Gluten Free Toffee Bars

Some times using recipes from generations ago result in simple delights. I have often heard that sugar cookies are the most uncomplicated and basic cookie, but I’ve only made them from scratch once. They were an epic failure — dry, crumbly, tasteless, and basically unappetizing. And using gluten free flour just made the disaster more painful.

Following my grandmother’s recipe, I also tried old-fashioned shortbread. Once. I was thankful that we got to smother it in strawberries and whipped cream to cover up its shortcomings.

Sugar cookies and shortbread have basically the same ingredients — butter, sugar, and flour. The big difference in my mind is that sugar cookies have more sugar and flour, and shortbread has more butter. I stink at making both of them, so we will move on to toffee bars…

There are 3 layers to these bars:

• The base leans more towards shortbread than sugar cookie, and is delightfully loaded with butter. But because brown sugar is used instead of white sugar, the “shortbread” is caramel-y and just the right texture. The butter makes it melt in your mouth.
• The chocolate layer is either chocolate chips, or a jumbo candy bar melted on top.
• And the toffee? YES! There must be toffee! I use either Trader Joe’s toffee chips or Heath bars. When frozen, the toffee crushes easily.

My mother made these bars every Christmas, but since I am not very good at making cookies (read above), these bars are my go-to for every cookie-loving-event. The best part is that they freeze well, so having some on hand for that surprise visitor for coffee is simple. And, since the recipe calls for an egg yolk, that leaves an orphaned egg white for making meringue cookies. Win! WIN!

Baking with gluten free flour requires a little extra time. Once the base dough is mixed up, refrigerate it for a couple hours, or overnight. That gives the flour time to absorb the butter, lose its grittiness, and make it easier to handle. Even though it might seem like an impossible task, pressing the dough evenly on the bottom of a well-greased baking sheet is strangely therapeutic.

A tip from my always-frugal-and-practical mother: use the butter wrappers to grease every corner of the baking sheet. They don’t absorb fat like paper towels do, keep your hands clean, and you can pat yourself on the back for recycling.

After the base bakes, sprinkle the chocolate on top while it is still hot. That is usually enough to melt the chocolate, but some times it needs another minute in the oven before it is spreadable.

Then sprinkle the crushed toffee on top and gently press in to the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set before cutting. (Another reminder that chocolate and toffee crush easier if they have been frozen.)

Now you can enjoy tasty simplicity, with a recipe from a previous generation. Your children will be impressed, and beg for more.

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