Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I may have a toffee obsession lately or it could just be that I bought four bags of toffee bits and want to use them up before I eat them all straight out of the bag!  So I went looking on Food Network and Epicurious....desperate for recipes to use up my toffee bits.  Epicurious had a recipe for Giant Chocolate Toffee Cookies that came out in Bon Appetit magazine in 2000.  The recipe called for an entire pound of  melted chocolate but very little flour, very much like a rich chocolate brownie.  Sounds good to me!

Delish!!!  My tips to you are these....beat the sugar and egg until thick (will also be light in color), and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 45 minutes!  I followed the recipe exactly as was except that I substituted my toffee bits for chopped toffee bars and decided against the walnuts, I also sprinkled some more of the toffee bits on top of the dough before I put the baking sheets in the oven.  Also, definitely cool the cookies on the baking sheet, they are difficult to move until they have cooled and set.

Make these cookies, make them soon,  but make sure you hide some for yourself because once people get a taste, there will be none left!!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 3/4 cups (packed) brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups toffee bits

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then toffee. Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Recipe from Epicurious.com

Recipe shared on:
Foodie Friends Friday
My Turn For Us - Freedom Fridays

Apple Pie Bars

I know, I know, I know......I disappeared off of the face of the earth!  I have been super busy with end of the semester at school, my kids, work, work, and more work!!!  But, I am happy to say.....I'M BACK!!!  :)

Let's start off with a recipe I made for a picnic at a winery last week...Apple Pie Bars!  Who doesn't absolutely LOVE apple pie?  It is one of my favorites but such a pain to make.  These Apple Pie Bars are the easiest to make and taste exactly like apple pie.  If you are going to have a picnic, whether at a winery or at the park, you really must have an apple pie and these hold up well in the heat since they do not require refrigeration.  

I found the recipe in a Food & Wine cookbook that I bought at a garage sale for $1!  You really can't beat that!  This cookbook is fabulous and full of wonderful recipes, including the following!  Enjoy the recipe and don't be afraid of the crust, it is far easier than any regular pie crust and tastes wonderful!

Enjoy!!

Apple Pie Bars

Crust:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
12 Granny Smith apples (about 6 pounds)—peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup water, as necessary

Topping:
3/4 cup walnuts
3 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled


Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 15-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. In a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan and 1/2 inch up the side in an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and set. Let cool on a rack.

In each of 2 large skillets, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter with 1/4 cup of the light brown sugar. Add the apples to the skillets and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 or 8 minutes. Stir half of the cinnamon and nutmeg into each skillet. Cook until the apples are caramelized and very tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes longer; scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillets and add up to 1/2 cup of water to each pan to prevent scorching. Let cool.

Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast until golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop the walnuts. In a large bowl, mix the oats with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the walnuts and press the mixture into clumps.

Spread the apple filling over the crust. Scatter the crumbs on top, pressing them lightly into an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for 30-40 mins or until the topping is golden; rotate the pan halfway through baking. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting into 2-inch bars.

MAKE AHEAD The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days or frozen for up to a month.

Recipe from Food & Wine

Recipe shared on:
Lemon Sugar
FoodieFriendsFriday - Marlys This and That