A Delicious Substitute Becomes a Favorite

What do you do when the family is expecting chocolate chip cookies tonight but the chickens haven’t laid because they’ve decided it’s winter already and you have yet to install your chicken coop light to fool them? Whoa! And you don’t want to disappoint your grandchildren who have mistaken you for a gourmet cook! Chocolate & Walnut Toffee Bars!

On a twenty dollar weekly budget in the late 60’s, substitution became common place. I hate to think back to what I used for butter. I still have my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, thank you Margaret, from the same era. This cookie is inspired by the recipe on page 151, Toffee Bars. The ingredients are similar to those of a chocolate chip cookie recipe … Omit the egg, soda, and white sugar, and voila, you have Chocolate & Walnut Toffee Bars.

You can double the recipe. Our family is into hot from the oven. So, I generally opt for a smaller batch. This recipe makes 16 two inch bars if an 8″ by 8″ baking pan is used.

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

1/2 Cup butter at room temperature
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla (I use the very best vanilla I can find for all my baked goods. Did I use imitation way back? Oh yeah!)
1/2 Scant teaspoon salt
1 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips, semi sweet or milk or combination
1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and add sugar and cream until fluffy. Add vanilla.

Add flour and salt and mix thoroughly. The mixture will be crumbly.

Pour mixture into baking pan and press with spatula.

After the mixture has been smoothed. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden around the edges.

Chop nuts.

Baked and ready for chips.

Place chips on just out of the oven crust. Place back into the oven.

After 2-3 minutes in the oven the chocolate will be ready to spread. Test to see if the chocolate is melted enough to spread. If not return to the oven for another minute. Spread carefully with spatula.

Sprinkle nuts over the top and press lightly.

Cool, cut, eat.