Knife Drop’ by Nick DiGiovanni. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more bar cookie recipes →

Recipe information

  • Yield

    24 bars

Ingredients

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened, plus more to grease the pan
1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. table salt
1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
½ cup (107g) packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 8oz (227g) bag of English toffee bits

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter.

    Step 2

    Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

    Step 3

    In a separate medium bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.

    Step 4

    Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the English toffee bits. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

    Step 5

    Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

    Step 6

    Remove the pan from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Cut into bars before serving. They’re just as fantastic warm as they are after they’ve fully cooled and solidified a bit.

Knife Drop-Cover.jpg
Excerpted from Knife Drop. Reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin RandomHouse LLC. Copyright © 2023 by Nick DiGiovanni. Buy the full book from Amazon or Penguin Random House.
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