Amazing Vegan Coffee Toffee Bars
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Published Dec 15, 2016, Updated Dec 03, 2021
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These amazing vegan coffee toffee bars are like a cookie but in bar form. They’re loaded with almonds and chocolate chips and they have a subtle coffee flavor – perfect for coffee lovers but not strong enough to turn away coffee haters!
I’m sure you can tell, but I have a thing for coffee (I’m actually sipping a cup of bulletproof coffee as I type this). When Olivia was born, Isaac and I splurged and bought ourselves a Jura espresso machine, which has been such a game-changer! We use it literally every day (multiple times a day) and the great thing about it is that you can make everything from regular black coffee to fancy latte drinks. It’s definitely an investment, but 100% worth it in the long run. It’s already saved us money on going out for coffee.
I not only love all types of different coffee drinks, but I’m a huge fan of coffee treats! I’ve made these almond butter espresso cookies, which I love making around the holidays, but these vegan coffee toffee bars are next level! They’re so rich, buttery and delicious. And no one would ever guess they are vegan! They’re definitely not the healthiest baked good I’ve ever posted on EBF, but they’re so darn good I had to share.
This recipe came about after a day of baking with a good friend of my mine, Barbara and her friend, Ashley. Ashley is a baker by profession and invited us both over to her place for a day of baking and movie watching. She taught us how to make these vegan coffee toffee bars and she agreed to let me share the recipe here on EBF as well. Which I’m still very thankful for because it’s pretty amazing!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- all-purpose flour – I haven’t tried this, but if you’re looking to make these bars gluten-free I bet using gluten-free all-purpose flour will work just fine. Comment below and let me know if you try it!
- baking powder – a leavening agent.
- salt – brings all of the flavors together.
- vegan butter – I used Earth Balance buttery spread but your favorite vegan butter should work just fine!
- brown sugar – coconut sugar will also work.
- instant coffee granules or ground espresso
- almond extract – a flavor enhancer. You can use vanilla extra if you don’t have almond!
- dairy-free chocolate chips – I used Enjoy Life minis but if you don’t need them to be dairy free you can use whatever chocolate chips you like.
- sliced almonds – for the perfect crunch.
How to Make Coffee Toffee Bars
Mix dry ingredients – Add flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
Cream butter – Cream butter and sugar using a stand or hand mixer. After well mixed, add in coffee and almond extract.
Mix the dough – Add dry ingredients into the mixer and mix until just blended. Throw in almonds and chocolate chips. If needed, use your hands to toss the dough and press chocolate chips and almonds in.
Bake – Grease a 9X13 pan and pour the batter into the pan. The batter is thick so use a spoon or your hands to spread the batter evenly across the pan and press it down. Bake at 350° for about 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool – Let bars cool for 20-30 minutes, cut and enjoy! I know it’s hard, but make sure to let the bars cool completely because they’re MUCH easier to cut and eat after cooling The chocolate solidifies, the bars harden and the edges get crispy. My definition of perfect!
How to Serve and Store Coffee Toffee Bars
One batch makes 12-16 bars so they’re great for gatherings or parties, although they also make a great snack paired with coffee or hot tea. Store bars in the fridge for up to one week or freezer for up to 3 months.
Bar Recipes to Try
- Magic Cookie Bars
- No Bake Chocolate Coconut Bars
- Banana Oat Powder Bars
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
- PB&J Bars
- Berry Baked Oatmeal Bars
Cookie Recipes to Try
- Almond Butter Espresso Cookies
- Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies (Cut-Out Cookies)
- Dark Chocolate, Pistachio and Cardamom Cookies
- 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Be sure to check out all of my dessert recipes here at EBF!
Amazing Vegan Coffee Toffee Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Earth Balance buttery sticks, softened
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons instant coffee granules or ground espresso
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, I used Enjoy Life minis
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar using a stand mixer, add in coffee and almond extract.
- Add dry ingredients into the mixer and mix until just blended.
- Lastly, add in almonds and chocolate chips. If needed, use your hands to toss the dough and press chocolate chips and almonds in.
- Grease a 9X13 pan and pour the batter into the pan. Batter is thick so use a spoon or your hands to spread batter evenly across pan and press it down.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for 20-30 minutes, cut and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
looks heavenly! yummy!
I didn’t know Enjoy Life made ‘chocolate’ chips! Awesome and the bars look great.
Yes!! They are the best chocolate chips and you can find them at most stores now.
I love the look of these, I’m a sucker for coffee!
Coffee?? Toffee? COOKIES?! You’re speaking my language, friend! 🙂
Thank you Sarah!!
hi, i would imagine that converting this recipe to dairy — using butter instead of the buttery sticks — would be a direct swap. is this correct? thanks.
Yup! Direct swap. Just use 2 sticks of butter. Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
thank you.
I actually made these last night, and they ARE amazing! I also made them with regular (good quality) butter, so un-vegan-fied them, but I used the Enjoy Life mini chips, which I happened to have on hand, and a small packet of caffe mocha instant coffee from Starbucks that someone gave me a while ago but never used. I wanted to make a treat for my kids to bring to school as they are winding down the school year.
Just wanted to note that there is a mistake in the recipe, though. You don’t include the step with mixing wet & dry ingredients, or the step of putting in chips and almond (unless I’ve missed it somehow). Still these came out just fine. Thank you Brittany, Barbara and Ashley for another great recipe!
Hi Carla. Thank you so much for commenting and I’m glad the recipe turned out despite my oversight with the instructions. Not sure how those steps got left out! I hope the kiddos enjoyed the bars.
I’ve always wanted to try Earth Balance…these look so good! 😀 My friend who’s vegan would love these. Passing them along!
Toodles,
Tammy<3
I love the look of these! However, mine did not turn out at all! I quadruple checked the recipe but still- they didn’t resemble your picture even a little bit. It seemed like way too much butter, which doesn’t sound like a bad thing but these were inedible. What could have gone wrong? Help me because I need these in my life! Thanks
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that, Emily. Did you change anything about the recipe? Did you use vegan butter or regular butter? It should have been 1 cup of Earth Balance butter or 2 sticks of regular butter.
Hi again! Thanks for responding. I did attempt them again and realized I only measured ONE up of flour rather than TWO which is a major mistake. I feel so silly. I also reduced the amount of espresso powder because mine seemed extra powerful but over all, the second try is a winner. Thanks!
I’ve just made these for the 1st time, and once I mixed it all together, it’s super dry. I’ve double checked the ingredients, and it’s all correct. It just doesn’t seem to be enough wet ingredients to hold everything together. Help!
Hey Krystal, I’m so sorry to hear that this recipe is turning out to be dry for you. Did you use vegan butter or regular butter? And you used 1 cup or 2 sticks, correct? If you feel like it’s still too dry after mixing, you can always add a little nut milk or regular milk so the mixture isn’t as dry. I hope that helps!
Do you melt the butter also? Can you make with 1 Cup flour in a 8X8 baking pan? Also without almond extract just use vanilla extract. Please advise in a recipe
Thank you,
Suellen
Hi Sullen – You want the butter to be softened, not melted. I would also recommend sticking to the recipe as is. You could possibly cut the recipe in half to make in an 8×8 pan, but you would also need to adjust the baking time as well. Let me know how this recipe turns out for you, enjoy!