Bookmark the Brownies Recipe Our Test Kitchen Can’t Stop Talking About

The best teachers feel like good friends. They may know more than you do, but they never make fun of you for asking questions. They believe knowledge should be shared, and they want you to achieve as much as you can. When it comes to baking, the most scientific form of cooking, my best teachers have been tenacious, encouraging, and exacting, while still reminding me to have fun. I found all of these qualities and more in the legendary Maida Heatter, my best teacher in all things baking. To my great sadness, I never met Ms. Heatter, who died in 2019 at the age of 102, but my decades of using her recipes and cookbooks as touchstones, reference books, and inspirational texts allow me to consider her a close companion.

Heatter was a completely self-taught baker who launched her culinary career because she wanted to share her exceptional baked goods with the world. Her fearlessness helped take her from owning a coffee shop outside of Miami to authoring several cookbooks and placing her recipes in national publications. She was never afraid of a little self-promotion. After publishing her first cookbook in 1974 at age 58, she carried a purse full of brownies and bar cookies and would hand them out to people; when they asked her for the recipe, she’d point them to her book.

Her hustle might have propelled her into the limelight, but it was her rigorous recipe testing, approachable writing and teaching style, and ability to inspire home bakers that made her a legend. Her recipes always work exactly as written, enabling novice bakers to achieve great results on the first try and emboldening them to bake again. And while her recipes are precise and exacting, they are by no means academic or dry. 

When introducing her recipe for these Chocolate Toffee Bar Brownies in the March 1995 issue of Food & Wine, at a time when counting every calorie was the moral high ground, Heatter opened with the following: “In the immortal words of Mae West, ‘Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.’” She jubilantly layered toffee candy with pecans and chocolate to yield buttery and rich brownies. The sheer deliciousness of this and other desserts forever cemented a place for Heatter in the hearts of all of us who love sweet treats.

Despite her acclaim, Heatter’s spirit always stayed the same. After accruing multiple James Beard Awards for her cookbooks, she was recognized by the foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame in 1998. While accepting her award at the age of 82, she famously flung handfuls of brownies (carefully wrapped, of course) into the adoring crowd. — David McCann

Frequently asked questions

What is toffee made of?

Toffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar with butter. For this recipe, Heatter uses toffee candy bars that contain almonds and an outer layer of milk chocolate. You can find toffee candy bars at most grocery stores.  

How do I add toffee bars to a brownie mix?

You can add toffee bars or other types of candy to a brownie mix by stirring them directly into the batter. In this recipe, you start by chopping toffee bars into smaller pieces, which helps disperse them throughout the batter. Heatter also reserves some chopped toffee bar pieces to sprinkle on top of the brownies for an extra-chewy bite.  

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

This toffee brownies recipe calls for melting the chocolate in the microwave in step 2. Alternatively, you can melt chocolate and butter together on the stovetop in a small heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. (The water should not come in contact with the bottom of the bowl.) Cook, stirring often, until the chocolate and butter are smooth and melted.

Make ahead

Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap individual brownie squares in plastic wrap, and store in a single layer in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.