Karen Gordon: S’mores Toffee Cookie Bars make for gooey, chewy dessert

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I’ve never been a Graham cracker fan, and that’s probably why I have never loved S’mores.

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Don’t get me wrong: I love the chocolate and marshmallow. But that Graham cracker does nothing for my tastebuds. To me, it tastes like half cookie, half cardboard.

Luckily for me, I ran out of Graham crackers while making S’mores for the family on a camping trip one summer and used Biscoff cookies instead. Wow! Was that ever a game changer.

I was first introduced to Biscoff cookies on a WestJet flight from Vancouver to Toronto in the late 1980s. I remember my first taste: A spice-filled, shortbread-like cookie with a delicious caramel flavour. In those days, the only way one could get their hands on Biscoff cookies, outside of Belgium, was to fly. A Lotus Foods/airline partnership made these cookies available only to airlines. Luckily, that’s no longer the case. Today, they are easily available in grocery stores as well as in a four-pack at Costco.

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My favourite way of baking with Biscoff cookies is in this cookie recipe. I particularly enjoy this bar because the Biscoff cookie not only creates a rich toffee-like profile, it also adds a crunchy element to a gooey, yet chewy dessert.

Finely ground Biscoff cookie crumbs are mixed into the cookie dough, creating an undeniably rich, caramelly flavour. Sandwiched between the two layers of toffee-flavoured cookie is a thick layer of marshmallow fluff, a layer of roughly crushed Biscoff cookies and a generous amount of dark chocolate chips.

These bars defy logic: Once baked and cooled, they are nothing like you’ve ever tasted before. In one bite, you get a delightful combination of ooey-gooey, chewy marshmallow along with crunchy Biscoff cookie pieces. The cookie-bar layer is soft yet chewy, while the marshmallow makes this dessert gooey yet crisp as it bakes up into a meringue-like texture. My favourite is the Biscoff cookie chunks that add a crunchy element and makes this dessert simply heavenly.

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While this is a relatively easy recipe, there are a couple of tips to help you with the assembly of these cookie bars:

• Line the bottom of your baking tray with two long pieces of parchment paper. Lay them perpendicular to each other so that the excess baking paper overhangs the tray on all four sides by two to three inches. This will help you remove the entire bar from the pan once baked and cooled.

• Use a lightly oiled silicone spatula to help spread the cookie mixture onto the pan. The cookie dough and marshmallow fluff will be somewhat difficult to spread out evenly. However, a little patience and lightly oiled utensils can greatly help with the process. Note that the layers do not need to be perfect. Try to spread out the mixture as best as possible and let the oven do the rest while it bakes.

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You will also notice that there will not be enough cookie dough to cover the top of the bars. This is done intentionally so that the marshmallow fluff, Biscoff cookie chunks and chocolate chips will peek through once the mixture bakes up.

Lastly, whatever you do, do not substitute regular marshmallows for marshmallow fluff. It simply won’t work. The regular marshmallows will melt while baking and form these hard, flat disks once cooled. There’s absolutely no gooeyness, hence I do not recommend using them. To create homemade marshmallow fluff in a pinch, heat 16 large marshmallows plus two teaspoons of light corn syrup in the top of a double-boiler for approximately three to five minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally until melted and smooth. Cool slightly before using it in the recipe.

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S’MORES TOFFEE COOKIE BARS

3/4 cup (170 g) salted butter, softened to room temperature

1-1/8 cup (225 g) packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour

19 Biscoff cookies (150 g) finely ground

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 cups (227 g) marshmallow fluff

Toppings:

10 Biscoff cookies (80 g), roughly chopped into bite-size chunks

1-1/2 cups (300 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly spray a 9×12-inch baking pan with cooking spray, then line pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper, placing them perpendicular to each other, with 2-3 inches of overhang. Set aside until needed.

Using an electric beater or stand mixer outfitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until light and creamy.

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Add eggs and vanilla extract and continue beating until fully combined. It’s OK that the mixture may appear a little curdled.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, fine Biscoff cookie crumbs, baking powder and sea salt together. Add this to the butter mixture and mix on medium-low until mixture is combined. Do not overmix. Mixture will be soft and sticky.

Transfer two-thirds of the cookie dough to the baking pan. Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator to chill. Using a lightly oiled spatula, spread the dough out as evenly as possible on the bottom of the pan. Add the marshmallow fluff. Then using another lightly oiled spatula, spread the fluff as evenly as possible over the cookie dough. Top marshmallow fluff with the Biscoff cookie chunks and chocolate chips.

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Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. Pinch off pieces of dough and flatten it between the palms of your hands. Place the flat pieces of cookie dough in a single layer, over top of the chocolate chips and Biscoff cookie chunks. Repeat until you’ve used all the cookie dough.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and place pan on a baking rack to cool.

Once completely cooled, using the parchment overhang as handles, lift the bar from the pan. Slice into bars. Store bars in a covered container for up to a week, if it lasts that long. Enjoy!

Makes one 9×12” tray, or 20 bars.

Karen Gordon is a food blogger from North Vancouver who shares her recipe creations online at karentology.com, on Instagram at @karen.t.ology, and on Pinterest at @karen.t.ology

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