My Mom has always been a wonderful baker and cook (even if she doesn’t like to admit it) and every year she makes me “Toffee Squares” for my birthday. It’s become a go-to dessert recipe in our family and even at 26 years old, I still request them every year when my Mom asks what I want for a birthday dessert. I’ve brought them to countless get-togethers and they are gone before anyone even knows what they are. They’re easy to make, INCREDIBLY delicious and a perfect mix between a brownie and cookie texture (depending on the “egg” part of the recipe; see below notes). I’d describe it as homemade buttery and light shortbread, with a layer of chocolate on top. My Mom has a recipe for the toffee squares stuck to a notecard in her box of go-to desserts and dishes, so I’m not sure where this recipe is even from, but I thank whoever it is that published it because it’s a family favorite through and through!
- 1 cup of butter or margarine, softened (I always use butter)
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk (Add whole egg if you prefer a fluffier consistency compared to the shortbread texture you get with just the egg yolk)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups of flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 package of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate and my Mom uses semi-sweet; totally preference!)
- ½ cups of chopped nuts (Optional; I never add nuts)
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9 baking pan. Mix butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until creamy. Blend in flour and salt. Press batter evenly into bottom of pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until very light brown. Remove from oven and immediately place chocolate chips over top until the whole area is covered (add more if you prefer a thicker layer of chocolate on top). As soon as the chocolate chips are soft, spread evenly. Sprinkle with nuts (optional). Let cool and cut! Enjoy!
