Tessa's Recipe Rundown
TASTE: Full of rich chocolate goodness with nutty bursts throughout, thanks to the toffee.
TEXTURE: Chewy, gooey, fudgy brownies with delightfully crunchy bits from the toffee pieces and chocolate chips.
EASE: So easy! You don’t even need a mixer for this recipe.
PROS: A quick, delicious brownie recipe.
CONS: None.
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? I’ve already made these brownies SO many times!
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Though I’ve published more than 50 (!!!) brownie recipes in the past 15 years, I still find inspiration to develop new flavors.
Little did I know just how popular this new recipe would be!
I originally published this Toffee Brownies recipe in 2013, but it needed a overhaul. So, I went to the kitchen! After a few tweaks, I sent a batch to Joe’s workplace, only to receive an empty pan with unanimous feedback demanding another round of “taste testing.”
I’m not exaggerating – I’ve made these brownies over 10 times since creating the recipe because people keep asking me to make them.
And I don’t mind one bit. These brownies are everything I want in a dessert!
They’re quick and easy to make. They’re chocolate-forward (a definite win in my book). They’re rich and chewy with crunchy toffee throughout – aka texture heaven.
Give these brownies a try the next time you need a chocolate fix (so, right now, right? 😉). You won’t be disappointed!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Toffee Brownies
The Chocolate Chips
Semi-sweet is my favorite, but feel free to fold in any variety of chocolate chips you prefer. Whatever you do, don’t skip the chocolate chips! They help to develop that shiny crust on top of brownies. Learn more about the shiny crust on brownies here.
The Toffee
You can use store-bought or homemade! For extra gourmet brownies, use my Homemade Toffee Bits recipe. You can also use Heath brand English toffee bits (as pictured below), available in supermarkets by the chocolate chips in the baking aisle.
Butter + Oil
- With any cocoa powder-based brownie recipe, we need quite a bit of fat to prevent the cocoa powder from drying the brownies out and making them crumbly.
- These brownies use a combination of melted butter and oil for the best balance of taste and texture.
- I typically use vegetable oil, but any flavorless oil should work – just make sure your oil is fresh to avoid a rancid flavor.
- Check out my side-by-side baking experiments comparing Butter vs. Oil in Baking here.
Why is There Cornstarch in Brownies?
I have found that adding 1 tablespoon of cornstarch makes brownies thick and chewy, like box mix brownies, and improves the shiny crust on top – so don’t skip this ingredient. Learn more about that shiny crust on the top of brownies here.
The Sugar
We’re using a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar in this Toffee Brownie recipe. This creates a flavorful brownie with plenty of moisture, without adding too much moisture. It also complements the caramelized toasty flavors of the toffee perfectly.
Can I Reduce the Sugar in These Brownies?
- Don’t reduce the amount of sugar in Toffee Brownies unless you want dry and crumbly brownies.
- Reducing the sugar will also result in a dull (not shiny) crust.
- The sweetness will mellow as the brownies cool and set.
- If you’re worried these brownies will be too sweet for your preference, simply use dark or bittersweet chocolate chips to help balance the sweetness without ruining the texture of the brownies.
- Learn more about sugar’s role in baking brownies here (spoiler alert: sugar does so much more than just sweetening!)
What’s The Best Pan for Baking Brownies?
I highly recommend using a light-colored metal 8×8-inch baking pan like this one, lined with foil or parchment paper. Do not use glass, silicone, or ceramic pans for baking brownies. Learn why in my Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans article here.
Can I Double This Toffee Brownie Recipe?
Yes – simply double all ingredients and bake in a light-colored metal 9×13 metal pan, adding a few minutes to the bake time.
How to Cut Toffee Brownies for Clean Slices
For perfect slices, allow brownies to cool fully (chilled is even better!). Use a sharp knife and run it under hot water, carefully wiping it off in between each cut.
How to Store Toffee Brownies?
Toffee Brownies taste best the day they are baked but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. When chilled, they become even more fudgy!
Can You Freeze Toffee Brownies?
