If you’ve ever dreamed of the ultimate sweet treat—one that combines buttery, rich flavors with the perfect balance of chocolate and caramel undertones—these Brown Butter Malted Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars are about to become your new obsession. These bars are a decadent blend of nutty brown butter, sweet toffee, malt milk powder, and chocolate chips, all tied together with a delicate finishing touch of sea salt flakes and additional chocolate chunks.
This post is sponsored by my friends at Hoosier Hill Farm and features their amazing Malted Milk Powder. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands I trust and believe in.
Toffee Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Malt Cookie Bars
With over 35 years of professional experience, I’ve developed countless recipes, but this one stands out as an instant classic. My goal is simple: create recipes that are foolproof, approachable, and allow anyone, regardless of experience, to bake something truly special. You don’t need fancy tools, special equipment, or an advanced skillset here—just your trusted bowl, whisk, spatula, and simple ingredients.
TKW Family Love
We made these for our Christmas party and they were such a hit!!
Whether you’re baking for a cozy weekend treat, a special gathering, or just because you deserve a little sweetness in your life, these malted chocolate chip toffee bars promise to deliver the kind of flavor that’ll have you reaching for seconds (and thirds). The brown butter lends a rich, nutty depth, the malted milk powder and toffee add a subtle caramel-like sweetness, and the chocolate chip gives you that decadence you crave. Top it off with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and you’ve got a bar that balances sweet, salty, and buttery bliss in every bite.
Brown Butter Malted Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients – flour, leavening agents, salt
- Vanilla Bean Paste (can use vanilla extract)
- Dairy – brown-ish butter and eggs
- Chocolate: chips and chunks
How to make Brown Butter
Making brown butter is easy, but you must stay near the stove and stir it while it melts and renders.
- Place the butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, do not stop stirring (gently).
- Once it’s fully melted, it will start to foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring. In about 6-8 minutes, you’ll see the butter begin to turn golden brown. The foam should subside a bit, and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan should be toasty brown.
- It’ll smell nutty and super buttery. Immediately remove it from the pan and pour it into a heatproof bowl. Allow to cool completely.
Browned Butter Intensity
For this recipe, I only browned mine for about 5 minutes as I didn’t want it thoroughly browned (I made mine more blonde). I kept it this way because malted milk powder already has a caramel undertone. I didn’t want the bars to have too much caramel flavor (which actual browned butter would give it). By making my more brownish, I could keep the flavors perfectly balanced.
Let’s make Brown Butter Malted Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookie Bars
TKW Family Love
I couldn’t believe that an incredible cookie could possibly be improved until I added malted milk powder. Wow!
- Whisk together the flour, Hoosier Hill Malted Milk Powder, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside. Add the eggs and sugars to another larger bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the browned butter and vanilla bean paste, whisking to combine.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and, switching to a sturdy spatula, mix the dry ingredients with the wet until barely combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (no streaks of flour remain).
- Mix the chocolate chips and chunks; remove 1/2 cup and set that aside. To the dough, pour the toffee bits and the remaining chocolates into the bowl (2 1/2 cups). Mix to combine.
- Add the dough to the prepared 9×13″ rectangular baking pan, spreading it to an even thickness. Take the remaining chocolates and sprinkle them on top of the dough and sprinkle on the sea salt flakes (about 2-3 small pinches).
- Bake until the tops are golden brown; the center looks set but not fully cooked. Do not overbake, as the bars will continue to bake in the pan while cooling on the counter. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 1 hour or until thoroughly cooled.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Malt Toffee Cookie Bars
The smell coming from my kitchen as these were baking was truly intoxicating! It was warm, comforting, nutty, and caramel-y. It was all I could do to wait to cut it.
I forced myself to do laundry, fold clothes, and even rearrange my closet so I wasn’t tempted to dig into these. The funny thing is I’m not a huge sweet eater, but there was something about the smell alone that made me NEED THIS in my belly!
How to cut Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Malt Toffee Cookie Bars
I found it easiest to lift the bars out of the pan (by grabbing the parchment paper) and then putting it down on a large cutting board.
