Just for fun, I covered half of the bars in Dove milk chocolate and half in Ghirardelli Chocolate Covered Caramel Squares. The Dove chocolate melted nicely as expected. The Ghirardelli Caramel Square just kind of sank into the top and melted into a chocolate/caramel mass. Luckily, after a stint in the refrigerator, the caramel solidified, so the half made with caramel squares had an interesting chocolate/caramel top.

I’ve seen variations on this recipe hundreds of times and am happy I finally got around to trying it. It’s definitely a good cookie for showcasing flavored or high quality chocolate, which is good, because these days I don’t like chocolate unless it’s somehow combined with a cookie."

One final note. I typed up the full recipe below, but I actually made a half batch and used an 8 inch square metal pan. I took mine out at 18 minutes, but you could go as long as 20.

Toffee Bars
Based on recipes from Tasha Tudor , Maida Heatter and Wellesley Cookie Exchange

2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
8 oz good quality dark or milk chocolate, chopped up (or some caramel squares)
1/2 cup whole natural almonds, toasted and chopped **

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch metal pan or line with non-stick foil.

Cream the butter, brown sugar, salt, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in the flour. When flour is blended in, press the dough evenly into the baking pan..

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Immediately cover with chopped chocolate. When the chocolate has softened, spread it with a knife and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Let set for about 20 minutes, then score and cut. For firmer bars, score, then chill before slicing.

Makes 1 13×9 inch pan.

** To Micro-Toast, lay almonds on a paper towel and cook on high for two minutes. Let cool completely, then chop."