White Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars & The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2013

This year I had the opportunity to participate in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2013. Basically, it is a giant cookie swap to raise money to support children's cancer research. Is there any better combination than cookies and curing cancer? I think not. It was great fun waiting for my 3 packages of cookies to arrive from all over the country, and trying to decide what kind of cookies I wanted to send out to my 3 bloggers that I was matched up with. After much deliberation (mainly due to my concerns over shipping survival...nobody deserves a box of crumbs) and several recipe trials, I settled on White Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars. The recipients of my cookies had some very gracious and positive feedback, so I hope you'll give this recipe a try and enjoy them as much as Hubby and I did while I was developing the recipe. Side note: Brown butter and English Toffee make a splendid combination. This recipe makes 1 Half-Sheet Pan, about 4 dozen bars. If you wish to make a 9x13" batch, simply halve the quantities of the ingredients. Happy Baking!

White Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

Credit: KitchenJoy

***This recipe makes a large batch, and fits perfectly in a half-sheet pan. You could also use two 9x13-inch pans, or just halve the quantities of the ingredients listed and make one 9x13-inch pan.

Ingredients:

4 ½ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup softened butter

1 cup brown butter (Learn how to brown butter here)

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups English Toffee Bits (Heath Bits-O-Brickle work great)

1 bag white chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Additional 1 cup each of white chocolate chips and toffee bits for topping (optional...but recommended)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat softened butter and brown butter together until well combined. Add sugar and brown sugar and mix until light and somewhat fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until fully incorporated.

4. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as needed. Do not overmix. With a wooden spoon, stir in the toffee bits and white chocolate chips. Spread into prepared half-sheet pan. Spread dough out to form an even layer. In order to get the top of the dough to be very smooth, use another sheet of parchment and lay it over the top, then press down with your fingers to even out and smooth the surface of the dough. Gently remove the parchment. Bake for 30-40 minutes. (Mine took exactly 37 each time. If using a 9x13, start checking for doneness after 20 minutes.)

5. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. While the bars are cooling, carefully melt the additional 1 cup of white chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave on low heat with ½ tablespoon butter or shortening. Drizzle white chocolate all over the top of the bars and quickly sprinkle with reserved toffee bits. Be sure to add the toffee bits while the drizzle is still warm, ensuring that the bits will stick to the top of the bars. Enjoy! And share with your friends!

I would like to give a big thank-you to the bloggers who sent me the delicious goodies in the Cookie Swap:

Meghan from Spoonful of Flour

Allison from What This Mama Eats

Martha from Simple-Nourished-Living

Go check out their awesome blogs!

If you would like to see all of the recipesfrom this year's Cookie Swap participants, please visit: fbcookieswap.com/2013