Using a long, sharp knife, I cut it into three columns by eight rows, giving 24 even-ish cuts. Sorry, but I can’t cut them straight, and honestly, these are for family friends – they are cool if one is slightly larger than the other.
How to Make Clean Cuts for Desserts
I’ve been using this simple method for decades, whether it’s brownies, pies, cakes, or cookie bars.
- Using a long, sharp, thin-blade kitchen knife, stick it in a large bowl of hot water for a few minutes.
- Remove it and then wipe it dry. Make one cut (either one row or column). Stick it back in hot water, remove it, whip it clean/dry, and repeat.
- This ensures you’re not dragging the chocolate or other items across the baked goods.
Browned Butter Malted Chocolate Chip Toffee Bar Recipe Tips
There are a few things that you can do to set yourself up for success with this recipe:
- Room Temperature Eggs: The eggs will mix more evenly (better emulsification), create more volume, and ultimately lead to an even texture in the finished product
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk them together to ensure that there are no lumps
- Baking: Do not overbake, as the bars will continue to bake in the pan while cooling on the counter.
- Cool Completely: allow the bars to cool in the pan for at least 1 hour or until thoroughly cooled
For more bar cookie tips, check out this blog post!
How to Store Toffee Malted Chocolate Chip Bars
These are best kept in an air-tight container. You can also store them in the fridge or freezer.
If you want something extra amazing, turn these bars into mini ice cream sandwiches! Mix two equal-size bars, spread your favorite ice cream, and sandwich the bars together! Naturally, keep them wrapped in a container in the freezer.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
I love this section so much that I encourage you to make my recipes and add your own flair.
To be completely honest, I wouldn’t change a single thing with this recipe. It’s, well, perfect as-is. But I know some will ask, “But Lori, what about..?“ so here are some suggestions to try:
- Nuts: toasted pecans or walnuts would add a great textural element
- Chocolate Chips: you want to go with high-quality chocolate here, like the Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips. You can mix up the type of chocolate (milk, semi-sweet, or even 72% dark chocolate).
- Chocolate Chunks: I buy the 5-pound bars at my supply store and chop those up. You can buy one at, say, Trader Joe’s or buy the bagged chunks. Just be sure it’s really good chocolate, like Guittard.
- Toffee Bits: You can buy the bagged stuff or get a few toffee bars, smash them up and use those
Looking For More TKW Family Favorite Recipes?
These three recipes are such a favorite of yours (and mine!) Check them out and see why thousands globally have fallen in love with these recipes!
Brown Butter Malted Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars Recipe
These bars are a decadent blend of nutty brown butter, sweet toffee, malt powder, and chocolate chips, all tied together with a delicate finishing touch of sea salt flakes and additional chocolate chunks.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 bars
- Category: baking with malted milk, browne butter chocolate chip bars, cookie bars, malted milk powder, malted milk toffee chip bars, sweet treats, toffee bars
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: baking with malted milk, browne butter chocolate chip bars, cookie bars, malted milk powder, malted milk toffee chip bars, sweet treats, toffee bars
Ingredients
- 2 Xl eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted browned butter, cooled
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Hoosier Hill Malted Milk Powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup toffee bits
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips *measure with your heart
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks *measure with your heart
- Sea Salt Flakes for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a 9×13″ rectangular baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1” overhang.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, Hoosier Hill Malted Milk Powder, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside to add the eggs and sugars to another larger bowl. Whisk to combine. Add in the browned butter and vanilla bean paste, whisking to combine.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and, switching to a sturdy spatula, mix the dry ingredients with the wet until barely combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (no streaks of flour remain).
- Mix the chocolate chips and chunks; remove 1/2 cup and set that aside. To the dough, pour the toffee bits and the remaining chocolates into the bowl (2 1/2 cups). Mix to combine.
- Add the dough to the prepared pan, spreading it to an even thickness. Take the remaining chocolates and sprinkle them on top of the dough and sprinkle on the sea salt flakes (about 2-3 small pinches).
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown; the center looks set but not fully cooked. Do not overbake, as the bars will continue to bake in the pan while cooling on the counter. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 1 hour or until thoroughly cooled.
- Slice and enjoy! Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container.
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