Coffee Toffee Bars | A Retro Recipe

Coffee Toffee Bars from Mom’s Vintage Recipe

Get ready for a blast from the past with our retro coffee toffee bars recipe from the 1960s.

This coffee toffee bars dessert is from my Mom’s retro recipe vault. The first time she made this recipe was in 1968. So, how does this recipe hold now? Let’s find out!

Coffee Toffee Bars | Dry Ingredients

So, first we’re going to preheat our oven to 350° F.  Then you combine your dry ingredients.

First, we put in 2 and 1/4 cups of all purpose flour. Then 1/4 teaspoon of salt. And 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.  And all we have to do now is mix this up. Then we set it aside.

Coffee Toffee Bars | Mixing Ingredients

For the next part, we’ll be using a stand mixer. This is my trusty KitchenAid Stand Mixer that I have had for over 5 years, and I highly recommend it. Mom has had hers for over 30 years. It is safe to say that KitchenAid is a company we both love and trust.

So, next we’ll take one cup of butter and we’re going to put that in. Make sure it’s softened but not melted. I prefer salted butter, but that’s up to you.

Then we’ll add one cup of firmly packed brown sugar.

One trick you can do with your brown sugar once you decant it, it can get a little bit hard. We’ve all been there. But what you can do to soften it is just put a lemon slice in it like maybe a day before you’re going to use it in a recipe, and it will magically soften the brown sugar and make it beautifully workable again.

So, we’re just going to put it on, the lowest setting (stir) and let it cream together. Creaming is a crucial process with most baking.

Once it’s all incorporated, we’re going to add one teaspoon of almond extract. And we’re going to add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the instant coffee of your choice. Back in the day, Mom used Nescafe, and if she wanted it decaf, she would use Sanka.

Today we’re going to be fully caffeinated and we’re using Cafe Bastillo Instant Espresso. We’ll be using one tablespoon of this.

Now we’re going to blend it together for a minute or two. Once finished, we’re going to scrape the sides a little bit just so we can get everything fully incorporated.

At this point, it’s almost turning into a little bit of a dough. So, you could use a dough hook, but I think using the flex beater up until this point is the best option. 

Everything’s combined together really nicely now. So, we’re going to remove the mixing bowl from the stand mixer and do the rest by hand.

Add 6 oz of semi-sweet chocolate morsels. That’s half of a traditional 12 oz package. And if you add a little more than half, there’s no harm in that.  

Now add a half a cup of the chopped nuts of your choice. Today we will be using walnuts, but feel free to use whatever sounds best to you. Mix it in my hand. Get the walnuts fully incorporated. Make sure nothing’s sticking to the bottom, that it’s all in there.

Coffee Toffee Bars | Baking

Then grease a 9×13 pan. The easiest and fastest way is to use avocado oil spray.

Okay, the next step is going to be to evenly press the dough into the pan. So, we’re just going to pour it in and then press. And as you press it down, it goes into the corners.

I would say the most important part of this process is that it is firmly packed and roughly level because you want it to bake evenly. I find that using a large spoon is the best from compacting the dough. But feel free to use whatever instrument helps you pack down most easily is what you should use.

Now, we’re going to bake it in the oven at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Once the baking is finished, we have to let them cool down for about 10 minutes, but then it’s best to cut into the bars while they’re still warm. So, maybe at minute 11, you cut the bars.

This recipe should yield one to two dozen bars, depending on how large a slice you give to your guests.

After our ten minutes is up, we slice the bars. So how does this recipe from 1968 taste today?

The answer is.. they are absolutely delicious! You taste all the elements of the Coffee Toffee Bars, including the coffee. But the coffee is not an overwhelming taste. It’s fully incorporated into the bars in such a lovely way. As a matter of fact, my husband is not a fan of the taste of coffee and he really enjoyed these Coffee Toffee Bars.

And in terms of caffeine, It’s not that much coffee in the bars. It’s really like one to two servings of coffee in the entire recipe. It probably won’t even keep you awake.

You could pair it with a big glass of ice cold milk, a nice cup of coffee, espresso or cappuccino. You could do anything with it, but to me, the ultimate pairing would be vanilla ice cream a la  mode. Just a little dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. For an easy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe, just follow the instructions for my Oreo Cookies and Cream Homemade Ice Cream and leave out the Oreos out of the recipe! You will be left with a delicious Vanilla Ice Cream that’s wholesome, delicious, and only a few ingredients.

I want to thank my Mom for sharing this retro recipe with us and I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!