Caramel Macchiato Shortbread Bars

Dotty2's Note:

A recipe that was brought to a family reunion which was a crowd pleader. So very simple to make. Shortbread with a wonderful twist.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 30 bars

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon hot water
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened (not margarine)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups hershey Skor English toffee bits

Directions:

1. Dissolve coffee in hot water.
2. Beat butter, coffee and sugar until fluffy.
3. Stir together flour and toffee bits.
4. Mix into butter mixture the flour and toffee bits half a cup at a time until combined.
5. Press dough into a 9x13-inch pan.
6. Bake in 350°F oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.
7. Remove from oven and cool in pan.
8. Cut into bars and enjoy.

Reviews

[Eldeevee]

I love caramel macchiato coffee, so I had to try these bars. They are quite delicious and will be an added bonus to my Christmas platter this year. Thanks for posting this extremely simple recipe Dotty.

[Outnumbered By Peanuts]

I made these last week as part of my head start on Christmas baking. I really wanted to love these - the flavor is outstanding - but for some reason there seems to be too much butter in it and they turned out extremely greasy for me. I put them in the freezer, hoping they would set up better; that helped, but you can totally see the (now) solidified butter all at the bottom of the bars. I tried dipping the bottoms in chocolate to cover that up, but it just didn't seem right texture-wise. I'm not sure what went wrong because I followed the measurements and directions exactly as stated and baked appropriately. Taste-wise, they're very rich and I love the concept of the coffee and toffee added in. I may try what lilquiz did and add those items into a different shortbread recipe sometime and see if I end up with better results. Thank you for posting the idea!

[Valari]

These are delicious! I made them for my christmas cookie swap last year and everybody loved them, the flavor is excellent. I will definitely be making these again.