The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
Profile photo of Ree | The Pioneer Woman

Coffee Toffee Bars

Posted by in Baking, Step-by-Step Recipes

WINNERS – Here are the winners of the KitchenAid mixers:

Jamie M.“We made Cookie Salad last night with girl scout cookies, it was delish!”

Kimberly“We wanted something fruity and spring-like, even though it was February. I had 3 kinds of berries in the freezer, along with some rhubarb–and combined a few recipes to make a delicious rhuberry crisp!”

Congratulations, winners! Contact prizes@tastykitchen.com to claim your loot.

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your most recent desserts.

More fun giveaways next week – see you then!

___________________________________________________

I have a problem. I’m addicted to coffee-flavored anything. Coffee caramels, coffee ice cream, tiramisu, coffee itself. So as I was browsing the Desserts category yesterday for a sweet recipe to prepare, I grabbed at the first coffee-flavored treat I could find.

They’re Coffee-Toffee Bars, submitted by nhsweetcherry back in October, and I just knew they’d be something that would satisfy my coffee urges, at least for the afternoon.

When I read the recipe, I noticed right away that they’re not unlike these Spreads that I’ve made since I was a little girl—except with those, you bake the cookie base first, then spread melted chocolate chips over the top. These Coffee Toffee Bars are more of a chunky, substantial bar. Yum!

Here’s how you make them! Verdict is down below…along with a special surprise at the end.

 
TPW_9126

The ingredients. Simple, pure, perfect…except I called the baking powder BAKING SODA. Why do I do this every time?

 
 
 

TPW_9129

The “coffee” in these Coffee Toffee Bars comes from this ingredient—instant coffee granules. Did you know you can add a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee to most chocolate chip cookie recipes? Just throw it into the dry ingredients and it’ll add a delightful depth of flavor.

 
 
 

TPW_9127

The recipe calls for 1 to 2 cups of chocolate chips. I decided to do 1 cup of semi-sweet and 1 cup of MILK CHOCOLATE chips. I’ll let you know how that turns out.

 
 
 

TPW_9132

Begin by creaming softened butter and brown sugar.

 
 
 

TPW_9135

Then you grab these four ingredients: instant coffee, salt, baking powder, and…almond extract! I wondered what that flavor would do the bars, since the standard choice would normally be vanilla.

Intellesting. Velly, velly intellesting.

 
 
 

TPW_9139

Then you dump all of that into the bowl…

 
 
 

TPW_9141

And mix it all together. You’ll want to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure it all gets mixed together well.

 
 
 

TPW_9142

After that, you dump in the flour. The recipe calls for approximately 2 1/2 cups of flour, so I decided to add the full amount in order to get a point of reference.

 
 
 

TPW_9150

The result was a pretty crumbly dough; I had to really mix it in order for it to come together.

 
 
 

TPW_9155

However, it turned out fine! I dumped it into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan…

 
 
 

TPW_9159

And pressed it lightly into the pan.

Yes, I will be getting a new manicure, probably sometime in the year 2011.

 
 
 

TPW_9167

Then I sprinkled the chocolate chips all over the pressed dough.

 
 
 

TPW_9172

The recipe calls for 1 cup of chips…but UP TO 2 cups. I used about 1 3/4 cup of chips, just to see how far I could push it. ***More on this later***

 
 
 

TPW_9177

Then you just pop it in the oven for about 25 minutes.

 
 
 

TPW_9179

Mmmmm. It smells so, so good.

 
 
 

TPW_9183

The dough isn’t a hugely rising, overly poufy thing since it doesn’t contain eggs or baking soda like the average chocolate chip cookie. But it does rise and pouf just enough to anchor the chocolate chips without completely swallowing them up.

 
 
 

TPW_9190

Look at that yummy crust.

 
 
 

TPW_9194

Cut the bars into squares or rectangles, depending on how many servings you’d like to squeeze out of the recipe.

 
 
 

TPW_9199

Oh, yummy. How lovely!

 
 
 

TPW_9216

And I’m sorry…

 
 
 

TPW_9224

But I had to do this.

The devil made me do it.

 
 
 

TPW_9204

THE VERDICT: These were really delicious. I definitely used too many chocolate chips, though—the chocolate overpowered the flavor of the cookie/bar below. When I make them next time, and I will make them again, I’ll use 1 cup of chocolate chips, tops. Maybe even less. You really want that cookie to shine through.

