These Toffee Bars are the quickest, easiest, and most delicious to make…ever!
This bar is the perfect marriage of toffee crust, chocolate, and pecans. This pan of bars never lasts very long when made.
These bars also freeze very well, so it is the perfect choice if you are looking for a “make ahead” type of dessert.
You will need: butter, brown sugar, an egg yolk, flour, vanilla, Hershey bars, and pecans.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
First, cream butter, egg yolk, and brown sugar together. Mix well.
Add flour and vanilla, beat until well mixed.
Grease a 9×13 pan and spread dough evenly in pan.
Bake 25 minutes or until edges are brown, at 325 degrees.
Just a little warning…when you first take the crust out of the oven it may look a little “soupy”, that is ok, do not freak out!!! Once the crust cools, it will solidify and be delicous, I promise!
Remove crust from oven and add Hershey candy bars directly to the top of your crust. Let sit for approximately 3-5 minutes. You will see the top of the chocolate bars become shiny and that is when you know it is completely melted and ready to be spread.
Now take a spoon and using the back of it, spread the melted chocolate until evenly distributed across the top of the crust.
Now, add pecans to the top of melted chocolate.
Allow to completely cool so that the chocolate hardens. If you are in a hurry, you can place in the refrigerator for about an hour or until set. You can leave in refrigerator longer, just make sure you let the bars come back to room temp before cutting otherwise the chocolate will sometimes separate from the crust.
Cut and serve….yum!
Toffee Bars:
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 Hershey bars
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter, egg yolk, brown sugar, mix well. Add flour and vanilla, beat until well mixed.
Grease 9×13 pan and spread dough. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and place candy bars on top of dough. Once melted, spread chocolate and add pecans.
Let bars cool (until the chocolate hardens) before cutting. If you cool the bars in the refrigerator, make sure you let the bars come back to room temp before cutting otherwise the chocolate will sometimes separate from the crust.
Extra Tip: You can also add some crushed toffee bits (found by the chocolate chips) to give the bars an extra layer of flavor and crunch.
Thank you so much for this post! I made this recipe over and over again in the 70’s and then lost it. My boss threatened to fire me if I didn’t figure out how to make them again!! I have been searching off and on over the years and can now share this with my kids and grandkids!
Oh my goodness, I am so glad that I could be part of saving your job:-) Tell your boss you want a raise now!! I hope you enjoy, please let me know how they turn out.
Mine was soup. Did it really mean 1 cup of butter or 1/2 cup, 1 stick?
Yes, the recipe calls for 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter. Did you use room temperature butter or melted? If you use melted butter the dough has a tendency get a little soupy.
Once it is baked and completely cooled though, it should firm up.
Mine was soupy at 25 minutes too. I did not melt my butter, just softened. I wonder if needed more like 45 minutes baking. Is it supposed to be a chewy or crunchy crust?
It is not a crunchy crust, it should be more of a chewy consistency. It will look slightly soupy when you take it out and put the candy bars on. Once it cools though, it solidifies a great deal!
Im going to make this tonight witgout the pecans. My boyfriend has no teeth will thwir be a problem. How many stixks is a half cup
You can certainly make the bars without nuts. This recipe is not crunchy by any means, the crust has a soft dough consistency, so it should be fine for your boyfriend.
The recipe calls for one cup of butter, or two sticks. Good luck!
Toffee bars not enough flour Soup that will never set up, Please test recipes so a cup of butter is not wasted!!!
The crust will seem a little soupy when you take it out of the oven, that is normal for this recipe. Once you let them cool however, they will set, I promise!!! I have made this recipe dozens of times over the years and they have always set. Hopefully you did not throw them away?
I just made these and they turned out perfect. It does take awhile to firm up but they will.
The exact same recipe my Grandma and Great Grandma used to make, especially for church functions!
It is certainly one of those “old time” recipes that has lasted throughout the years. Not only is it delicious, but SUPER simple and quick to make.
On my Grandmothers recipe it says 5 or 6 5 cent Hershey bars. I have not made them for awhile and my daughter pinned your recipe. I think it’s time to make them. Thanks for sharing.
Oh my goodness, that is hilarious….I love it! Thanks for the chuckle!!
I followed the recipe for the crust but it ended up so oily that I didn’t bother finishing. Is 1 cup the correct measurement for the flour?
