A Plate Full

Hello, my name is Claire and I’m addicted to Coffee Crunch Bars. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have company. These could easily be renamed Crack Crunch Bars. Rich and crumbly, dark with the taste of toffee and espresso, studded with nuts, a cookie to quiet all the demon devils inside. These are not in the soft and melty category, nor do they fall in the crisp and chewy one, more like biscotti is what I think. They scream to be dunked, milk would do, but coffee…now coffee is the way to go. They’re perfect to pack in a lunch for an afternoon snack or to take on the road with you. I sprinkled some Fleur de Sel (but any coarse salt you have would do) over the top before I baked them and it’s a great addition, now they have everything, coffee and toffee, and chocolate and salt. These are seriously crunchy, seriously good, and you should make them. But I’m warning you, you might be standing before the room telling your tale of addiction before you know it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 🙂

This is adapted (barely) from a two-year old copy of Bon Appetit and the impeccable Molly Wizenberg.

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.
Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in another medium bowl until blended, about 2 minutes. Add espresso powder and almond extract; beat 1 minute. Stir in flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing until just absorbed after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips and almonds (dough will be thick).

Turn dough out onto ungreased rimmed baking sheet. Using hands, press dough into 12-inch(I didn’t have a pan that size so I used a 9 x 13 one) square. Pierce all over with fork at 1-inch intervals.

Bake until edges are lightly browned and beginning to crisp, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on sheet 1 minute. Cut into 48 bars. Immediately transfer to rack; cool (bars will crisp as they cool).