The almond extract is very interesting! It definitely comes through in the flavor of the cookie. I thought it was delicious, but if you aren’t a fan of almond flavor, I think you could easily substitute vanilla extract.

You could also sprinkle finely chopped pecans on top, before you sprinkle on the chocolate chips.

And vanilla ice cream, of course, would be a divine accompaniment!

Thank you, nhsweetcherry, for sharing such a delightful treat!

Here’s the recipe:

Coffee-Toffee Bars

 
THE FUN PART

And now for the fun part.

Not that Coffee Toffee Bars aren’t fun!

 

Today, Tasty Kitchen is giving away two (2) KitchenAid artisan stand mixers in the classic White color above. There are so many yummy dessert recipes on Tasty Kitchen, and you need one of these babies to facilitate all the baking.

 
TO ENTER

To enter this giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

“What’s the last dessert recipe you prepared?”

Did you make a chocolate cake last night?

Red velvet cupcakes last week?

Or was it that yellow Easy Bake Oven cake you made in 1974?

Just shout out the last dessert you prepared with your hot little hands (and feel free to include a link to the recipe if it’s online!) and you’re automatically entered to win a mixer.

 
THE RULES

One entry per person, please.

No entries after 11:00 pm Pacific Time Tuesday.

Winners will be selected at random and announced Wednesday morning.

Good luck!

_________________________________

Contest sponsored by Tasty Kitchen, with cooperation from CHEFS Catalog.

26,637 Comments

Comments are closed for this recipe.

Teresa Smith on 3.3.2010

Dessert is a regular accurance at our house! I made Cow Chip Cookies. They have no flour, but lots of goodness in them. Oats, Coconut, pecans, peanut butter, chocolate chips, M&M’s. You get the picture! To die for!

Linda on 3.3.2010

I made Hot Fudge Cake……ooey, gooey love.

Heather on 3.3.2010

I’m a terrible baker so I don’t make desserts too often. I think last October was my last dessert attempt which was surprisingly successful – Chocolate Pot de Creme!

Manisha Yeager on 3.3.2010

the last dessert I made was for my son’s 6th birthday in January. I made a yummy yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting. MMM

RUBBERWALLS on 3.3.2010

Chicken enchiladas….with spanish rice !!!

Lisa H. on 3.3.2010

Ginger-Applesauce cake from kraftrecipes.com

iLuvLingerie on 3.3.2010

Semifreddo with raspeberries as a valentines day gift. turned out to be too good:)

Kathie on 3.3.2010

Banoffee Pie!!

Becky on 3.3.2010

New York Style Cheesecake (from Canadian Food Network chef Ricardo)

It was like I died and went to heaven! I gave up chocolate for Lent, so this is like my new go-to dessert until Easter. That and Ree’s coffee cake. Just don’t count the calories….

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Dessert/Cheese/recipe.html?dishid=10180

Jamie Cobb on 3.3.2010

I made cookies just last night. It was a lot of work. It involved opening a package and putting them on a tray and setting it in the oven.

momm77 on 3.3.2010

I made Toll House pie for my boys when they were home from college. They ate two pieces and then I had to eat the rest all by myself.

Jennifer B on 3.3.2010

The last dessert I made were No Bake Cookies. They are the only cookies that my girls’ will eat! At least there is oatmeal in the cookie…

Sonya on 3.3.2010

Honestly I can’t remember the last dessert I made but tonight I am making PW sheet cake for my son’s 16th birthday.

kerry johnson on 3.3.2010

tres leches cake with tropical fruit salsa!

Joanne on 3.3.2010

Healthy (not so) surprise cupcakes, last Wednesday to share, just so I wouldn’t eat them all :)

Anne Shaheen on 3.3.2010

bread pudding on Sunday–used up all the bread scraps in the freezer.Forgot how good it tastes

namacura (GA) on 3.3.2010

Brownies, my husband loves plain brownies with a super cold glass of milk!

That goofy girl on 3.3.2010

I made mini dark chocolate lava cakes… I didn’t tell anyone that they had 47 grams of fat (EACH!!!) and over 650 calories until they were done eating them. I’ve been banned from bringing desserts in the future. :)

Violeta on 3.3.2010

Last dessert: chocolate truffle tart with raspberries on Sunday. Delicious!

Jackie on 3.3.2010

Paula Deen’s “Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding”!
If you haven’t tried it….. DO!! IMMEDIATELY!!

