My grandmother (of UK origin) has been making these gooey, blondie-like English toffee squares forever—she calls them “brickle bars.” I’ve fully plagiarized her recipe, so Ami, if you’re reading this, please don’t pursue legal action! 

　　I love to use my own homemade vanilla extract here—mine has been aging for two and a half years so far—but store-bought can be substituted as needed.

　　This recipe was excerpted from ‘Knife Drop’ by Nick DiGiovanni. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more bar cookie recipes →

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What you’ll need

　　Chevron

　　Chevron

　　9 x 13 Pan

　　$14 At Amazon

　　English Toffee Bits

　　$2 At Walmart

　　

Ingredients

24 bars

　　½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened, plus more to grease the pan

　　1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour

　　2 tsp. baking powder

　　½ tsp. table salt

　　1 cup (198g) granulated sugar

　　½ cup (107g) packed brown sugar

　　2 large eggs

　　1 tsp. vanilla extract

　　1 8oz (227g) bag of English toffee bits

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter.

　　

Step 2

Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

In a separate medium bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.

　　

Step 4

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the English toffee bits. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

　　

Step 5

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Remove the pan from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Cut into bars before serving. They’re just as fantastic warm as they are after they’ve fully cooled and solidified a bit.

　　Excerpted from Knife Drop. Reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin RandomHouse LLC. Copyright © 2023 by Nick DiGiovanni. Buy the full book from Amazon or Penguin Random House.