Bready or Not: No-Bake Triple-Decker Toffee Bars
These No-Bake Triple-Decker Toffee Bars are a sweet summertime treat. No oven is required, and there’s only a brief time standing at the stove. The result is, essentially, a homemade candy bar made from simple ingredients.
Saltine crackers form the basis for the three layers of these bars. They add intense crispiness that holds up to a deluge of toffee, but they also add salt. That salt really builds incredible flavor throughout the layers, and the flaky sea salt on top adds even more.
The homemade toffee in this recipe isn’t terrible to work with, but please, use caution. It can go from a simmer to a boil FAST, and you do not want that molten sugar on your skin. So, keep an eye on the temperature and bring it down as you need to, and keep stirring the toffee as the directions say. Once this gets going, don’t leave the pot unattended.
Modified from Southern Living December 2022 issue.
Bready or Not: No-Bake Triple-Decker Toffee Bars
Equipment
- 9×9 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- offset spatula
Ingredients
- 48 saltine crackers from a 16-ounce package, divided
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk one can
- 3 Tablespoons half & half
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces chocolate chips or chocolate bark
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Line a 9×9 pan with foil, overlapping two long strips to cover all four side. Apply nonstick spray all over interior. Place 16 crackers in a single layer to form a base crust. On a plate, count out 32 more crackers to have ready to make the next layers quickly. Stage the uneven spatula nearby.
- In a saucepan on the stove, cook sugar and butter, stirring often, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. That will take about 5 minutes. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk, half & half, corn syrup, and salt. Increase the heat to medium to bring the contents to a simmer. Stir constantly. Continue stirring–bringing the heat down as needed to keep it at a simmer, not a full boil–for about 6 to 8 minutes, until it obtains a deep golden color. Remove the pan from heat and add the vanilla extract.
- Carefully pour about 1/3 of the toffee over the crackers. Set down pan and quickly use the spatula to spread the toffee into an even layer. Place 16 more crackers on top. Add another 1/3 of toffee. Place the last of the crackers, and then pour the rest of the toffee on top and even it out. Let cool for a few minutes. Clean the uneven spatula.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate using a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave or a pot on the stovetop. Slowly pour the chocolate over the top of the of the cracker-toffee stack and use the spatula to even it out. Let it cool about 5 minutes. Measure out the flaky sea salt and sprinkle it all over the top.
- Place the pan in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove from fridge and let set at room temperature about 10 minutes, which will reduce the amount of crackling across the chocolate top. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Use a knife to cut off the very edges to form neat sides, and then cut the rest of it into small bars.
- Store bars in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Chewy Honey Strawberries and Cream Cookies
These Chewy Honey Strawberries and Cream Cookies are my own invention inspired by these soft-dried strawberries I found at Costco. (They are also on Amazon for a much higher price. Affiliate link.)
If you love strawberries AND cookies, welcome to the recipe of your dreams. My base chewy honey cookie recipe has ingredients swapped out to make this work.
Chopped up (I used kitchen shears) soft-dried strawberries are distributed throughout the dough. White chocolate chips are the fantastic accompaniment that is easy to find, but I also tried this recipe again using some limited edition Hershey’s Cream Cheese Chips, which delivered an even richer flavor.
Who knows where or how long these chips will be available, but if you can find them, use them in this recipe or any other good chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Like my other variations of this base recipe, these cookies will keep for weeks in a sealed container.
Bready or Not Original: Chewy Honey Strawberries and Cream Cookies
Equipment
- plastic wrap
- tablespoon or teaspoon scoop
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 Tb honey
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips or Hershey's Cream Cheese Chips
- 3/4 cup soft-dried strawberries chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and honey and beat until creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: bread flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Sift together.
- Slowly stir together the wet ingredients and flour mix until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips and strawberries pieces. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and stash in the fridge for several hours or days; dough can also be frozen at this stage.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Use greased stoneware, parchment paper, or silpat mats. The cookie dough, even straight from the fridge, has a soft Play-Doh-like consistency, and will spread when it bakes; keep this in mind when spacing cookie dough.
- Teaspoon-sized cookies need to bake 9 to 12 minutes; Tablespoon-sized take 11 to 13 minutes. Let set on cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.
- Stored cookies will keep in a sealed container, between waxed paper or parchment layers, for weeks. They are excellent for travel or shipping.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
These Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are super-chewy thanks to that combo. Plus, they aren’t super-sweet, which lets the chocolate shine through.
I love how old-fashioned these cookies look, like something I’d eat when I was a kid, with my grandma on a visit to friend’s house. There’s a certain level of heartiness and coziness to these cookies.
These cookies are quick to assemble, too. After posting some intricate recipes this month (I’m looking at you, Apple Cream Cheese Brioche Tart) it’s nice to share things are simple and good.