Julianne on 3.3.2010

I made homemade cinnamon rolls (a dessert for us) from my America’s Test Kitchen Family Dinners cookbook. They were awesome and a hit with the entire family!

chelsie on 3.3.2010

I made oatmeal scotchies yesterday… really just oatmeal bar cookies with lots more oatmeal than flour. My husband hates butterscotch (I crave it about twice a year :-) ), so I divide the batter in half and add chocolate chips to one and butterscotch chips to the other… then I smash them down in the same pan and let them touch in the middle. Ha! :-)

Lilly Rose on 3.3.2010

Chocolate cake!

Hephzibah Ochoa on 3.3.2010

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Barb on 3.3.2010

Just you basic brownies…I am not much of a baker…YET!

Ruth on 3.3.2010

I made a chocolate pavlova with raspberry and mint sorbet, served with fresh raspberries and warm chocolate sauce. It was a success!

deb smith on 3.3.2010

I made Chocolate pie last night & it’s almost gone already.

Aree on 3.3.2010

I helped my six year old daughter make chocolate haystacks!

Judy on 3.3.2010

Yesterday I made persimmon pudding ! Found the last bag of pulp in the freezer. I will have to submit the recipe to TK. Judy

Tobie on 3.3.2010

Cupcakes-I love making cupcakes for my daughter. She loves licking the frosting off the top.

Lina on 3.3.2010

Do pancakes count? If not it was *wince* in the Christmas holidays, when I made 2 banoffee pies… when I last had access to an oven (only 5 months till I move back out of halls again and can have a kitchen and an oven and make cake EVERY DAY). But I’m planning to make tartan cupcakes for my Scottish Dance next week

Julia Yates Brunet on 3.3.2010

egg custard! My favorite comfort food!

Audrey Williams on 3.3.2010

graham cracker crust with greek yogurt and honey with blueberries on top

Robin on 3.3.2010

Strawberry shortcake!

joan on 3.3.2010

baked fudge on Saturday for guests

Beth M on 3.3.2010

Cheesecake. Mmm Mmm mmmmmmm

Frances Alsup on 3.3.2010

I MADE A CHERRY CHEESE PIE FOR A POTLUCK DINNER.

Carol on 3.3.2010

I made homemade hostess cupcakes. I filled the hershey recipe cupcakes with a seven minute frosting. I iced them with ganache, and piped my son’s initals on them for his 11th bday! So, worth the effort!

Anda on 3.3.2010

Banana Ice Cream

Slice Bananas into thin slices. Deep Freeze. Add some vanilla flavour. Puree. Presto!

ulli on 3.3.2010

Tiramisu, baby!

Jess on 3.3.2010

The last dessert I made was Pecan Crispies!
Recepie from Disney Family here – http://family.go.com/food/recipe-810779-10-christmas-cookies-for-santa-t/6/.
Soooo delicious.

Andrea C on 3.3.2010

that would be a good old Aussie pavlova with raspberries and cream (instead of the fruit given in the recipe) …….oh yeah….www.taste.com.au/recipes/14966/pavlova

Ann on 3.3.2010

I made 2 desserts on Sunday. A blueberry oat dessert and a pumpkin pudding pie that I made up but my family loves! (Make pumpkin instant pudding. Put it in graham cracker crust. Top with cool whip. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Easy! Delicious! AND I got a bunch of pumpkin pudding CHEAP when it went on clearance last fall!

Laura on 3.3.2010

What’s the last dessert recipe you prepared ?

This recipe is a favorite of my 17 year old and my husband. It was a Strawberry Pretzel Jello!

Jessica Bahr on 3.3.2010

I made The Pioneer Woman’s Pear Cinnamon Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream! And it was absolutely perfect!

https://tastykitchen.com/cooking/2009/10/pear-crisp-with-vanilla-ice-cream/

THANK YOU!

Sandy on 3.3.2010

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake. Left over cans of pumpkin had to be used for something you know. Awesome cake. Made in a loaf pan and heaven out of the oven.

Angie Young on 3.3.2010

Cream puffs. Surprisingly easier to make than I thought, and kinda fancy :)

Inner Pickle on 3.3.2010

Chocolate self saucing pudding!!

link on blog:

http://www.innerpickle.com.au/2010/02/chocolate-selfsaucing-pudding.html

SO good, I could eat it all myself. Oh, wait a minute…

xxx

Shelly on 3.3.2010

Your chocolate pie! YUMMY!! Sat. night :-)

erica watson on 3.3.2010

I made raglagh- i dont think i spelled it right but OMG the best jewish cookies EVER!! I’ll post a recipie later as it is too easy and good to pass up…