Twix anyone?

What to do with leftover Halloween Candy, part 2.    Twix might just be my favorite chocolate bar, so when I found them 50% off after Halloween I bought the most of these, 5 bags to be exact.     As much as I would have like to eat all 150 of these mini twix bars, it is probably not a good idea.  The next best action besides eating directly is baking which luckily still involves eating, sneaky isn't it.  ;-)   Since the Twix bar is a combination of Chocolate, Caramel and Cookie using this product in baking can be a bit tricky,  so I figured why not leave them out in the open to be seen and drooled over.  I found this recipe again in my 365 Quinoa cookbook as I was searching for recipes for my Christmas party.    The recipe is called Mocha Toffee Squares and with no picture I was hooked.  Clearly my obsession with toffee bits continues, let's add the Skor bar to the top of my favourite chocolate bar list.  Seriously, they are just so tasty to bake with.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup chopped pecans ( I used chopped twix instead)
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp strong coffee or 1 tsp coffee liqueur   ( I used vanilla instead)
• 1 cup quinoa flour
• 1 cup toffee bits
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ( I didn't use because I had the Twix)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat oven 350 F.  If you are using the pecans, spread them evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until they are fragrant and toasted.  Remove and set aside.

2) Grease a 9 inch sq. pan and line the bottom with parchment.  Cream together butter and sugar in a medium bowl  until smooth.  Mix in egg and coffee.  3) Add the quinoa flour, toffee bits, baking soda and salt.  Mix thoroughly and press into the baking dish. Bake on the center oven rack for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

4) Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips.   Return to oven for 1 minute.   Using a butter knife spread the melted chocolate chips evenly across the baked dough.   Sprinkle immediately with the toasted pecans.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.   Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for a month.

MY VARIATION :  I did some tweaking in the recipe as there was no call for Twix in it but I figured  it was worth a shot. I made the base the same way except used 1 tsp of vanilla instead of coffee.   At about 13 minutes, I took out the base and sprinkled the chopped Twix bars on top and then put it back in the oven (turned off) for about 3 minutes or until some of the Twix are melted and stuck to the base.

I tried very very hard to not try a piece before I went to bed, well that did not happen.   SO Yummy.   Sadly Brad never got to try these as they were brought to work and gobbled up pretty quickly. As I also got yelled at for not making enough.    Another hit!   I think I will look for other ways to use this toffee base in the future.... Hmmm... What to do?   Any suggestions out there?

MEG's RATING D-EEEE-LICIOUS!!