TIPSY TOFFEE BARS

Makes: 20-22 bars

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder 1/2 scant tsp (2.5 mL) fine-grain sea salt 1 generous cup (250 mL) pecan halves 1/2 lb (226 g) unsalted butter, melted 1 cup (250 mL) packed light brown sugar 1 cup (250 mL) packed dark brown sugar 2 large eggs, mixed together 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract 2 tbsp (30 mL) of your favourite bourbon 2/3 cup (160 mL) toffee bits 1 generous cup (250 mL) sweetened dried coconut 1/2 of 4-oz (114-g) bar of white chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Toast pecans in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes at 250 F (120 C). When cool, chop the pecans and set aside.

3. Melt butter and pour into a bowl. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add bourbon and mix again. Stir in the flour mixture and mix well, turning the batter several times to make sure that all the flour is incorporated.

4. Add the chopped pecans, the toffee bits, coconut and white chocolate. Stir together with a blending fork to make sure that the add-ins are equally incorporated.

5. Prepare your baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread batter into the pan by dropping equal spoonfuls all over the pan and joining them together by spreading the surface with an offset spatula.

6. Bake for 20 minutes and check the bars. In my oven, the bars took a full 35 minutes, but every oven is different.

7. I tested them at 20 minutes and every 5 minutes thereafter, and they were perfect after baking for 35 minutes. The sides will be crisp and browned and pulling away and the top with be shiny and dry. You want the centre to still be soft but not runny.

8. Let cool completely. 9. Remove the entire block of bar cookies and cut into squares with a dough scraper or serrated knife. Once the bar cookies are cut, they can be wrapped in foil and placed in a re-closable plastic bag and frozen for up to a month. Thaw before serving.

Chef’s note: Use a 9-by-11-by-2in. (22.5-by-28-by-5-cm) baking pan. I think the usual 9-by-13-in. (22.5-by-33-cm) pan makes a bar cookie that is too thin, but if you use it, note that your cooking time will be shorter.