Yes! Brownies freeze beautifully. Freeze the whole slab or individual slices by wrapping in plastic wrap and storing inside a freezer bag or an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or for a couple of hours at room temperature before serving.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Best Ever Chewy Brownies
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
- Malted Brown Butter Brownies
- Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Chunk Bars
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Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (74 grams) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder1
- 1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips2, divided
- 1 cup (170 grams)
toffee bits3, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch metal pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter. Microwave for about 1 minute, or until the butter is melted. Whisk in the sugars then let cool to just warm. Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds. Whisk in the oil and cocoa powder.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee bits, reserving a handful of each.
- Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with extra toffee bits and chocolate chips. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the brownies are set and a cake tester inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. If you prefer a less fudgy brownie, bake an additional 5-7 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into the center has only melted chocolate attached. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.
- Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge.4
Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2024 with a new and improved recipe, photos, and more baking tips. Photography by Joanie Simon.
These brownies came out sooooo good. A little piece of carmely, chocolatey heaven! I did take the time to make my own toffee and it was so worth it!! Plus, I found out that making toffee IS really easy. Why was I so intimidated to even try it? I will be making these again! And my own toffee!!
Toffee and chocolate are my two favorite things in this world. These were great, but I just couldn’t seem to bake them long enough. I made a double batch. Total bake time was 55 min and still seemed too gooey. They are in the fridge now. I did eat one, and so did my husband. We thought they tasted great but they just would not form for anything in the world. Maybe after a longer time in the fridge. If that doesn’t work well, I will just try again in a regular size batch because the flavor is awesome and like I said, I LOVE toffee and chocolate!
Yummy and easy to make, win, win! Neighbors loved them at weekend party, so much better from scratch!!
I made these brownies, took them to the bingo ladies, and the overwhelming response was…..
THE BEST BROWNIE I EVER ATE! I only wish I took a pic, but I forgot😳
Awesome and delicious recipe! The top came our shiny, too!
These toffee brownies are amazing. Full of chocolatey gooey goodness and the bits of toffee throughout were so good! I made a huge batch and took them to my husbands track teams banquet-there were none left after about 10 minutes!
Delicious and so easy to make.
I was worried this may be too sweet with the toffee, but it was perfect! I loved the crunch on top with the moist brownie. Everybody asked for the recipe. 🙂
These are great!! I am normally a big fan of the boxed mix brownies. They are cheaper, quicker, and in my opinion, more delicious than the from scratch versions of brownies…BUT NOT THIS ONE!! This recipe was better than any boxed mix I’ve ever had! The texture and flavors were spot on!!
The toffee is a really nice flavor to add to brownies. Not sure if it was supposed to, but the toffee on the inside of the brownies melted into it, rather than spotting it with little crunches of toffee throughout. So it was different than I was expecting, but I’m sure that helped contribute to the perfect texture and flavor. Then on the top where I had sprinkled the toffee, it kept its shape and added a melt-in-your-mouth crunch that was absolutely heavenly! Next time I think I’ll sprinkle some extra on the top.
Also, I made the toffee from scratch which was more challenging than the recipe made it seem, but it did eventually come together and was really good. I’d recommend trying it at least once! I’ll try making these brownies with the store bought toffee next time to see what difference the homemade toffee makes.
Thanks for a great brownie recipe!
These brownies were light & moist! The toffee was a DELISH addition!
These brownies were soooo delicious 😋. They were super moist and not overly sweet. My family almost demolished the whole pan( only reason they didn’t was because I was trying to make sure everybody got one lol). I even did the toffee recipe and it was delicious. Since I didn’t have a metal pan I had to use a glass dish, but I thank God for Tessa’s adjustments regarding that. I’m definitely making these again!
P.s as you can see one is missing. My dad couldn’t wait lol
I finally got to them yesterday at the in laws, where the oven bakes low and a scale isn’t present, so not sure how representative mine are.
They are pretty and the toffee bits give them a special touch. (I used heath and they melted quite a bit, so there might be prettier options.)
As promised they don’t taste overly sweet despite the toffee. Actually more like dark chocolate brownies.
There is a crinkle crust, though I didn’t see it at first with the chocolate chips and toffee bits on top.
It seems a bit fudgier, denser and chewier, but that might be due to the baking challenges.
The only thing MOL and husband would like to add are nuts- to make it a turtle brownie 🙂