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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!

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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.

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

 
 
 

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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.

 
 
 

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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.

 
 
 

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Begin by creaming softened butter and brown sugar.

 
 
 

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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.

 
 
 

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Then you dump all of that into the bowl…

 
 
 

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

 
 
 

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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.

 
 
 

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

 
 
 

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

 
 
 

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And pressed it lightly into the pan.

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

 
 
 

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

 
 
 

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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***

 
 
 

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

 
 
 

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Mmmmm. It smells so, so good.

 
 
 

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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.

 
 
 

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Look at that yummy crust.

 
 
 

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

 
 
 

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Oh, yummy. How lovely!

 
 
 

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And I’m sorry…

 
 
 

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But I had to do this.

The devil made me do it.

 
 
 

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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!

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

26,637 Comments

Comments are closed for this recipe.

susan on 3.2.2010

i made your molten lava chocolate cakes. simply amazing.

Melissa M on 3.2.2010

Hmm…the last dessert I made was brownies from mix…Ghirardelli double fudge :) My 8-year old son loves to help make them and eat them!

hilljo on 3.2.2010

Red Velvet cake with Confetti Icing for a birthday upon request. And yes I cheated and used a box mix and canned icing, but that is what was requested and I aim to please :)

Sara on 3.2.2010

Oh..I guess I cheated – took some Romanian Cozanac out of the freezer – baked fresh *ahem* a month ago!! Definitely hit the spot! I’ll bake today though :)

Jenny on 3.2.2010

Chocolate chip cookies!

Lisa on 3.2.2010

smittens peanut butta coooooookieeessss.. OMG swoon

Jenny on 3.2.2010

Chocolate Trifle! My kids request it for every birthday, or just because. But now it is Lent…so long chocolate trifle…

Janet on 3.2.2010

Banana bread.

Jennifer Wickman on 3.2.2010

Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. Two weeks ago. Yum.

Jennie on 3.2.2010

HA! This is what I get for giving up chocolate for Lent–I almost missed out on this!

The last dessert I made was Giada de Laurentiis’ white cupcakes with raspberry whipped cream filling. Mmmmmmmmmm…so delicious and light, but still a show-stopper!

lizindsm on 3.2.2010

I made oatmeal chocolate chip and cherry cookies..a few weeks ago.

Wentzium on 3.2.2010

Chocolate Sour Cream cake with Raspberry Truffle frosting. :)

Troy on 3.2.2010

Chocolate Chip Cookie ‘cake’ for my son’s birthday party at school. It was a last minute thing. The recipe was generic and nothing fancy, but I decorated it since my 13-year old and my wife bailed out at the end. I didn’t do too badly (I think) for my first time with a pastry bag and decorating tip. Actually, the pastry bag was a zip top bag with a tip shoved into a corner. The kids loved it.

Malinda on 3.2.2010

Red Velvet cake balls or as I call them, nougats. I got tired of rolling little red balls. I have got to get these out of my house!!

Ashley W. on 3.2.2010

Chocolate chip cookies!

Jess on 3.2.2010

“Toffee bars” made with saltines, butter, sugar and chocolate chips. So bad, but so so good.

Tammy Reynolds on 3.2.2010

I made cheesecake about 2 weeks ago.

Patty P on 3.2.2010

Cherry Chocolate Cake…a sin, but a terribly easy sin…One chocolate cake mix, 2 eggs, 1 can of cherry pie filling, a splash of almond extract. Bake according to box directions, then cover with a decadent , equally easy fudge icing.

Did I mention it was sinful?

Steven Choi on 3.2.2010

Mocha silk pie a few weeks ago!

Janet M on 3.2.2010

Last dessert i prepared was a chocoflan. Chocolate cake + Flan= party in my mouth. =]]

Bridget on 3.2.2010

Brownies from the box, but I added chocolate chips. I swear they’re as good as homemade (sorta)! My co-workers weren’t complaining. :)

Rachel Dale on 3.2.2010

Rice Krispie treats!

Fianna on 3.2.2010

Does a PB& honey sandwich count? Or opening a bag of Chips Ahoy?

Stephanie R on 3.2.2010

The last dessert I made was almond flour apple cake. (SCD friendly)

Edee Elwell on 3.2.2010

I made a from scratch cinnamon coffee cake. Our familys favorite.

Stephanie on 3.2.2010

I made zucchini brownies this weekend. Sounds strange, but you cant even taste the shredded zucchini.

Stephanie P. on 3.2.2010

NY Style Cheesecake for my dad’s birthday. Yum.

j. on 3.2.2010

molten chocolate cake which seems to be a staple in my household. best dessert i ever ate.

JenJen on 3.2.2010

Eton mess, yum!

Molly on 3.2.2010

I made chocolate cake a while back…

Jimmi Mayo on 3.2.2010

Last dessert I prepared was a chocolate chip cheesecake…months ago! too long ago. I NEED a real mixer so I can ditch the hand-mixer and become a real cook :D

Dolo on 3.2.2010

Classic banana bundt cake. Easy and very, very moist.

Michele Mullen on 3.2.2010

I made cupcakes in a cone for my daughters birthday. They are her favorites and I have to make them every year. She is 26. Some kids never grow up!

Emmylou B on 3.2.2010

I made a delicious chocolate chip pie from Bakerella!

http://www.bakerella.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie%E2%80%A6-oh-my/

Jill Brown on 3.2.2010

Last week I made monkey bread. Yum!

Daria on 3.2.2010

I baked Hamentashen (2 kinds — poppyseed and chocolate) for Purim and also an Oreo coffee cake on Friday.

Sarah on 3.2.2010

The last dessert I made was peach cobbler.

Mary on 3.2.2010

The last dessert I made was a banana and a square of dark chocolate.

Rodney on 3.2.2010

Cheesecake!!

Chloe on 3.2.2010

I most definitely made a sundae, but the last dessert I ate was apple pie with whipped cream. A stand mixer would be the perfect addition to our new apartment!

jaana on 3.2.2010

We just had an exceptionally long cold period, 5 degrees Fahrenheit for months. Last week we couldn’t take it any longer and were forced to make some blueberry ice cream with lemon curd (by Sweet Paul). Yum!

Nancy Munce on 3.2.2010

It’s strawberry season here in Florida so I made Strawberry Shortcake. This recipe works, just substitute a store bought angelfood cake for the shortcake portion of the recipe – fast, easy and deelicious!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chic-easy/strawberry-shortcake-recipe/index.html

Brian Geyer on 3.2.2010

the last dessert i made was “cowboy cookies”. they were really good!

Stephanie on 3.2.2010

The last desert was a Cranberry-Apple Crisp. I modified an existing recipe and it was really good. I used some of the cranberries I had in the freezer.

Dori Moltzen on 3.2.2010

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Puppy Chow, not really a dessert, but close enough!

Vanessa on 3.2.2010

The last dessert I prepared were Oreo Cupcakes with a deliciously smooth vanilla buttercream. It was for my co-workers as well.

Jessica on 3.2.2010

I made a Toffee Brownie Trifle a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty delicious!

EricaG on 3.2.2010

Thank you for the hint, because I’m not a coffee fan so I did indeed miss this….Last dessert I made, I don’t know if it qualifies as a dessert but it was little smokies wrapped in crescent rolls baked in a honey, butter, brown sugary goodness….

linsleyd on 3.2.2010

I made a key lime cake for my husbands birthday