Today’s favorites are toffee bars from the dear old Silver Palate cookbook. Do you remember when it came out in 1979 and shook things up? I remember going by their delightful miniature store front on the West side of Manhattan when it was the new cool thing…Anyway, I digress. These bar cookies are easy and very good with a light, toffee thing going on, oh and with ample chocolate and pecans. Go on, force yourself….you’ll be glad you did.
Toffee Bars
Makes about 30 bar cookies
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecan pieces, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pyrex baking dish.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl. Add the egg yolk and beat well.
Add the flour mixing well, and then stir in vanilla. Spread batter in the prepared pan, smooshing *it down to make sure it’s nice and compacted. Bake for 25 minutes.
Cover the cake layer with chocolate chips and return to the oven for 3 or 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and spread the melted chocolate so it evenly covers the pastry layer. Quickly sprinkle with the nuts on top, and gently smoosh them into the chocolate layer with the back of a fork, so they meld together and become a cohesive layer. Cool completely in the pan before cutting.
* “smooshing” is a highly technical culinary term (ha ha) which can be achieved with a fork or even your fingers.