Who doesn’t enjoy a good love story? High school sweethearts, Jan and Cary Cound, received an old family recipe for English toffee and a slab of marble from Jan’s grandfather years ago. Cary, determined to keep the family recipe alive, began making it during the holidays with their kids. In 2001, they turned this family holiday tradition into Cary’s of Oregon: opening a storefront/factory in Grants Pass, Oregon. Their respect for family tradition and each other helped them build the recipe into a nationwide distributing company that makes toffee in 9 different flavors–all gluten-free, natural and Kosher-certified by the way! They’ve won many awards and been featured on Rachael Ray’s Show and Oprah.com.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

I’ve been enjoying Cary’s Toffee for a while now, but had never stopped into their retail store where the public can peruse all the goodies this factory/store has to offer! It is like Willy Wonka’s in Oregon, just a little scaled down. With free samples and baskets and shelves of toffee goodness, it is hard not to buy one or a whole bunch of bags of this sweet delicacy.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Not too soft, but not hard enough to chip your teeth on, Cary’s makes a delicious candy treat. I love the Dark Chocolate Espresso flavor and Cary’s was kind enough to give this cooking blogger a big bag of it to take home and play with in the kitchen. While they are delicious to just pop in your mouth straight from the bag, I enjoy trying out recipes with the chocolatey stuff too.

Photo Courtesy: Cary’s of Oregon

Using the sugar cookie dough just helps speed things up when you want a sweet treat a little quicker. The bars are fun to throw together and irresistibly delicious.

Cookie Bars with Cary’s English Toffee ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

With flavors like Dark Chocolate Almond with Hawaiian Salt to Milk Chocolate Vanilla Bean, you are sure to find a Toffee you like. They also make beautiful gift baskets for the holidays! Check out their website www.carysoforegon.com as they ship nationwide. Thanks to Cary’s English Toffee for this fantastic giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a bag of Cary’s Dark Chocolate Espresso Toffee–our favorite!

Cookie Bars with Cary’s English Toffee

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour the liquid on top of the baked crust after the 5 minute cooling period. In consecutive, even layers, sprinkle the Cary’s toffee pieces, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips and shredded coconut on top. Place pan, on middle rack, in oven and bake until the filling is set, about 20 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and place back on the cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Let warm to room temperature again if desired and slice into 4 rows up and down and across so you get 8 same-size bars. Hint: Use a warmed knife to cut the bars by filling a glass with warm water, leaving the knife in the water for a couple minutes before slicing. ENJOY! Any leftovers should be kept in the baking pan covered with plastic wrap or in a lidded, reusable container.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, however I did receive a sample for my review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.