Toffee Bars look innocent enough. That is, until you bite into one. I find it hard to resist the combination of toasted almonds, dark chocolate, and buttery brown sugar shortbread. Toffee Bars look, and even taste remarkably like Buttercrunch Toffee. So when the urge for toffee hits, yet you do not want to bother with the boiling of sugar syrup, try these Toffee Bars. You will not be disappointed.

Like most bars and squares, Toffee Bars are easy to make and would be perfect for holiday baking as they will keep for several weeks in an airtight container. They start with a shortbread base, and while they contain the usual shortbread components, butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour, the technique for mixing these ingredients is unique. Instead of creaming the butter with the sugar, for this shortbread the butter is melted. The rest of the ingredients are then mixed in by hand, one by one, until you have a soft batter. This technique results in a shortbread with a texture that is light, crisp and crunchy. Combine that with the flavor of brown sugar and you have a shortbread that emulates the texture and taste of toffee. The shortbread is baked until golden brown and set. Immediately upon removing from the oven, chocolate is placed on the hot shortbread. You can use either your favorite dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips. Once the chocolate has completely melted, toasted and chopped almonds are sprinkled on top. You can leave the bars to set at room temperature or, to speed the process along, you can place them in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. As with most things chocolate, these do benefit from sitting overnight so the flavors have time to mingle and soften. The bars will keep at room temperature, in a covered container, for several weeks, although I have never been able to keep them that long.

This Toffee Bar recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Cookies and Brownies by Alice Medrich.