If you have not eaten, do not go any further.

In addition to the pulled pork I started first thing this morning, I made up a batch of Chocolate Truffles, Spiced Molasses Cookies, Café au Lait Bars, and Tender Toffee-Chocolate Rounds.

The Chocolate Truffles are awesome.

The Spiced Molasses Cookies are wonderful.

The Café au Lait Bars were a big hit.

However, the best, I mean the very best, cookie I have ever eaten must be the Tender Toffee-Chocolate Rounds and I am not even a chocoholic! They are soft, rich, and moist with chocolate and a hint of toffee. We definitely have a winner!

The recipe is fairly simple, too.

Tender Toffee-Chocolate Rounds

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 TBS unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup toffee bits
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) two baking sheets.

In the microwave or in a saucepan over very low heat melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring until smooth. Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the melted chocolate, then stir in the flour, toffee bits, and chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes or until the tops are cracked and dry, but the cookies are still soft to the touch. Don’t overbake these; they’ll become firm as they cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

*Toffee bits could not be found, so Heath bars were chopped in the food processor.

Recipe courtesy of The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.

Updated:

If anyone is wondering, the Chocolate Truffles recipe is here; however I added 2 TBS espresso powder to the cream, as well as 2 TBS Kahlua to the chocolate with the vanilla.

The other two are also from that King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion Book:

Soft Molasses Cookies are here. I rolled the cookies by hand, then in turbinado sugar before placing on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Café au Lait Bars

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup instant coffee crystals or 3 TBS espresso powder (I used the powder)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup chopped walnuts (Sweet One vetoed the nuts, but I would have used pecans)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan (I also sprinkled turbinado sugar along the bottom to help release the bars from the pan, as well as add a little crisp sweetness).

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until light-colored and thick. Add the sugar, beating until glossy and stiff. Add the vanilla and melted butter, beating to combine. Stir in the flour and salt

Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the batter. Stir together the coffee crystals and cream and add to the remaining batter. Spread the coffee batter in the prepared pan. Spoon the reserved batter over the top, then run a knife through the two batters to marble them. Sprinkle with nuts. (I sprinkled with 1 1/2 cups mini-chocolate chips, as well as more turbinado sugar).

Bake the bars for 30 minutes or until the sides just barely pull away from the edge of the pan and the center is set. Remove them from the oven and cool before cutting.