Toffee Blondie Bars-Submitted by Danielle Schweiloch
*Ingredients
For blondie cookie bar:
2 1/4 cups all‐purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz bag) semi‐sweet chocolate chips
For the toffee:
2 sticks salted butter
1 cup sugar
1 (14‐ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup + 1 tablespoon agave (or 3 tablespoons maple syrup)
2 cups (12 oz bag) bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions
For the bar:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease 15 x 10‐inch jelly‐roll pan
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
- Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack
For the toffee:
Once blondie has cooled in pan, combine the butter, sugar, condensed milk, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is boiling, continue to stir until it is thick and golden brown (but not burned), about 5‐7 minutes. Pour over the cooked blondie and allow to set at least an hour or as long as overnight.
Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave (see below). Spread over the cooled caramel layer, and cool completely. Cut into squares before serving.
To melt chocolate (From Cook’s Illustrated):
DOUBLE‐BOILER METHOD
- Bring a pot of water to a near simmer over low heat; set a large heatproof bowl (the edges should overhang the pot for easier removal) over it, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl (to avoid overheating the chocolate).
- Add chocolate chips (or bar chocolate chopped into ½‐inch pieces) and heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until uniformly smooth and glossy, about 10 minutes (adjust the cooking time as necessary for larger or smaller amounts of chocolate).
MICROWAVE METHOD
- Put chocolate chips (or bar chocolate chopped into ½‐inch pieces) in a large microwave‐safe bowl. Microwave at high power for 45 seconds.
- Stir with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides of the bowl, then heat 30 seconds more. Continue heating and stirring for 15‐second intervals until the chocolate is uniformly smooth and glossy. (To melt smaller or larger amounts, decrease or increase the initial microwaving time by 10 seconds for every 2 ounces of chocolate.)