Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars

A rich ganache (chocolate plus cream) and crunchy toffee bits cap off a wonderful buttery chocolate crust. You can get very creative with these fantastic bars simply by using other chopped toppings: chocolate mint wafers, toasted slivered almonds, walnuts or whatever strikes your fancy.

This recipe yields 16 bars

Ingredients for Crust:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut up

Ingredients for Topping

2 (4.4 oz) bars of good quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 (1.4 oz) chocolate coated toffee candy bars or 15 miniature “Heath” miniature bars chopped

7 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Irish Cream Bars

Irish Cream Liqueur and chocolate team up in a cake like brownie that’s topped with an irresistible creamy mascarpone frosting.

This Recipe Yiels 16 Bars

Bar Ingredients

3 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped

1/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur: or 2 tbsps heavy whipping cream and 2 tbsps Brandy,or 1/4 refrigerated Irish Creme Coffee Creamer

1-1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large grade A eggs

Frosting Ingredients

1 (8 oz) container *mascarpone cheese, softened –(*mascarpone is a double or triple cream cheese from Italy. Look for it in the dairy section of the supermarket or a specialty Italian maket. If unavailable substitute an equal amount of cream cheese.)

2 tsps Irish Cream Liqueur or Refrigerated Irish Creme Coffee Creamer

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 oz semisweet chocolate

3 cups powdered sugar

Putting it Together

Heat oven to 350*F Line a 9 inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper; spray with butter flavor cooking spray.

Microwave 3 oz chocolate and 1/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur (or substitute) in small microwable safe bowl on medium 30 to 60 seconds; stir well. If necessary, continue microwaving in 15 second increments until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In a separate medium size bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl beat butter at medium speed until creamy smooth. Beat in brown sugar until combined. At low speed, beat in chocolate mixture and 1 tsp vanilla extract until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture just until combined.

Spread in pan, tapping on counter to smooth top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

Beat mascarpone cheese, 2 tsp Irish Cream Liqueur (or subsitute) and 1 tsp vanilla in medium bowl at low speed until just combined. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth and softly spreadable. (Careful not to overbeat) Spread over bar crust in pan.

Optional: Gently rub edge of 1 oz piece of chocolate with palm of hand to soften; pull blade of vegetable peeler along softened edge to form chocolate curls. Garnish frosting with curls. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from pan using foil; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Keeping it Simple:

You can simply skip the chocolate curls and serve individual pieces with a dollop of whipped cream.

Valentines’ Day Baking? Know the Chocolate Bar Code

Grocery stores are bursting with chocolate bars these days. Which ones should you use for baking? These simple tips will help you understand the labels and make the best choice for the delicious recipes comming soon to my blog.

Consider Cacao Percentage

Some chocolate bars are labeled with the percentage of cacao (also called chocolate liquor), which gives you a clue to the chocolate’s intensity and sweetness. The higher the percentage, the more bitter and less sweet the bar. If a recipe specifies chocolate with a certain percentage of cacao, it’s important to use it (exactly right) for best results. If it doesn’t, use a bar that’s labeled milk, semi-sweet, bitter-sweet, or one that’s in the range of 50% to 62% cacao content for semisweet (at the low end) or bittersweet (at the high end).

Use Bars, NOT CHIPS

Chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape, so they’re not a good choice when a recipe calls for melted chocolate.

Find Your Favorites

Chocolate bars vary in taste, depending on the source of the cacao beans and how they’re processed. Over time, sample a variety of bars to find your favorites. Then when you’re baking with them, choose a bar that complements the other ingredients. For example: in milk chocolate toffee bars a chocolate bar with caramel notes will work well with the toffee candy!