Quick and Easy Toffee Bars (Chocolate-Topped Shortbread)

Sneak Preview: These quick and easy Toffee Bars consist of a shortbread base covered with melted chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Impressive but quick to make when time is short! Less than 100 calories each.

Quick Toffee Bars in a coffee cupPin

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

What recipe do you pull out when you need a quick dessert? For me, the recipe must be easy and contain ingredients I already have. Three dozen drop cookies are not the first thing that comes to mind. How about you?

Four Reasons Why I Skip the Brownie Mix and Make these Toffee Bars, Instead

  1. The shortbread base is simple to assemble and only requires flour, butter, and sugar.
  2. The chocolate layer is made up of melted chocolate chips.
  3. Sprinkle nuts on top for extra flavor and an elegant look.
  4. The base is thinner than the average toffee bar recipe so that you can eat these without much guilt.

Happy Bakers Speak Up


“I just made these and they are delicious!-JAYDE


How To Easily Memorize This Shortbread Toffee Bar Recipe

When pressed for time, would you rather make a recipe you know by heart or one hiding in a cookbook or messy recipe file?

Yep! That’s what I thought. Like you, I go with what I know to save time.

Given the above, I have good news…

You won’t need a written recipe for long with these easy cookies. Here’s a trick I use so I don’t have to look up the recipe.

Remember 1/4.

The “1” stands for 1 cup of flour. The “4” stands for the 4 ingredients in the shortbread base. Put them together, and you have 1/4, which indicates the amount needed for three of the ingredients:

1 cup flour + 1/4 cup powdered sugar + 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 teaspoon salt

I’m unsure if this explanation makes sense, but it works for me.

Conveniently, I eyeball the chocolate chips. No need to memorize that measurement.


Variations

The possibilities for topping these bars are numerous. The cookies in the top photo are covered with semi-sweet chocolate chips and pecans. My oldest son goes crazy for them.

My husband likes the bars pictured below featuring half chocolate and half white chocolate chips. 

Next, I may try peanut butter chips marbled with chocolate chips.  And how about melted chocolate chips topped with toasted almonds? Yum!


How To Line a Pan for Clean and Easy Removal of Chocolate Toffee Bars

A parchment paper(paid link) or foil sling is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to enable you to remove these cookies from the pan without crumbling. With that in mind, see the directions in the picture tutorial below.

making a paper sling for the pan.Pin
Make a parchment paper or foil sling for an 8-inch pan. This is essential if you hope to get the bars out of the pan without crumbling.
melting chips on top of the shortbreadPin
Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle chips evenly over the surface of the shortbread cookie base. Allow the cookies to rest until all chips are completely melted and soft. Leave as is or spread with a spatula until smooth.

Parting Thoughts: If you happen to have leftovers you don’t want to throw away, try making these Leftover Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles using these cookies instead of chocolate chip cookies. They freeze well.


Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

logo for saladinajar
Join our community of adventurous cooks, and start creating homemade food worth sharing.

If you want inspiration and exclusive tips, add your email and press the button. (Don't worry. I won't sell your email.)


Quick Toffee Bars in a coffee cupPin
Yield: 16 squares

Quick and Easy Toffee Bar Recipe (Chocolate-Covered Shortbread)

These layered toffee bars have a shortbread base covered with melted chocolate chips and chopped pecans.

Rate this recipe

(5 stars if you loved it)

5 from 3 votes
PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE SEND EMAIL
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup (56 g) melted butter
  • ½ cup (90 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or flavor of your choice
  • cup (18 g) chopped nuts optional

Instructions

  • Make a parchment paper or foil sling for an 8-inch pan. This is essential if you want any hope of getting the bars out of the pan without crumbling.
  • Preheat oven to 350˚F (170˚C).
  • Stir 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a small bowl. Pour in 1/4 cup (56 g) melted butter and stir. Use your fingers to mix butter with dry ingredients thoroughly.
  • Dump butter/flour mixture in to pan and pat down smooth. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
  • Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle 1/2 cup (90 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or flavor of your choice evenly over the surface of the shortbread cookie base. Allow to sit until all chips are completely melted and soft.
  • Carefully use a knife or the back of a spoon to spread soft chips in an even layer. If desired, sprinkle 1/8 cup (18 g) chopped nuts over the top. Put in refrigerator until chocolate layer hardens. Remove cookies and sling from the pan carefully. Slice into 16 pieces.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 92IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

5-Star Ratings Are My Favorite!Help others find this recipe in search results on the web.
My Amazon Store

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  1. i make tofee plz guide me

  2. I just made these and they are delicious! I’m quite a novice baker so I’m a little confused as to how these should be stored – in the refrigerator or in an air-tight container? It is currently winter where I’m from (New Zealand), so could these be kept outside? Thanks! 🙂

  3. beautiful,very decadent and dangerous!!!
    🙂

  4. These look irresistible!

  5. These look great and the fact that they are a lower calorie dessert makes them even more appealing before bathing suit season! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  6. Ellie and I actually made these…. and they are YUMMY and EASY! I wished I had some crumbled Heath bar to put on top. We put marshmallows on 1/3, chocolate chips on 1/3, and M&Ms on 1/3. M&Ms were the best but dont spread well – haha.
    Thanks for the recipe and I LOVE your pics of course!

  7. Oh, what a great tip. I will remember that 1/4. Those do look yummy!

  8. Mmm! Nothing like simple AND delicious!

  9. Love easy…love easy especially when teen boys drop by to visit with son and enjoy a treat like this one. Thanks for the recipe!

  10. Crystal's Cozy Kitchen says:

    Those look REALLY GOOD! Thanks for sharing such an easy version.

  11. That looks very easy and delicious. I would love to try this and share with friends. Thanks for sharing.

  12. Um…. you use gloves. (good thing I don’t take prep photos of my desserts)! 🙂 I love, love, love toffee bars – they are so classic. I love your “twists” and variations – especially the pecans. So many toffee recipes call for walnuts (not a big fan) so I usually sub almonds. The peanut butter/chocolate combo sounds like a winner as well. Photography is fabulous!

    1. M, I use gloves a lot–feels natural because I wear them all day long at work too.