Shortbread Toffee Cookie Bars

These Shortbread Toffee Cookie Bars are made with a buttery brown sugar shortbread crust, filled with a sweetened condensed milk caramel, and topped with milk chocolate and toffee bits! SO sweet and rich!

This recipe was originally published in 2014. The images and recipe tips were updated in 2021. The recipe remains the same!

Buttery Shortbread Cookie Bars with Toffee

Shortbread Toffee Cookie Bars is one of those recipes that has been around for ages, I think. I found the base for this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try…unfortunately the picture just kept leading me back to a million other sites and never a proper source. Annoying.
So, I slightly varied the recipe that the person reposted on the picture. Recipe police, don’t arrest me.

Anyway, I know that calling these cookies “Best Ever” is a pretty confident statement to make, but I think they deserve the praise. Because these are the “Best Ever Shortbread Toffee Cookie Bars” I’ve ever had. Their base is a brown sugar shortbread, the filling is a caramelized sweetened condensed milk, and the topping is a mixture of milk chocolate and toffee. It’s everything you could ever want all in one place.

Recipe Ingredients

Let’s stop staring at these beautiful cookie bars, and bake them into being! Here’s what we’ll need to do that:

For the Shortbread Crust:

• Butter: Make sure the butter comes to room temperature so that it will easily cream with the sugar.
• Brown Sugar: I used light brown sugar for its sweet, caramel notes.
• Flour: I used all-purpose flour for these cookie bars.

For the Filling:

• Sweet Condensed Milk: Whatever brand your local store carries is fine.
• Butter: You can use salted or unsalted, whichever you prefer.

For the Topping:

• Chocolate Chips: You’ll need 2 cups of milk chocolate chips – if you want to add richness, mix in some dark chocolate chips.
• Toffee Bits: You can buy these at your local store, or make a batch of toffee and crush some of it up!

How to Make Shortbread Toffee Cookie Bars

These chocolate toffee cookie bars take about 15 minutes to prepare, and 30 minutes to bake – and it’s all super easy! I love cookie bars because they can be a casual dessert for snacking on, but you can also make them as a somewhat decadent dessert.

Prepare: Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9×13 pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray.

Cream the Butter and Sugar: Beat butter and sugar together until combined, 1-2 minutes.

Mix in Flour & Bake: The mixture will be slightly dry. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow the pan to cool slightly.

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Prepare the Filling & Bake Again: In a small saucepan heat sweetened condensed milk and butter together until butter is smooth. Pour over shortbread crust. Bake 12-15 minutes until filling is bubbly and browned. It will almost take on a light caramel appearance. Remove from oven.

Add Chocolate Chips: Immediately sprinkle milk chips on top of filling when it comes out of the oven. Place back in oven for 2 minutes until chips are shiny and soft. Carefully spread the chips over the filling with an off-set spatula.

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Add Toffee Bits: Sprinkle with toffee bits, pressing into milk chocolate. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Tips for the Best Cookie Bars

Looking for some tips to ensure the best results with your cookie bars? You’re in the right place:

• Cooling These Cookies: You can place these in the refrigerator to help speed up the cooling process. I allowed mine to cool at room temperature overnight, though, before I sliced and served.
• Don’t Over-Bake the Chocolate: You just want to make sure that it’s melted enough that you can spread it. It doesn’t have to cover the entire top of the cookie perfectly, because you’re going to add toffee on top, too!
• Add a Drizzle of Caramel on Top: I know, I know, sweetness overload, but it’s soooo good!
• Refrigerating the Shortbread Dough: You don’t have to do this, but it will ensure that the dough does not spread out too much it bakes – this is more relevant with separate cookies.

How to Store

I like to store these toffee cookie bars in an airtight container in the fridge (because of the chocolate) for 4-5 days. Let them come to room temperature before eating, though, because the shortbread will taste better that way.

Can I Freeze These?

Sure! You can freeze these cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw them in the fridge so they’re not too hard before eating!

More Cookie Bar Recipes

Looking for more easy cookie bar recipes? Try these!

• Lazy Cookie Bars
• Glazed Berry Sugar Cookie Bars
• Funfetti Tye Dyed Cookie Bars
• Cinnamon Roll Cookie Bars
• No Bake Cookie Bars

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