Hi Emily, yes 1 cup of flour is the correct measurement. This crust has a high fat content because of the butter which will make it look a little oily until it cools. Once it is cooled, however it will thicken quite a bit and will produce a “toffee” like effect, hence the name of the bars. Also, do not melt your butter as this can give it an “oily” look as well. Use slightly chilled butter and that will give you more of the “dough” consistency that you are looking for. I encourage you to try making the dough again as these bars are well worth it and all of the people you share them with will thank you!
Has anyone ever made them with semi sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate bars?
I personally have not. I think that milk chocolate chips would work the same as the candy bars as long as you have the correct amount. I am not sure about semi-sweet though?
I ended using the Hershey bars as directed but even though it cooled over night, the chocolate completely separated from the crust. Any suggestions?
Hi Erin! Did you leave the bars to cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator? If they are cooled in the refrigerator, make sure they come back to room temperature before cutting. If the chocolate is not brought back to room temperature it can separate. Have you already cut the entire pan and taken them out, or are they still in the pan?
Found a similar recipe but it called for 2 cups of flour? Are yours more crispy?
I would not use the word “crispy” to describe the crust on these bars. They are definitely more buttery and soft than crispy. You could always split it down the middle and use 1 1/2 cups of flour and see if you like the consistency. If not, you will know for next time if you want them more crispy or chewy.
These were great!
Awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed them.
Delicious!!! Made this today and added the toffee bits on top, as well as the pecans. A definite addition to my dessert rotation. Thanks!
Wonderful, so glad that you liked them.
Could I use coconut flour instead of regular flour to make them gluten free? If so, how do I transpose the recipe? My daughter & I have problems with gluten. They sound delicious .
Hi Glynnda! I am sure that you can substitute the coconut flour, but I am not sure what the correct ratio would be. Coconut flour absorbs liquid at a much higher rate than all purpose flour does so you will need to use less. Try to make them starting with a 1/2 cup coconut flour and add if necessary until you get dough that is the consistency of a very soft play dough. I am sorry I cannot give you a concrete answer, but I have not used coconut flour before. PLEASE let me know how they turn out, I would love to be able to post your results for our other gluten free readers. Good luck!
Love this recipe! It is so simple and turned out so tasty! My only problem is that I’m having trouble getting the bars out of the pan. The bottom seems to crumble when I use a metal spatula. I didn’t put a layer of parchment to pull them all out at once. They are completely cool since making them yesterday. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Sara, I am glad that you are enjoying the bars. Did you grease your pan? If not, next time, make sure that you grease your pan before adding the dough. For now, try putting about one inch of hot water (the hottest you can get it) in the bottom of your sink. Hold your pan in the hot water for a little while (do not let the water come in over the sides). Hopefully this will heat up the bottom enough for the bars to release easier. Heating up the butter in the dough should hopefully make them more pliable. Let me know if it works, good luck!
My crust was kinda cake like not crunchy
The crust on these toffee bars is not meant to be crunchy. You should expect a softer buttery type of crust.
Can I use semi sweet chocolate chips instead of the chocolate bars and if so,how many cups of chips should I use?
Hi Barbara! I have never tried using the semi sweet chocolate chips instead of the Hershey bars, but I would think you would be able to.
Each Hershey bar is 1.55 oz, so I would just use one bag of the semi sweet chips, which is 10oz. I don’t know how well they will melt, so I would maybe try to melt them in the microwave on a low setting or over a double boiler and then spread on the hot crust.
Let me know how it turns out, would love to update the post for others that would like to try this option.
Did you use an electric mixer or just mix the dough by hand. I want to try these, they sound like something my family would love. Thanks for sharing.
I usually use a hand held beater or my mixer, either is fine. I haven’t tried it by hand, but I am sure it would be fine. Just need some muscle 🙂
Have you tried this with dark chocolate Hershey bars?
I have not, but I am sure that it is equally amazing! Please let me know how it turns out if you make it, I am always interested in variations of recipes. Good luck!
Julie, I think these people are expecting the toffee candy bar. These are bar cookies. I have made this recipe for years and like the other woman, lost my recipe, so I appreciate finding this one. Thank you for your patience in answering everyone’s questions.
