Are any of your family members living away from home? Do you imagine them lonely and longing for homemade treats?
Maybe you want to send them a care package, but don’t know what might ship well?
Perhaps you are lazy, but want to seem giving and skilled at baking?
Make Toblerone Shortbread!
I settled on this recipe for my oldest nephew’s first college care package last year. I figured shortbread would be sturdy and not subject to getting stale while in transit. And there are four Toblerone bars on top and I love Toblerone. In fact, I’m angry with myself for not thinking of adding Toblerone to a baked good myself.
I had my first Toblerone bar in Geneva during my college study abroad semester. I also left my roommate alone in a 40-year old man’s hotel room in Geneva. Alone in the hostel that night, sleep didn’t come easy (although it should have because I didn’t have to hear my roommate’s horse-like snoring) as I imagined what I’d say when calling her parents to inform them their daughter was missing. Or chopped up into bits, which would now, ironically, be an appropriate size for sprinkling on top of shortbread. Luckily she came back unscathed the next morning and I can focus my memories of Switzerland on what is really important–chocolate.
The hardest part of this recipe is getting the dough evenly spread in a 9- x 13-inch pan. I always give up and have thinner edges. These edges are unattractive and thus have to be cut off and eaten by the baker. It’s a rule.
As it turned out, my nephew had never had Toblerone before I sent him these bars last year and he loved them. So I made them for him again last weekend, because I’m giving and skilled at baking. And I’m childless and want visitors when I’m in the nursing home.
RECIPE
Candy Bar Shortbread from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
pinch salt
4 (3.52-ounce) Toblerone bars, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Ms. Goldman says to stack two baking sheets together and line the top sheet with parchment, but I don’t do that because it’s crazy. But you go ahead and do what you have to do.
2. In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add flour and salt and mix to make a stiff dough that does not quite hold together.
3. Pat dough into a 9- x 13-inch pan lined with parchment paper (I make the parchment paper into a sling that I can then use to pull the bars out of the pan for easier cutting). Curse when you are unable to spread the dough evenly across the whole pan.
4. Bake until lightly golden (get ready for the best part…), 25 to 40 minutes. Get annoyed that she gives you a FIFTEEN minute range in baking times and make a snide comment to your husband about recipe development.
5. Sprinkle chopped Toblerone on hot uncut shortbread.
6. Let set for about 5 minutes and then spread melted Toblerone over shortbread (I use a small offset spatula).
7. Cut into small squares (I usually get about two dozen, including the thin edges I eat myself).
8. Put cookies in the fridge or freezer to set up.
I always become alarmed at the way the Toblerone oozes off of the cut shortbread edges, so I use the parchment paper sling to slide the cut bars back into the pan before putting the whole pan into the fridge. Of course, then I sort of have to cut the bars again, because the Toblerone spackles the cut bars back together as it hardens.
Pack the cookies and a couple of extra Toblerone bars and send to your ungrateful nephew who’s having far too much fun at college to ever acknowledge the arrival of a package.
Forget to take a picture of the finished bars before you pack up all the good-looking ones. Share a picture of a homely edge piece.
Yum-Oh! I may have to get that cookbook….and I don’t even cook! For me, it’s either take-out, frozen dinners, or something thrown into the crockpot to cook while I am at the office….ok, and the occasional brownie mix. This recipe looks easy enough for me, I think.
I like to bake, but if Dave didn’t cook I would starve to death. This recipe is indeed easy. I find chopping the Toblerone sort of tedious, but I’m easily annoyed.
Mmmmm…yummy. I shall have to pick up some Toblerone chocolate bars when I visit Geneva – my Dave and I have a trip in the near future!
I finally posted my Versatile thanks.
Happy weekend.
They had absolutely massive bars of Toblerone in Switzerland. I was in awe. Can’t wait to see your photos of Geneva. It’s been almost 18(!) years since I was there.
Thanks for the kind words on your blog RE: versatile blog award.
So, I have been thinking about these bars for …oh, it’s only been 13 days… huh, it felt like longer. I broke down and bought Toblerone locally but then got home to read the recipe and realize I don’t have any butter! D’oh!
I will be making them, soon, though – like, tomorrow night. The only problem is, I was planning to make them tonight and then take them to work tomorrow. Sigh.
Dude, this recipe only has 5 ingredients! That’s so funny (and heartbreaking) that you don’t have butter. When I went to make banana bread on Monday, I realized Dave had put away an empty box of baking soda. That was irritating.
I saw this awesome picture on Facebook of the fiance of the sister of a friend (yes, surfing FB at this depth was a good use of my time!) holding a Toblerone bar out at arm’s length in front of the Alps in Switzerland. When are you guys going to Switzerland?
Beautiful! I love shortbread and Toblerone! My grandmother whose first language is French calls them, “TOOB-lerone”. It’s funny and awesome. Maybe I’ll make these for her!
Thanks! I was bummed I didn’t get a better picture of the actual cookies, but I really like how my pictures of the chocolate came out.
Do you speak French? I was a French major my first couple of years of college. My French is, sadly, pretty much forgotten.
If you make the shortbread, let me know how you and your grandmother like it.
First, NOMNOMNOM.
Next, do you have to cut them before putting in the fridge, or could you just cut them once after they’ve been in the fridge?
Finally, holy crap, shortbread is simpler to make than I thought! Thanks!
The recipe says to cut first and chill later. I think this is because they are easier to cut before the chocolate sets up. But I think next time I might just try to lightly score them pre-fridge so that I don’t mess up the chocolate a ton but I know where I’m supposed to be cutting once they are set up.
OOoooohhhhhh…allergic to chocolate, and currently licking my monitor….
My brother can’t eat chocolate either and it makes me sad, partly because that used to be a go-to gift idea for him and now I have to think harder. I’m starting to feel like it was a mistake not to buy one or two extra Toblerone bars for us, so I might join you in monitor licking.
Man that looks so tasty!
Thanks, I miss them.
Ooh, they look like millionaire’s shortbread, my favourite! We use leftover chocolates (you know the toffees and things that noone wants) in baking for chocolate chip equivalents. 🙂
Millionaire’s shortbread sounds interesting. I found some recipes online that looked like my Toblerone recipe, only making shortbread cookies with the Toblerone mixed in, instead of flat bars with the chocolate melted on top. I’m thinking that might be worth trying.
Love the recipe with your comments interspersed and the final photo because that’s what I do- take a bite or just plain forget that I want a photo. Mostly, though, I loved the reminder that I too am childless and need to do a better job buttering up my nieces and nephew so I will have someone visiting me in the state run institution where I will inevitably end up.
There’s little that’s as inspiring as imagining our old age, eh?
Today, I went to the beachfront with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!
I know this is spam, but fuck it. This amused me so I’m approving it.