Along with Entenmann’s chocolate frosted donuts. Man, do I yearn for those on an almost daily basis. But we’ll get into that one another day!

My mom baked these cookies once to twice a year when I was growing up, and I loved them. Toffee bars are pretty basic, and I love making different versions (like this Passover version, for instance). This is a dairy-free cookie recipe, but sometime I’ll share my butter-laden one with you, too!

The reason these bars work in so many different recipe versions is that the base is a cookie dough that’s baked flat and then covered in chocolate and almonds. If I’m doing a dairy version, I’ll also use Heath bits. But no matter how these bars are made, they rock!

Once the chocolate cools on the bars and hardens, you can cut them into even(ish) squares. I cut mine relatively small so I can pop several into my mouth in one sitting. Practical considerations here, people. If they were too big, I wouldn’t be able to eat as many!

These are also great for parties because one batch makes a ton of squares. I packed these up for a party and they held out for a good five minutes. With about 40 people in attendance, that’s not too shabby.

If you don’t like the taste of Earth Balance buttery sticks, use margarine. Its flavor is a little more subtle in these bars. And you can also opt to toast your almonds, but it’s by no means necessary. I believe in simplifying life as much as possible.

Whether or not toffee bars hearken to your childhood nostalgia, they’re a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. What could be better?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup margarine or similar product, softened (I used Earth Balance vegan sticks)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (non-dairy)
• 1 and 1/2 cups sliced almonds, partially chopped (instructions below)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the margarine and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolk and extracts and mix again. Gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated.

Pat the cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, making a large rectangle. Don’t spread the dough to the edges of the pan, since it will thin out while baking. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Wait five minutes. While you’re waiting, put the almonds in a sealed baggie and pound a few times with a heavy object (I used the bottom of a sturdy plastic cup).

Using an offset spatula or knife, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the surface of the bars. Sprinkle on the almonds and let the chocolate set. If you’d like to speed up the chocolate hardening, put the pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Cut into squares and serve!

So as part of my Passover quest to bake desserts that taste as though they contain flour, I make these toffee bars annually as a tribute to my mother and as an excuse to eat one of my favorite cookies. They’re classic and the base is mainly ground almonds. Yay protein!

The key to making good dessert on Passover is avoiding matza meal as much as you can. This recipe uses some, but not an enormous amount. The almonds fill in that gap beautifully.

See? Lots of almond goodness. And there is a nice but not too thick cookie layer that gets balanced out really well with all that chocolate. The more chocolate the better, especially on Passover!

One of my favorite toffee bar elements is the little edge of the crust that crisps up so nicely. I’ve been known to break off the edges and leave the rest of the cookie there, pretending that it was always a bit smaller. Shh. Don’t tell anyone!

You can always toast the almonds that go on top if you like, but that’s an extra step I don’t feel like taking. It might make the cookies ever so slightly better, but you have to weigh that incremental improvement against time and effort. I don’t think it’s worth it.

What is worth it, though, is making these bars. They will disappear and the people will thank you!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1 cup matza meal
• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sliced almonds (I used blanched)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Beat again. Slowly, add the ground almonds and matza meal until the ingredients are mixed and the dough is stiff.

Press the dough evenly into the cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are golden and the middle is puffed up a bit.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crust and wait for five minutes. Then, using a knife or offset spatula, spread the chocolate over the crust. Sprinkle on the almonds.

Let the cookies cool and then place the pan in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate completely, about 20-30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut the cookies into even squares. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.