Hi Sandra! Yes, I do agree that people see the word “toffee” and they think hard and crunchy texture like the candy. You are right though, these are bar cookies and the crust has a more “cake like” texture than crispy and crunchy. Either way, they are delicious and I cannot keep them around long whenever I make them.
Can someone tell me how many servings this turns out to be?
Thanks!
I get 32 (approximately 2″) bars out of each pan. I cut four rows the long way and eight the short way. You could cut them smaller though if feeding a larger group to get more servings out of the pan.
What size Hershey bar do you use? I can hardly wait to make them!
These are cookies my mother made a Christmas. They were so good. But I could not find the recipe. But I did remember the bottom was just like Toll House cookie dough. You do not add the chips to dough.
And then added the Hershey bars just like you and a few butter scotch chips. And then the pecans. They are addicting. It was so nice to see someone else had remembered these cookies. Thanks for the memories.
Hi Jan! So glad to hear that you love these bars as much as I do. They are definitely a recipe that will be passed down to my children and be a staple in their recipe box to share with their children. Food has a special way of envoking memories of years past.
can these be frozen till Christmas? Can’t wait to try them, but I know I have to hide some or else they won’t be around when I want to serve them.
They freeze really well.
I’ve been making these Toffee Bars for well over 40 years and they’re my sons favorite cookie. We’ve changed them over the years to give them a Christmas look. We added chopped salted peanuts (instead of pecans) and green Christmas tree sprinkles with red and white balls. They’ve become quite festive.
I would LOVE to see a picture of these when you have some done!! I never thought about adding some Christmas coloring to them, great idea!
I am going to try again, the first time I made them the bars were hard to bite. What could I have done wrong?
How long did you bake the crust for and at what temperature?
I’m not a fan of Hershey bars…can Cadbury or other bars like Lindt or Ghiradelli be used instead?
I have never personally used any other chocolate, but I am sure it would work just fine.
I made this recipe and it was amazingly easy and was yummy.. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out wonderful. This will be in my top 10 dessert recipes to make. Yummy and super easy. Only thing is you have to let it set for a couple hours but well worth the wait.
So glad you like them!
Oh, yum, these are awesome. I still have the Betty Crocker cookbook the recipe came from, with my mom’s comments throughout the book. She made this all the time and I make it every Christmas. It is so easy and indescribably delicious! Thank you for posting it so I don’t need to pull out the tucked-away cookbook!
You are so welcome! This is the part about cooking that I absolutely love, the memories that it creates! Enjoy!
When you freeze, are they already cut into bars or still whole in the dish?
I typically cut them before I freeze them. Just make sure they come back to room temperature before you try to take them out of the pan. If you move them while still frozen, sometimes the chocolate layer will separate from the crust.
These look so good! I didn’t realize the ingredient list was so simple!
They are very simple to make!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
If you store them in an airtight container in the freezer, I have stored them up to three months and they still taste great.
Can non dairy “butter” be used instead?
I have honestly have never used non dairy butter with any of my recipes, so unfortunately, I do not know. If you use it, please let us know how they turn out and I can update the post for other non dairy readers.
My Mom use to make these for us when we were kids, that’s over 50 years ago! We didn’t like nuts so she used rice krispies on top instead. It is so gLindaood!
I am so making these tomorrow! I can’t wait. Thank you for NOT putting those silly crackers on there. Will let you know when I get them done.
How did they turn out?
These bars are absolutely delicious after you let them cool completely! I made them yesterday evening for a little picnic. I was kind of rushed so didn’t let them cool completely, and they never completely cooled at the picnic because it was so hot outside. BUT today, now that they are completely cooled and have set, they’re heavenly. Their flavor is spot-on toffee even though they are in cookie bar form rather than candy form. I think I even prefer these over the candy because they’re soft. So, just make sure you allow enough time for these bars to cool and set (and especially before taking them outside on a hot day if that’s what you plan to do), and you got yourself a really scrumptious dessert!
So glad that you liked them!
I made these awhile back. I put them on our porch to cool as it is much cooler out there. I came home from work and the entire pan was gone. I mean the pan too!
Turns out the culprits were my 16 year old grandson and his friends.lol.
This time I left strict orders to leave us adults a few crumbs.
Oh my gosh, too funny!!!