Easy Homemade English Toffee Bars: Your Go-To Holiday Dessert

There’s something truly magical about a well-made bar cookie, and these English Toffee Bars are no exception. Imagine a rich, buttery shortbread crust that melts in your mouth, generously topped with crunchy pecans, a decadent, homemade caramel-like toffee, and finished with a luscious layer of melted chocolate chips. This recipe brings together classic flavors in an incredibly easy-to-make package, making it the perfect treat for any occasion, especially during the festive holiday season.

If you’re looking for a dessert that’s simple, satisfying, and utterly irresistible, you’ve found it. These English Toffee Bars promise to become a cherished addition to your recipe collection, delivering a perfect blend of sweet, salty, and textural delight in every single bite.

Why Bar Cookies Are the Ultimate Dessert Solution

Bars consistently rank among my favorite desserts to whip up, particularly around the holidays. Their appeal stems from several fantastic advantages that make them a baker’s dream:

Effortless Preparation: One batch, one pan, and you’re done! The process is usually straightforward, often requiring minimal equipment and less fuss than individual cookies or elaborate cakes. This means less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying your treats.
Unmatched Versatility: Bar cookies are incredibly adaptable. You can cut them into large squares for a generous family dessert, or opt for smaller, bite-sized portions when feeding a crowd or assembling a diverse dessert platter. I personally love the bite-sized option – it somehow makes eating two (or four!) feel a little less indulgent.
Perfect for Portability: Need to bring a dessert to a potluck, a party, or want to share a sweet gesture with a friend? Bars travel exceptionally well. They’re sturdy, easy to pack, and hold their shape, ensuring they arrive at their destination looking just as delicious as when they left your kitchen.
Simple Ingredients, Big Flavor: Many bar recipes, like these English Toffee Bars, rely on common pantry staples. There’s no need for exotic ingredients or complex techniques, yet the resulting flavor is always impressive. And when chocolate chips are involved? Count me in every single time!

The Anatomy of a Perfect English Toffee Bar

These English Toffee Bars are a symphony of textures and flavors, built on a foundation of simple yet high-quality ingredients. Let’s break down what makes them so special:

The Buttery Shortbread Crust: The base of these bars is a classic shortbread, made with White Lily Flour, brown sugar, salt, and cold butter. This combination creates a tender, crumbly crust that perfectly complements the richer layers above. Using cold butter and cutting it into the flour mixture ensures a light, sandy texture.
Crunchy Pecan Halves: A generous layer of pecan halves is spread directly over the shortbread crust. As the bars bake, these nuts toast slightly, adding a wonderful crunch and a nutty depth that pairs beautifully with the sweet toffee.
The Golden Toffee Layer: This is where the magic happens! A simple mixture of butter and brown sugar is cooked down to create a luscious, buttery toffee. The key is to heat it slowly until melted, then increase the heat and stir constantly until it boils for just one minute. This careful process ensures a smooth, rich toffee that sets perfectly.
Melted Chocolate Chips: The final touch is a generous sprinkling of chocolate chips over the hot bars as soon as they come out of the oven. The residual heat melts the chocolate, creating a soft, glossy layer that adds a delightful sweetness and a classic chocolatey finish. A gentle tap of the pan helps the chocolate settle evenly.

The hardest part about making these bars? The waiting! They absolutely must cool completely before cutting. This patience is crucial for allowing the toffee to set properly and ensuring clean, beautiful cuts. But trust me, the wait is entirely worth it.

Tips for Baking Perfect English Toffee Bars

Achieving bakery-quality English Toffee Bars at home is simple with a few key considerations:

Quality Ingredients Matter: While the recipe is simple, using good quality butter and chocolate chips will elevate the flavor significantly. For the crust, White Lily Flour provides a wonderfully tender texture, which is perfect for shortbread.
Pan Preparation is Key: Lining your 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil is non-negotiable. This simple step ensures that the bars lift out of the pan easily after cooling, making cutting a breeze and minimizing cleanup. Leave an overhang on the sides for easy lifting.
Cold Butter for the Crust: When making the shortbread crust, ensure your butter is cold. Cutting cold butter into the flour mixture creates those desirable “course crumbs,” which translate into a delightfully tender and flaky crust once baked.
Watch Your Toffee: When making the toffee, constant stirring is important to prevent burning, especially once the mixture comes to a boil. Boiling for just one minute is typically enough to reach the right consistency for a chewy, yet firm toffee layer.
Even Chocolate Distribution: After sprinkling chocolate chips over the hot bars, a gentle tap of the pan on the counter helps them melt and spread more evenly, creating a smooth, inviting chocolate layer.
Patience During Cooling: I cannot stress this enough – allow the bars to cool *completely*. If you try to cut them while warm, the toffee will be too soft and sticky, leading to messy bars. Refrigerating them for a short period after cooling to room temperature can also help achieve cleaner cuts.
Storage: Once cut, store your English Toffee Bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or in the refrigerator for extended freshness. They also freeze beautifully, making them an excellent make-ahead option for future cravings or unexpected guests.

Connect with Chocolate Chocolate and More!
Facebook | Twitter | Google+Pinterest | instagram

Yield: 32 bars

English Toffee Bars

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose White Lily Flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cold
1 cup pecan halves

for the toffee

6 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk chocolate)

Instructions

Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy lifting. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Stir these dry ingredients well. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the 1/2 cup cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs or wet sand. Press this mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the shortbread crust. Spread the pecan halves evenly over the top of the crust.
To prepare the toffee layer, place 6 tablespoons of butter and 1/3 cup of brown sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on low until the butter is completely melted, stirring occasionally. Once melted, increase the heat to medium and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a full boil. Continue to boil for exactly 1 minute, still stirring. Immediately and very carefully, pour the hot toffee evenly over the crust and pecan layer in the pan.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit (175°C) oven for 20-22 minutes, or until the edges of the toffee layer are visibly bubbling and slightly golden. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot bars. Let them sit for a minute to begin melting, then gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to help the chocolate chips melt and spread smoothly into place.
Allow the bars to cool completely at room temperature. This step is crucial for the toffee to set properly. Once fully cooled, use the parchment paper or foil overhang to lift the entire bar out of the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut into desired bar sizes. Store the finished English Toffee Bars in an airtight container at room temperature for optimal freshness.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Elevate Your Dessert Game with More Delicious Bar Recipes

Love the convenience and deliciousness of bar cookies? Here are some other fantastic bar recipes that are perfect for any occasion, from casual snacking to impressive party spreads. Expand your baking repertoire with these irresistible treats!

Peanut Butter Blondies: A chewy, peanut butter-infused bar loaded with double the chips!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars: The best of two worlds – creamy cheesecake meets classic chocolate chip cookie dough.

Strawberry Cheesecake Crumb Bars: A delightful combination of sweet strawberry cheesecake and a buttery crumb topping.

Seven Layer Magic Bars: The iconic bar, packed with chocolate, peanut butter chips, pecans, and coconut on a graham cracker crust.

Meyer Lemon Bars from Foodie Crush: Bright, zesty, and perfectly balanced sweet and tart flavor.

Maple Nut Bars from Crazy for Crust: A cozy and comforting bar, rich with maple and nutty flavors.

Apple Pie Bars from Recipegirl: All the classic flavors of apple pie in an easy-to-serve bar format.

I’m an ambassador for White Lily Flour and was compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. I wouldn’t share this with you if I didn’t really love it.