Let me tell you this: I made these on a Monday night when my husband was working late. The next day at lunch he found them, and the dish was 2/3 empty. We’re talking a 9×13 pan here, people. Yikes. They are that good.

Chewy, buttery, caramely – yum. Make some today.

Aunt Fannie’s Toffee Chew Bars, barely adapted from Cook’s Illustrated America’s Best Lost Recipes.

Crust

8 T unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Dump everything into mixer and mix until coarse crumbs are formed. Press into well-greased 9×13 pan. (Recipe recommended to line the pan with foil, with overhangs on each side, and grease well. Probably a good idea, as these bars are very sticky, but I did ok with an extremely well-buttered glass dish.)

2) Bake about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Filling

2 eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 T flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sliced almonds

1) Whisk together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, whisk until combined. Stir in coconut and almonds, and pour over crust.

2) Bake in 325 degree oven until lightly browned on edges, 20-25 minutes. Try to let cookies cool before you eat them, as they are much easier to cut. Or just use a spoon to eat the first row, like I did.