TOFFEE-CHOCOLATE-ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a 9-by 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing some extra at each end.
• Grease and flour the foil.
• Toast the almond pieces in a frying pan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to color and become fragrant, about 7 minutes.
• Pour them out of the pan and set aside.
• Chop the toffee bars into 1/2-inch pieces (if using snack-size bars, chop them in half).
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the melted butter and brown sugar, breaking up any hard lumps of brown sugar.
• Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract.
• Beat in the flour mixture.
• Combine the toasted almonds, chopped toffee bars and chocolate chips, mixing well, then stir the mixture into the batter, stirring to coat all the mix-ins.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
• Bake about 40 minutes (about 5 minutes longer in an 8-by 8-inch pan), until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• (If the toothpick comes out covered with chocolate, it hit a chocolate chip; try somewhere else.) A toothpick might come out apparently clean after about 30 minutes, but close examination would indicate it's wet.
• Some people might like the bars that way; they're certainly gooey, but they really aren't done.
• Cool at least an hour in the pan, lift out by the edges of the foil, peel away the foil (invert if necessary) and cut into serving pieces.