Chocolate Chip Rolo Toffee Cookie Bars

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Once upon a time I had a huge sugar craving.  I wanted chocolate chip cookies. And caramel. And candy. And toffee. So I decided to combine all those things into bar form.

I love cookie bars more than plain cookies, because they're really just improved versions of cookies. Cookies get all flat on the edges. Bars get thick and gooey and amazing everywhere--this recipe came out like a cookie cake :)

Here's what you do. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp baking soda

In a separate, large bowl, mix 1 cup butter (softened) with 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix an egg, an egg yolk, and 2 tsp vanilla into the sugar mixture. Then fold in dry ingredients

And some of these. Ok, I didn't measure out the toffee and chocolate chips, but I'd say go with 1/2 cup of each to start. Add more or less depending on your tastes!

I unwrapped about 40 Rolos, chilled them in the fridge, then chopped them into quarters. Sometimes halves. Doesn't matter :)

I ate a lot of Rolos in the baking process too...

After folding the chopped Rolos into the dough, place the dough in a greased 8X8 baking dish (cover dish with foil first if you want to be able to lift the whole slab from the dish after baking). Bake for about 30 minutes in the oven at 325* (check after 20 minutes, and if the edges are starting to get brown, cover with foil)

The next step is optional, but highly recommended. Make a batch of caramel sauce to later pour over your cookie bars! It's super easy! In a small pot, mix 1 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4 tbs butter, and 3 tbs corn syrup. Heat on medium, stirring to incorporate everything, until the candy thermometer hits right below the soft ball stage mark (candy thermometers are super cheap if you don't already have one, and Walmart sells them). Then turn the stove to low and let the caramel sit until ready to pour onto the cookie bars

When the cookie bars are done baking, let them cool for about 20 minutes before adding the caramel, so that the caramel doesn't cause the center to collapse

Look what you're missing if you skip the caramel on top. Sogoodsogoodsogood!

Did I mention I love Rolos? Add extra chopped Rolos and toffee to the top

Let cool for a few hours, then dig in!!

Chocolate Chip Rolo Toffee Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

For the bars:

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup toffee bits

40 Rolos, chopped 

For the caramel sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 tbs butter

3 tbs corn syrup

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 325*.  Cover 8X8 inch dish with tinfoil and grease with cooking spray.

2) Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  In a large, separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Blend in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.

3) Fold dry ingredients into sugar mixture. Once incorporated, fold in chocolate chips, toffee bits, and chopped Rolos. Chill Rolos before chopping for easier handling

4) Press dough into dish and bake for about 30 minutes until lightly browned and center is cooked all the way through. After 20 minutes, check to see if the edges are getting brown, and if so, cover with tinfoil.

5) While bars are baking, make caramel sauce. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer hits right below the soft ball stage mark. Remove pot from stove for several minutes, then place back on low heat so that the caramel stays soft until you're ready to pour it over the bars. 

6) After the cookie bar have cooled for about 20 minutes, pour warm caramel over them, add chopped Rolos and toffee bits on top, and let cool for a few hours. Once cool, use tinfoil to remove the whole slab from the dish, take the foil off, and cut bars into pieces.