Shortbread Toffee Bars have a buttery shortbread crust covered layered with sweetened condensed milk and milk chocolate then covered with toffee bits and pecans. An easy dessert bar with a rich toffee flavor. You’ll need a glass of milk!

Buttery, Sweet & Salty Dessert Bars

This toffee bar recipe has everything you need in a dessert bar, a buttery shortbread crust with a sweet buttery layer that it then topped with chocolate, toffee and some salted pecans to offset the sweet. You’ll bake the crust first so it doesn’t get soggy then add the gooey layer, then top with the crunchy toffee giving it the perfect texture.

You add the toffee pieces and pecans to the melted chocolate layer so they stay in place once the chocolate has firmed up.

I first experimented with this recipe when Natalie was in college and I needed something other than cookies to take to her for our mother-daughter weekend. Taylor tested them for me and claimed they were “to die for”, and of course they were a big hit.

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The best part of this toffee bar recipe is the combination of buttery shortbread with creamy chocolate. Since they’re pretty sweet with sweetened condensed milk and toffee, I added some salted pecans to cut the sweetness.

Why These Are Always a Hit

No-fail dessert, you just can’t mess them up
Everyone loves toffee
A little chocolate to make the chocolate lovers happy
The shortbread crust keeps them from being too sweet
A great mixture of textures

What You’ll Need

Toffee Pieces – Heath English Toffee Bits are the easiest to use for this recipe but if you can’t find them, you can use a couple of Heath candy bars and crush them with a rolling pin in a Ziplock. You can generally find the toffee bits in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chips – Milk chocolate chips are my favorite for these toffee bars, but you can use semi-sweet chocolate or even bittersweet chocolate.

Sweetened Condensed Milk – Gooey and sweet is what you need for the filling.

Salted Pecans – you can leave off the nuts but the salty nuts cut the sweetness and we love nuts on everything!

Pantry staples – butter, brown sugar, and flour.

Just a Couple of Steps

Step 1: Set up

Line your pan with parchment, these are sticky and you’ll have a hard time getting them out of the pan if you don’t line it with parchment or foil.

Step 2: Make the shortbread

Beat the butter and brown sugar and then add flour, mix until it looks like cookie dough. Press the shortbread into the pan and bake.

The shortbread dough for chocolate toffee bars — Mix the shortbread dough

A baking pan with shortbread dough for toffee bas — Pan the shortbread into a pan.

Step 3: Add the gooey layer

Pour sweetened condensed milk mixed with a little butter over the hot shortbread and bake for 12 more minutes.

Step 4: Add the topping

Add milk chocolate chips to the top and put it back in the oven until they melt, then spread the chocolate with an offset spatula until it’s smooth and top with toffee bits and pecans. Cool Completely before cutting – that’s the hardest part!

These are a no-fail dessert bar to you’ll love sharing with friends. Even better with a glass of milk or cup of tea/coffee. Since they are pretty sweet, I cut them into pretty small pieces.

Shortbread Toffee Bars on parchment paper

What’s the difference between Toffee and Caramel

The terms are sometimes used interchangeably but in general, toffee is just sugar and butter and is crunchy, while caramel is made with cream and is soft and chewy. The flavors are similar but distinct. A toffee is what you make when making Chocolate Caramel Bark which you can break apart, while Vanilla Caramels are soft and chewy.

How to Store Dessert Bars

You can store these on the counter or fridge in an airtight container. There is no problem freezing these toffee bars. Just let thaw for a few minutes and they taste just as good as when you first cut them.

I love being able to go to the freezer and grab just one cookie or bar. I cut these into small squares as they are pretty rich. While they freeze well, I would not suggest shipping shortbread toffee bars. With the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate they will be a gooey mess upon arrival.

Instead, try shipping Fudgy Chocolate Brownies, or Gooey Bars, the oatmeal gives them more stability. White Chocolate Chex Mix is also perfect for shipping along with Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter.

More Dessert Bars to Try

Apricot Bars when you’re in the mood for a fruity dessert
For a more elegant dessert, try Pistachio Lemon Bars
Cookie Dough Brownies when you can’t decide between cookie dough or a brownie
Pecan Pie Bars, all the delicious flavor in bar form

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.