Chocolate Toffee Bars

My father-in-law complains that he never gets to eat the treats that I make. So when I found out yesterday that he was coming to spend the night tonight, I ran out to get the ingredients to make another recipe from the coffee cookbook. He will have no complaint this time.




Coffee Toffee Bars
Crust:
3/4 c butter, softened
3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt


Coffee Topping:
1 T instant coffee
2 tsp vanilla extract
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 T butter
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
6 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 c toasted chopped pecans


Prepare the crust:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13" baking pan with foil; lightly butter the foil.


Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg yolk and beat well. Stir in the flour and salt until well mixed. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.


Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool slightly.


Prepare the topping:
Stir the instant coffee and vanilla in a large microwavable bowl until well blended. Stir in the condensed milk and butter until well blended.


Microwave on High for 4 minutes, stirring every minute or until the mixture is thick and smooth. Spread evenly over the baked layer in the pan.


Bake for 12-15 minutes or until set. Sprinkle the surface with the chopped chocolates. Bake for 1-2 minutes longer until the chocolates are melted. Use a spatula to smooth the surface evenly. Sprinkle with the pecans. Cool completely on the wire rack. Refrigerate 30 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Cut into bars or diamond shapes to serve. Store in a tightly covered container.


Makes about 3 dozen bars (mine made 27)


I forgot to toast the pecans, but it didn't really matter. And I used chocolate chips and white chocolate chips instead of the squares. This actually did matter, because the white chips did not melt in the oven and then I wasn't able to spread them around. Taste-wise it was fine, presentation-wise it would have looked a lot better with melted chips. But WOW, the taste. These are absolutely fantastic. The toffee layer seeps into the crust, creating this amazingly sweet bar. I knew they would be good just looking at the ingredients. But they have already become one of my favorite recipes ever. And it took less than an hour total to make them. Pretty amazing.