Another recipe has been officially tested and checked off the list from the thousands of recipes hidden on the pages of my cookbook shelf! This one comes from the United States Naval Academy cookbook "Brigade, Seats!" I couldn't resist buying it when I found it on eBay just after moving to Annapolis a few years ago. I thought I had really made a big find, and was so excited to make all sorts of recipes to bring back fond memories for Shaun. Little did I know that my proud purchase was in stock and sold at the USNA Mid Store (I think I got a little bit peeved every time I walked past it!) I'm still proud of my eBay find :)
After the black bean brownie flop, I was looking for a no-fail sweet and classic dessert. Shaun has often talked about the yummy brown sugar brownies that he would enjoy while in school, but since that recipe's not in this cookbook, I decided to try the Toffee Nut Bars instead. For those of you that may know a little about USNA, the cookbook is neat in that it lists the recipes not by category (appetizers, desserts, etc.), but by event. For instance, the Toffee Nut Bars are listed in the Color Parade Luncheon section. The cookbook was published back in 1984, and it seems that the recipes are based on the 1982-83 academic year. There are menus and recipes from the Plebe Summer Picnic, Striper Dinner, Ring Dance, Garden Party, etc.
The funniest parts of the cookbook are the included recipes that are written as used when preparing meals for the whole brigade of midshipmen. For instance, a few ingredients for the Plebe Summer Picnic Potato Salad include 1000 pounds of potatoes, 8 gallons of pickle relish, 16 gallons of mayo, 90 dozen eggs, 16 pounds of salt and 165 pounds of celery! I'll get right on that. Why don't you all come over to my house for a barbecue...and invite some friends!
My cookbook review is over now - back to the recipe! To be honest, I wasn't really crazy about these. I guess I was expecting more of the brown sugar brownie taste on the bottom (we have tracked down a similar recipe), but this is more like a rich, soft shortbread. I accidentally messed up while halving the recipe, and had to make the whole batch - a big jelly roll pan of toffee nut bars! Since I didn't care for them all that much (and you know how Shaun is about dessert), I started handing them out to all of the neighbors. Surprisingly, they seemed to go over really well with everyone. I have great taste tester neighbors!
Toffee Nut Bars
2 c. butter
2 c. light brown sugar
2 egg yolks
4 c. flour
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 c. pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar, then add egg yolks and beat well. Add vanilla, then flour and mix well. Spread evenly in a greased and floured jelly roll pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. While baking, melt chocolate chips (I melted them in the microwave with a tiny drizzle of oil so the chocolate would be shiny when cooled). When cookie dough is done, spread with melted chocolate (the job was much easier once I switched to an offset spatula). Before chocolate has a chance to cool, sprinkle with chopped pecans. Cool, then cut into bars.
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