Seven Sins Bars

Last week the divine, this week the sinful....Seven Sins Bars.  Also made for a holiday party.

1/2 Stick Salted Butter
1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 Cup Shredded Coconut
1 Cup Heath Toffee Pieces
1 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Can Sweetened Condensed milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter and stir in graham cracker crumbs.  Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  Then sprinkle remaining dry ingredients in order.  Once layered, drizzle the condensed milk over the top.  Press lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Place on wire rack to cool and cut into bars when cooled completely.

Crackers 'N Nuts Toffee

I was making dessert to take to work and I made this toffee.  Traditionally made with Saltines, it can be made with any cracker....this time, I used Club Crackers (you could even use minis).  I like to use milk chocolate wafers, but you could use dark chocolate as well and sprinkle it with sea salt or crushed pretzels instead of walnuts.

1 c  Light Brown Sugar
2    Butter
1    Club Crackers
12 oz Milk Chocolate Wafers
2/3 c  Walnuts

Finely chop walnuts, set aside.  Heat oven to 350 degrees and cover a jelly roll pan with non stick foil.  

Cover the foil with crackers, set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and butter.  

Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.  

Pour over crackers, saturating all.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn oven off.  Put chocolate wafers all over crackers. 

Return to oven for 1 minute until softened.

Spread softened chocolate to cover crackers.  

Top with walnuts.  

Cool and break apart.

Things Your Recipe Never Told You - Sugar

Sugar:  Granulated Sugar, Light Brown Sugar, Dark Brown Sugar, Confectioner's Sugar, 10X Sugar, Powdered Sugar - we all grew up with these.  New to the mix:  Raw Sugar, Demerara Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Superfine Sugar.  All this sugar, does it make a difference?

So, your recipe says Sugar, what does it mean?  If it just means sugar, it means the most common type, Granulated Sugar.  You use it in baking, coffee, tea, sauces, sometimes with cinnamon on toast. It works well for lots of things.

Brown Sugar comes in two forms:  Dark and Light.  Dark Brown Sugar has a higher molasses content.  What doesn't your recipe tell you?  Even if it is not stated, brown sugar should be packed.  On the rare occasion when it should not be packed, the recipe will state it outright.  So, what difference does it make?  In most cases, they are interchangeable, but the dark sugar may require an additional baking time.  For things such as baked beans, you should use the Dark Brown Sugar because it will be better with the higher molasses content.

1/2 Cup Not Packed:  76 Grams

1/2 Cup Packed:  109 grams

So, packing the brown sugar adds about 33 grams of weight.  This is a huge difference.

Confectioners (also known as Powdered Sugar or 10X Sugar) is a finely ground sugar.  It usually contains a small percentage of cornstarch to prevent caking.  This sugar is made from sugar beets.

Superfine Sugar is a finer grind of a Granulated Sugar.  If you cannot purchase it, you can process granulated sugar in a food processor until powdered.

The other sugars I have limited experience with, but there are several good sources to find additional information.

When baking cookies, you will often see both granulated sugar and brown sugar included.  What if you don't have one?  Can you substitute.  The answer is yes - but it will impact how your cookies flatten and brown.  I made the following Toffee Oatmeal Cookies three times, using three different sugar combinations.  First, I made the recipe as written.  Second, I used 1 cup of white sugar and no brown sugar.  Finally, I used all Brown Sugar.  (Pictured above from left to right)  The white sugar only spread the least on the pan and had the least browning.  The brown sugar only spread the most and had the darkest color.  They also had the best flavor, by just a bit, because they complimented the toffee flavor nicely.  They are all tasty, so it is up to you.  Try it, you'll like it.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with silicone mats or non stick foil, set aside.

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Butter

1/2 Tsp Vanilla

1 Large Egg

1/4 Cup Shortening

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp Baking Powder

1/4 Tsp Salt

1 Cup Flour

1 1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1 Cup Toffee Chips

Cream together sugars, butter and Shortening.  Add egg and vanilla, mix until combined well.  Add Soda, Baking Powder, Salt and Flour and mix until just combined.  Stir in Oatmeal and Toffee.  

Scoop onto pan about 1 inch apart.  I used a cookie scoop to ensure that the comparison would be valid.

Bake 10 minutes.  Cool about 5 minutes on sheet then remove to a cooling rack.

Toffee Shortbread

  This is a nice bar cookie for Christmas parties and cookie exchanges.  

    1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Firmly      1 Cup All Purpose Flour

    -Packed                                               1 Cup Cake Flour

    1 Cup Butter                                       1 Tsp Almond Extract

    1 Large Egg Yolk                               1 Cup Miniature Toffee Bars

Heat oven to 325F.  Line a jelly-roll pan with non stick foil, set aside.

Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg yolk and almond extract, continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flours. Beat until well mixed.

Press evenly onto bottom of jelly-roll pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. (Bars will be soft.)

While baking, crush toffee bars.  After removing bars from oven, sprinkle immediately with crushed candy bars.  Cool 1 hour; cut into bars with sharp knife while slightly warm.  Makes 24 bars.

Per Serving: 145 Cal (49% from Fat, 3% from Protein, 48% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 8 g Tot Fat; 5 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 17 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 9 g Sugar; 13 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 59 mg Sodium

Nutty Toffee Bars

These are a nice cookie bar.  If you are allergic to chocolate, you can replace the toffee bits with more almonds, toasted coconut or oatmeal.

  1/2 C Butter                                                                     2 Tbl Flour

  1 1/2 C Brown Sugar, Packed                                            1 Tbl Baking Powder

  1 C Flour                                                                          1/2 Tsp Salt

  2 Large Eggs                                                                    1 C Toffee Bits

  1/2 Tsp Vanilla                                                                  1 C Almonds, Slivered

  1/2 Tsp Almond Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream shortening and 1/2 c brown sugar together in bowl until light and fluffy.  Stir in 1 cup flour; blend well.  Press mixture with your hands into bottom of an ungreased 13 x 9 inch oblong pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.  Beat eggs well in a separate bowl.  Beat in 1 cup brown sugar and vanilla.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl.  Stir into egg mixture.  Fold into toffee and almonds.  Pile mixture on top of baked dough in pan.  Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes.  Cool slightly then cut into bars.