Soft Chewy Toffee Almond Squares - 52 Cookie Recipes and Catering or Church Potluck Desserts

Always popular, these little square gems are just about every bodies favorites.

The Toffee crust is light, soft and chewy.  The soft Chocolate Ganache topping is incredibly easy to make and allows the crushed almonds to be gently pushed into the chocolate so nothing flakes off.

Only a few ingredients that are probably in your pantry right now, these cookie bars are sure to please!

And it's a great time to save this recipe for a Christmas Cookie Exchange!



Keep Scrolling down for this easy to follow recipe...

OK... Here's what I did...

Toffee Almond Squares

Ingredients

• FOR THE CRUST 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened to Room Temperature
• 1 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Almond Extract
• 2 Large Egg Yolks (Yolks Only)
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING 1 - 1/2 Cups Milk Chocolate Chips
• 4 TBS Half and Half (Can use Whole Milk)
• 1 Cup Chopped Roasted Almonds

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees, Line a 9X13 Casserole baking dish with parchment paper.
2. For the Crust, in the bowl of a stand mixer, Cream the butter and brown sugar together. Add the Almond Extract and Egg Yolks one at a time until mixed.
3. Turn the mixer to low setting, add the flour 1/2 cups at a time. Dough will be stiff.
4. Pat the dough evenly onto the bottom of the parchment lined baking dish.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until the top just starts to brown.
6. Meanwhile in a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan, over medium low heat, add the chocolate chips and the half and half together. Stir occasionally until the ganache melts completely.
7. Pour and spread the chocolate evenly over the warm, fresh from the oven crust.
8. Sprinkle the crushed almonds on top of the chocolate. Gently press into the chocolate and allow to cool for about 20 minutes. Then move the whole pan into the refrigerator for several hours.
9. Remove from the pan (will be easy if you pull from the parchment). Slice into squares.
10. Serve slightly chilled and ENJOY!

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Ways to Cook COOKIE, BARS and TRUFFLES"!!!

Old school like classic criss cross peanut butter to new takes on interesting recipes like a beautiful Red Velvet with the cream cheese mixed inside the cookie, accented with white chocolate chips!  Even a Pineapple Cream Cheese EASY Bar with only 5 ingredients! 

Stop on by, there's always a new cookie in the cookie jar!

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And since this recipe features a cake as an ingredient, t has also been added to my growing list of "52 Cakes and Pies at Home"!

These are the desserts you make for your family.  No fancy amazing wedding cakes, just the rustic beauty of the classics.  From pumpkin pie to cheesecakes to layer cakes, these are what your family craves for dessert.  You may even see a few unusual crusts and frosting ideas to try.

You get the idea. These recipes are simple, delicious and will have your family wanting dessert first...

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This recipe has also been added to my growing list of
"52 Church PotLuck Dishes"!

A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...


Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".

I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church.  Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy

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