Toffee-Berry Bars in a Jar

Makes 12 bars

Toffee Bars These bars have a mellow flavor from the toffee bits, pecans, and coconut, and a nice color and pleasant chew from the berries. The layers look very festive in a jar.

Note that this recipe calls for Brownulated sugar, not brown sugar. (This is normally stocked with regular brown sugar.) Brownulated sugar has a brown sugar taste but a dry, granular consistency, so it stays softer when packed in a jar. Don't try to substitute regular brown sugar; it will soon harden and become too difficult to mix.

Toffee-Berry Mix

Makes 1 quart mix (enough for 1 pan of bars)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup Brownulated sugar
3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries or cherries
1/2 cup chocolate-toffee bits or chopped toffee candy bars
1/2 cup chopped pecans or 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

On a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil, thoroughly stir together the flour and baking powder. Using the paper as a funnel, pour the mixture into a 1-quart jar. Rap the jar on the counter several times to compact the mixture. Wipe down the jar sides with a dry cloth or paper towel, if necessary. Add the Brownulated sugar to the jar, smoothing it with a spoon. Rap the jar to even the surface. Repeat with the dried cranberries, then the toffee bits, and then the pecans. Top with the coconut, smoothing out the surface with a spoon. Rap the jar to even the surface further. Close the jar. Attach a tag or card with the Toffee-Berry Bar Recipe instructions to the jar.

The mix will keep for up to 2 months.

Toffee-Berry Bar Recipe

Makes 12 bars

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft but not melted
2 large eggs
1 one-quart jar Toffee-Berry Mix (above)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft and lightened. Add the eggs and beat well. Add all the jar ingredients and stir until well blended. Spread evenly in the baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting.

The bars will keep, covered, at room temperature for 3 or 4 days.

Buy the Book!

from:
The All-American Dessert Book
by Nancy Baggett
Houghton-Mifflin
Hardcover, 448 pages
$35.00, fall-color photographs, 150 recipes
ISBN: 0-618-24000-4
Recipe reprinted by permission.