Dolly's Crisp Toffee Bars

Dolly's Crisp Toffee Bars
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 111.

These are wonderful and easy to make. They are crisp, crunchy and buttery. The chocolate chips and nuts give them a great texture. 

(Notes in red are my own)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
4 oz. walnuts (1 generous cup), cut into medium sized pieces
6 oz. (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Adjust rack to the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the salt, vanilla and sugar, beating well, until the mixture holds together. Add the flour.

Add the nuts...

Add the chocolate morsels...

Stir until the morsels and nuts are evenly distributed.

The dough will be stiff. Place teaspoon sized mounds of the dough close together on an ungreased 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 x 1 inch jelly roll pan (I use an ice-cream scoop for this).

With floured fingertips press the dough firmly to make an even layer. (I thought of an easier and less messy way to do this. Take a piece of plastic wrap and cover the dough, then press until it all comes together). You will have a thin layer. Bake for 20 -25 minutes, reversing the pan front to back once to insure even baking. The cake will be golden brown.

Let cool in the pan for a minute or two.

Use a small sharp knife to cut into bars. Let stand in the pan until cool. With a wide metal spatula transfer to paper towels to dry the bottoms. Wrap them individually in clear cellophane or wax paper or store them in an airtight container. (I was amazed at how neatly the cookies sliced - there were hardly any crumbs)