Finally!
This! This is what I have been trying achieve since I first had those English toffee bits leap into my shopping cart and beg me to take them home!
First, I tried to make them in cookies. What I ended up with were thin, crispy cookies that were closer to wafers than cookies.
Second, I tried to make them into blondies. That recipe (which I have renamed) resulted in English Toffee Bits Bars. Take a look at them in the pan:
Does this not look like a giant cookie, just a square rather than a circle? To me it does. And it tastes like one. So, when I finally got the right sort of recipe, I renamed this one to bars instead of blondies.
Here is a photo of the English Toffee Bits Blondies (the new recipe) in the pan:
Now, I will admit that I think these could have been cooked a tad less. The recipe called to cook them for 45-47 minutes. Usually, I will set the alarm for 5 minutes less when I am trying a new recipe, just in case. But I forgot this time. So, on my recipe instructions, I marked the cooking time as 40-45 minutes. Somewhere in the middle would probably be perfect. In any case, I finally achieved the consistency that I was wanting from the first glance at the bag of toffee bits.
Here is a photo of what the blondies looked like before I put them into the oven. My goal was to try and create a middle layer of toffee bits, rather than to just fold them into the batter as a whole. I thought that having a layer might keep the texture more cake like.
Getting the second half of the batter on was hard because it was still more dough than batter. I noted on the recipe that I used the wrong pan. Instead of an 8x8 pan, I used a 9x9 pan. So, I think the next batch will be a bit better (thicker) and a bit easier to connect the dollops of batter. Plus, clearly I was a bit light-handed with the toffee bits.
So happy was I at achieving my vision, I promptly ate two of them. However, before I could continue on and end up finishing the pan off the first night, I went ahead and put them away in the freezer. Amos happily cleaned the crumbs off of my plate and then the pan.
Sandra has graciously agreed to be my taste tester. Back a few months ago, she ate the English toffee bit cookies I made (and did not like). Tomorrow, she's dropping off a box for me and will be taking away a tasting plate with a peanut butter nutella cheesecake bar, an English toffee bit bar, and English toffee bit blondie. Even if she likes the bar better than the blondie, I will not be disappointed. After all, it was my tastebuds I was aiming to please.
The baking was a way for me to celebrate selling all of the items I thought should sell on Craig's List. I still have the stool, desktop vertical file holders, and the snowman Christmas decorations. Four different folk have texted about the file holders, but none wanted to drive to my side of town. So, I changed the listing to note a nearby major intersection. I will have no problem donating these items if they do not sell.
I also went ahead and boxed up the African clothing, old family linens, and a few other odds and ends that I really do not need to ready them for a trip to the donation center. I am also giving up the rug that has no home in this house, but was in my last three abodes. And I am dropping off two rugs Marie and Paul do not need. I have not yet taken an after photo of the attic, but from where I started after moving in to now is rather impressive. I have one box of things that are not really necessary, but am keeping anyway. It includes one dress from Africa, my master's and doctorate graduation gown hoods, and three straw hats, one of which I made and wore to my master's graduation. Basically, in this last round of reducing, I went from four boxes of stuff to just one.
When I die, and my best friend comes to pack up my home (I hope to die here rather than be so far gone mentally that I have to die elsewhere), she's going to be pleased with how easy it will be. Clothing, linens, books, DVDs, and kitchen items boxed up and donated. Antiques, artwork, and silver auctioned off. Sell the house. Take that trip to Hawaii ... or wherever ... with her beloved. My stuff is NOT going to burden her.
Of course, my brother (the minimalist) is certain I have more in my home that I can shed now rather than later.
I also did the laundry today. I have actually been afraid to wash the napkins I bought since none of mine matched the new chairs. The reason I feared washing them was because I paid just $0.85 each for them. I was also not sure how damask fabric would wash. I was very, very thankful for the napkins I bought since none of mine even came close to matching the chairs. Actually, two sets of napkins are ones from my childhood. But all three clashed horribly. However, I really was worried about actually washing them, whether or not I would ruin them because I have never actually used a delicates cycle on a washing machine.
Happily, the napkins washed well. They washed well on the regular cycle that I forgot to change to delicate. I took them out of the washing machine, tugged the wrinkles out, and let them dry on a rack. Yep, NO IRONING NECESSARY! Happiness abounded in the basement for a while.
My sheets are in the dryer at the moment. As soon as they are done, I shall be lugging them to my bedroom, battle Amos whilst making the bed, and then crawl in between them and hope for better dreams.
The nights have been hard for a long while now...
I am Yours, Lord. Save me!
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