Bready or Not Original: Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Equipment
- parchment
- tablespoon or tablespoon scoop
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon milk or half & half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats also called old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips semisweet, milk, dark, or a mix
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars to create a creamy mix. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; mix this into the butter bowl. Fold in the oats, chocolate chips. and coconut until everything is distributed.
- Use a tablespoon to place scoops of dough spaced-out on the baking sheet; the cookies will spread.
- Bake until the cookies are golden and set, about 11 to 13 minutes. Let them sit on pan for about 5 minutes before moving to a rack to fully cool. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Golden Syrup Brownies
I’ve made a lot of brownies that I’ve shared here on Bready or Not, but these Golden Syrup Brownies are the fudgiest I’ve ever made.
Seriously, they are good but they are dense and rich. I highly recommend cutting these things small, just as one does with fudge.
Golden Syrup and coarse sugar are what set these brownies apart. I used Lyle’s Golden Syrup, the original version, imported from the UK. Sometimes you’ll see honey and light corn syrup mentioned as American substitutes; if you want to go that route, split them half and half, but it still won’t be the same as Lyle’s.
As for the coarse sugar, the original recipe printed in Bake from Scratch called for unrefined light muscovado, but I used a mix of demerara and turbinado. Hence my general recommendation for coarse sugar.
This recipe will keep for weeks in the fridge, have you the fortitude!
Bready or Not: Golden Syrup Brownies
Equipment
- 9×9 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 teaspoons coarse sugar such as turbinado and demerara
- 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons golden syrup
- 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chopped or in chips
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large saucepan, heat the coarse sugar, butter, and golden syrup over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and bubbly, around 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until everything is melted. Let cool for a bit.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Strain them through a fine mesh sieve into the batter. Stir everything to incorporate. Add flour, stirring until no white streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap it on the counter a few times to knock bubbles free and level the batter.
- Bake until brownies are set with the center still moist, about 45 minutes. It’s okay if they look slightly underdone. Let pan cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board. Use a large knife to cut brownies into small squares. If the brownies stick to the knife, wipe it clean after each pass and dip the blade in hot water before each cut. Store brownies in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze for longer.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Cheesecake-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Cheesecake-Stuffed Chocolate Cookies are big, rich, and incredible. You get a core of cream cheese surrounded by chocolate-laden dough. I mean, come on.
For this recipe, you need to make the dough and filling in advance. I made them a day ahead, but you want at least a few hours of refrigeration time. You also chill the cookie dough right after it’s shaped. That means you need some empty room in the fridge for doing this recipe.
This is also a recipe where you really do need a tablespoon and teaspoon scoop to produce even cookies. That, or you just naturally have a good eye for estimating such things.
Modified from Allrecipes Magazine Feb/March 2022.
Bready or Not: Cheesecake-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- tablespoon and teaspoon scoops
- fridge space
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 and a half sticks) room temperature
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the filling
- Beat together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar to make a smooth mixture with few if any lumps. Stash it in the fridge to chill for a few hours or overnight.
Make the cookie dough
- Beat together the butter and both sugars until they are creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually pour this into the butter mixture, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make certain everything is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Baking the cookies
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Also, make room in the fridge for a small baking pan or plates on which the formed cookies will chill.
- Scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough. Use a thumb to hollow out the center. Scoop out about 3/4 teaspoon of cream cheese mix using the smaller scoop. Place that inside the hollow. Fold the dough to enclose it, adding additional pinches of dough as needed to form a seal. You don't want any cream cheese visible, or it could ooze out! Flatten cookies between palms to make a fat disc. Set in fridge to chill as more cookies are shaped.
- Once all the cookies are shaped, pull out the coldest cookie balls to set, spaced out, on the baking sheet. Keep the remaining cookie balls chilled while the initial batch(es) bake.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are golden. Let them rest on the sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to completely cool.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies
These Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies are thick and rich. Plus, they even look amazing thanks to the chocolate chunks on top!
My favorite go-to for chocolate chunks are the German chunks sold at Aldi. They are way cheaper than those sold at other stores, but the quality is high. (I’m a major Aldi fan. They have one of the best cheese selections around, too!)
If you want to make these have a neat presentation, slice off the edges. Then eat those edges, because they can’t go to waste.
Modified from Food Network Magazine October 2013.
Bready or Not: Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Equipment
- 9×13 dish
- aluminum foil
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces dark chocolate
- 2 cups white sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl or in a pot on the stovetop, melt together the butter and dark chocolate until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Return to the large container with the melted butter and chocolate. Stir in the sugar until no white streaks remain. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chunks.
- Pour batter into the prepared dish. Use an uneven spatula to spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chunks over the top.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Set on a rack to cool for at least an hour, speeding process in fridge if desired. Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice up. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
