Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
It’s that time of year when parents celebrate and children mourn: back to school. Some schools, like ours, are already in session; others will be starting in the next couple of weeks. Either way, it’s the perfect moment to pull out a tried‑and‑true, quick recipe that guarantees delicious treats even as life speeds up from those lazy summer days. Buttery sweet toffee, rich chocolate, and a crumbly shortbread‑like base make these classic bar cookies irresistible any time of year and even better when you know they won’t keep you in the kitchen for hours while school‑supply shopping or homework‑helping awaits.
Bar cookies built on a single “dough” that serves as both a pressed base and a crumbly topping have been around since at least the 1960s. This particular recipe was created in the late 1980s by Hershey’s to promote their Skor baking bits — part of an aggressive competition campaign with Heath, before Hershey acquired Heath in the mid‑1990s. Mom’s handwritten recipe card doesn’t say where she found it, but the specific call for 10 ounces of “Skor English toffee bits” strongly suggests it came from a Skor back‑of‑package publication.
This is another recipe I was thrilled to rediscover in Mom’s binder. It’s very similar to the Caramel Chip Bars, but I think I actually prefer these. They’re a little less sweet — no white chocolate, a thinner caramel layer, and the toffee really gets a chance to shine. And that “caramel” layer isn’t a true caramel at all: the toffee melts into the sweetened condensed milk during baking, creating a gooey, caramel‑y center. The base is more like shortbread than a blondie. The egg keeps it from being a true shortbread, but you still get that firm‑yet‑crumbly structure rather than a fudgy chew.
As usual, I’m sure Mom skipped the nuts listed in the original recipe, so I did too. If you want to include them, almonds would reinforce the English‑toffee vibe, and pecans (my usual pick) would be lovely. The only other change I made was adding salt to the dough and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top. The recipe probably assumed salted butter, and Mom definitely would have used it, but since I always bake with unsalted, the dough needed extra salt for balance. The sea salt on top is optional, but I think the bars are a bit too sweet without it, and I love the little crunchy pops of salt alongside the toffee. I used a full teaspoon, but adjust to your taste.
These aren’t new and they aren’t fancy — but they’re comforting, nostalgic, and, most of all, delicious. I hope you’ll find a moment to throw together a batch. And if you do, let me know how it goes.
Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease (or line with parchment or non-stick foil) a 13″x9″ baking pan
- Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, using a pastry cutter, large fork or a pair of butter knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.2 1/3 cup (280 g) flour, 2/3 cup (148 g) brown sugar, 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt, 3/4 cup (168 g) butter
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until it starts to come together in a crumbly dough. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips and (if you are using them) the coarsely chopped nuts. Set aside 1 1/2 cups (300g) of the mixture (this will be the top of the bars).1 egg, 1/2 tsp (3 ml) vanilla, 1 ½ cups (270 g) chocolate chips, 1 cup (146 g) nuts
- Press the remaining mix onto the bottom of the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately pour the sweetened condensed milk over the hot crust. Top the condensed milk with 8 1/2 oz of toffee bits.14 oz (397 g) sweetened condensed milk, 8 ½ oz (242 ¼ g) English Toffee bits.
- Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture and the remaining chocolate chips over the top of the toffee bits.½ cups (90 g) chocolate chips
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until it is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 oz of toffee bits and the flaky sea salt evenly over the surface.1 ½ oz (42 ¾ g) English Toffee bits., 1/2 – 1 tsp (3-6 g) flaky sea salt
- Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars (40 small, 32 medium or 24 large). Store in an air tight container at room temperature.
Private Notes
Nutrition
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