This recipe comes from one of my very favorite cookbooks. I suppose I could call it my Velveteen Rabbit of cookbooks…
Every year at Christmastime, for the last 15 years or so, I bring it out and dress it up with splashes of batter and pencil markings to add to its already tattered and torn pages. If this book becomes any more “Real” I fear it will ask for a good scrubbing.
Like the Velveteen Rabbit who was loved into Realness, this book makes real, beautiful memories that rush back each and every time I grab for the book. From Monster Cookies that were lunchbox favorites and Coconut Macaroons on Mother’s Day to our favorite Snickerdoodles that Luc has mastered and can bake to a perfect puff that I can never quite achieve…this book has contributed to family fun and celebration over and over, again.
So it makes perfect sense that I would include a new holiday favorite from Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies, here.
Helloooo, Heath.
I knew when I decided to make this bar, I would use a crunchy toffee bar. You can incorporate just about any candy bar, but this just so happens to be a favorite of mine and the toffee helps to create an awesome texture. It doesn’t lose its crunch in the baking process.
As I was sharing with Hubby that I was making these, he reminded me of how much I loved Heath Bars, crunchy Cheetos and Orange Crush soda, during college. Oh my. There’s a memory for you! 🙂 (Remember – the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25 and we continue to learn throughout our lifespan. )
I don’t eat Cheetos, anymore. Growth.
Now, how did I get from Velveteen Rabbit to brain development?
Anywayyyy, these are great…chewy and soft and crunchy and chocolatey all wrapped up in one little bar.
…a nice treat for cookie swaps, foodie gifts or any regular day of the week…
Now go make some memories!
Buon Appetito!
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Candy Bar Bars
- Category: Dessert
Description
Candy Bar Bars make the holidays more delicious!!
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 8 (1.4 oz.) Heath Candy Bars, chopped into 1/2” pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a 9×13″ baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing it to overhang the two narrow ends of the pan by 2 inches.
- Coat the foil with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth.
- Next, beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Over the butter mixture, sift the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Mix until fully combined. The mixture is on the dryer side.
- Add and stir in the chopped candy.
- Turn out batter into the pan, spreading to the edges.
- Bake on the middle rack for 25 – 30 minutes, until top is firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out slightly wet.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand until completely cool.
- Using the overhanging foil as handles, lift the bar to a cutting board.
- Carefully peel off the foil and cut into bars.
Ciao!
these are SO calling my name right now! these look delicious!
Thank you, Dear!!
I love these! Anything with Heath bars. I cannot resist! And you could have these a la mode, too. Mmmm.
Oh my…yes, we could! A la mode it is!! Thanks, Mir!
These cookie bars are calling my name and I am calling back “hello beautiful”. Major yum happening here!
Oh yesss, major yum happening here! Thanks, Pamela!!
The texture of those bars looks amazing, and I don’t think you could do better than Heath Bars – toffee and chocolate is the best combo!
Thank you, Kari! Agreed…it’s a perfect combo!! 🙂
Those kind of cookbooks are the best, the ones where you know pretty much anything you make out of it will be amazing! And these bars look pretty amazing! Anytime you can throw a chocolate bar into a bar cookie, it can’t be anything but great! 🙂
So true!! A candy bar baked into a bar cookie…we can’t miss! Thanks, Stacey! 🙂
Now this is a Christmas candy bar!!! I love the toffee in Heath bars and added to a bar looks and sounds incredible! I could total OD on these!
Thank you, my dear!! 🙂
You must really love your hubby if you shared these with him….I would have kept the whole batch for myself! Love the name and the recipe – candy bar BARS – can’t get enough candy bars!!
Hahaha! I definitely spoil him!! 🙂 Thanks, Nagi!
I love cookbooks like that. So special! And guess what I buy only for holiday dinners as my special splurge? Orange Crush. 🙂 I really enjoyed this post, and your bars look delicious!
Hahahah! I love it!! That is a special splurge!! Thank you so much, Andrea! Have a lovely weekend!
I just can’t tell you how much I love toffee bars! I also enjoy decorating cookies with crushed toffee bits! These bars look awesome! Definitely something I should make!
They are so good! I love your idea for decorating cookies with crushed toffee bits; I’ll store that idea! Thanks, Mira!
I wish I had a few of these bars for breakfast! They look so so incredible! I love Heath bars and these squares would be gone in no time at my house! <3 them!
There is no denying the deliciousness of Heath bars! Thanks, Kelly!
What a fun dessert, Annie! I love these candy bar bars, especially with the heath bars in here! I think I would be sneaking bites of these all day long. They look so soft and full of flavor!
Hahaha! They’re all too easy to sneak bites of! Thanks, Gayle!
Annie, these candy bar bars look sooooo good!!! love all the crunchy toffee bar goodness!!! and I love that you break out this cookbook every year at Christmastime. . so special!!
They are quite yummy!! Just the right amount of sweet with all that toffee crunch! Thanks, Alice! 🙂
I honestly don’t think it gets any better than Heath Bars Annie! I think just about everyone loves those. And I love how these come in bar form (sometime you need to eat square food, ya know?) Need to make these for the neighbors who are so nice =)
It really doesn’t… Have fun making them! Thanks, Laura!