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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.

Amber on 3.2.2010

The last dessert recipe I prepared from scratch (I don’t count boxed cake mixes) was actually PW’s Coffee Cake Literally. And yeah, it was literally the most delicious dessert I’ve ever tasted. I did something wrong with the cake part though and it came out way, way too dense, but… well, there’s always next time! Or, there will be a next time if I ever get a Kitchenaid mixer. I had my mom’s last time I made the cake, but it was on a loan and she’s since taken it back! :(

Kim Ellis on 3.2.2010

Chocolate peanut butter bars last night. Awesome.

Beth Ritzman on 3.2.2010

The last dessert I made was the apple dumplings with mountain dew…
I used sugar this time…
Did I ever tell you about the time I accidentally used salt instead of sugar? True story.
My 10yo daughter ate the first one before the rest of us. She did seem rather reluctant to finish it, but finish it she did.
Later, after the mistake was discovered, I asked her why!? Why did she eat the whole thing?
She answered that it *did* taste rather awful, but she didn’t want to hurt my feelings.

She got extra this time.

KGG on 3.2.2010

Brownies with ice cream!

Naomi on 3.2.2010

chocolate creme de pots, they were yummy, but a little runny. :)

Carla on 3.2.2010

I made a Dr. Pepper cake this evening. It was really good. :)

Amanda L on 3.2.2010

5 minute Mug Cake (With a lovely strawberry coulis, thus totally defeating the purpose of the mugcake)

Marilyn on 3.2.2010

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

Carrot cake, rich and gooey!!

Profile photo of tcp1005

tcp1005 on 3.2.2010

I made pineapple casserole last night, but if that doesn’t count, I made banana pudding on Sunday.

Meghan on 3.2.2010

Blondies.

ChrisBL on 3.2.2010

I made a chocolate toffee cake last week — it was delicious and I am trying to find an opportunity to make it again!

Wendi on 3.2.2010

I made Blonde Brownies for my family Saturday night.
It is their favorite, and I love making them.

Kelley on 3.2.2010

Peanut butter cookies..yum!

Diane on 3.2.2010

I made chocolate chip cookies for a sick relative who gobbled them up and asked for more.

dicity

Pat on 3.2.2010

Home made apple pie! For a friend who just returned home from his hip replacement!

NOLA Cook on 3.2.2010

Emeril’s Banana Cream Pie

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babybear on 3.2.2010

Icky microwaved brownies… Need to make cheesecake again

churchill on 3.2.2010

molten chocolate cake and boy was it good!

Kariegirl on 3.2.2010

I made a microwave brownie-cake last night (not sure if this really counts as baking) and ate it with french vanilla ice cream – yum! :)

2 tbsp brownie mix
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp water
– Mix everything in a small ramekin (or mug) and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Enjoy!

BeckyMac on 3.2.2010

Your French Breakfast Puffs!!! First time I made them & they are delicious. My husband loves them. Love your cookbook PW!

Jennifer Schaefer on 3.2.2010

Strawberry Yogurt Pie

Laura in AL on 3.2.2010

Your Cinnamon Rolls out of your cookbook! (Really, truly!) :)

LadyJane on 3.2.2010

Peanutbutter Chocolate Gooey Cake recipe from Tasty Kitchen (with some modifications). Too sweet, but it was yummy, especially the peanutbutter cream cheese part. mmmm…..

Nancy on 3.2.2010

I made our weekly batch of chocolate chip cookies Sundayafternoon for my kiddos – which lasted less than 24 hours. But also made a pineapple upside down cake that evening to send with my hubby who works away from home during the week.

Renee on 3.2.2010

The last one I made was lemon bars

Gabby O. on 3.2.2010

I made confetti cupcakes with sprite!

donna on 3.2.2010

yellow birthday cake for my son, Jeff

Sou on 3.2.2010

I made a new york style cheese cake with a sugar cookie crust as oppose to a graham cracker crust. I inadvertently used a wheat flour instead of ap flour, so the crust wasn’t as yummy.

maizie on 3.2.2010

I made a pecan pie because it is my husband’s favorite desssert.

Corinne on 3.2.2010

I made my mother’s famous peanut butter bars last night. I ate half the pan already.

Elizabeth on 3.2.2010

Double chocolate cookies

Tammy Jo on 3.2.2010

Sugar cookies. YOUR sugar cookies. I love them!!

Beth on 3.2.2010

Caramel brownies….to which I added a little extra chocolate to make it better. My lab mix decided she should feast on them instead of me. She agrees that they are delicious, but she got a belly ache after that one!!!

Angela on 3.2.2010

Brownies, from a box

EWils on 3.2.2010

I’m slightly ashamed to say it was box brownies. The Hershey ones with the chocolate chunks. And I put chocolate icing on top. I couldn’t help it, I was walking through the baking aisle and I caved!

Cindy on 3.2.2010

chocolate coconut cookies!

Sheri McIllwain on 3.2.2010

Made some yummy choco chip/toffee shortbread cookies. Heavenly.

jbd on 3.2.2010

Special K bars — love ‘em!

Linda V on 3.2.2010

It was chocolate brownies last night and they are gone!

Laura McGuire on 3.2.2010

Chocolate Angel food cake with Wilton’s butter cream frosting.
This was on Sunday night as Sunday night is usually desert for dinner night. Followed by the making of graham crackers with the left over icing between them. These went into my hubby’s lunch for today.

Diantha W. on 3.2.2010

I actually made sugar cookies with my daughter in her easy bake oven!

Michelle M. on 3.2.2010

Last night I made a very lovely chocolate meringue pie. And thankfully took it to friends’ house so I didn’t eat the whole thing myself.

Suez Griffin on 3.2.2010

cream cheese pound cake….yummmm (I have no imagination )

Stacie G on 3.2.2010

I had cake made with pumpkin and chocolate cake mix & cool whip lite (oblivious to the fact that cans of pumpkin are extremely hard to come by and used my last one in the pantry). Loved the recipe (to cut fat and calories and not being able to taste the good pumpkin) but MAD I can’t find canned pumpkin in the stores now. I’m pouting… life is not fair

Lori C. on 3.2.2010

I made a Chocolate Praline Layer cake for a catering event for 85 people. Boy, I sure coulda used a kitchen aid for that many cakes!

Christianne P on 3.2.2010

I made dark chocolate cake with homemade chocolate buttercream icing for my oldest daughter’s birthday.

Jenny D! on 3.2.2010

oh… the kids love to make these little turtle snacks. Take a square pretzel, slightly melt a Rolo, then press a nut in the middle. Bit sized turtles and soooo easy for the kids to do. :D

shelle on 3.2.2010

homemade chocolate sauce over ice cream! mmmmm mmmm good.

Deb on 3.2.2010

This is hands down the best gluten free chocolate torte in the world…maybe even the best chocolate torte period…

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ghirardelli-Flourless-Mocha-Torte/Detail.aspx