Recipes

[DiamondGirly]

ckr40 posted a request for Jill Bauer's Toffee Bar recipe, and I did a search but couldn't find hers. I did find the one below that looks SOOOO good...there are pictures that I can almost taste! I didn't want to crowd ckr40's thread, so I started this one. I decided to post the recipe I found, so all of you could drool along with me!

Chocolate-Glazed Toffee Bars
Adopted from Irma S. Rombauer's The Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies

For the shortbread base:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons milk

For the toffee and chocolate layers:
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons clover or other mild honey
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

For the shortbread:
Grease an 8 inch square baking dish and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Then add the butter pieces and using your fingertips work the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like sand. Sprinkle the mixture with the milk and knead until the milk is distributed throughout and the mixture holds together in a ball.

Press the dough into the prepared pan, in an even layer. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake the chilled dough on the middle oven rack for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the rest of the layers.

For the toffee and chocolate:
Toast the 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans either on a baking sheet in the still-warm oven for a few moments, or dry toast them in a skillet on the stove-top. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the butter, the brown sugar, the honey, 1 tablespoon of milk and the salt. Stir this mixture frequently to prevent it from burning, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the toasted nuts and the vanilla.

Spread the mixture over the cooled shortbread crust and bake for 17-20 minutes. The toffee layer should bubble a little and turn golden brown. Cool on a wire rack until warm, but not hot, and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Let the chips melt a bit, then spread the around with a knife. The chocolate won't cover the top of the bars completely. Finally, sprinkle the last 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans over the top. Cut into bars while still a little warm, which will be easier than trying to do it once they're completely cool. Allow to cool totally, and enjoy.

http://cooking-books.blogspot.com/2010/12/chocolate-glazed-toffee-bars.html