Something Sweet to Start Your Week

Weekends fly by at warp speed these days, but then again, what doesn't?!  Now we're headed into a new week and starting off the month with a delicious dessert you don't want to pass up!

On Fridays we usually wear blue for school spirit, but last Friday we were decked out in our orange to support a friend whose son underwent limb salvage surgery.  We've been talking about MacKale and praying for him every night since he was diagnosed with cancer.  My boys are always asking about him and have so many questions about everything.  Their prayers were so heartfelt the night before his surgery.  As soon as I picked them up from school on Friday, they both asked, "Is MacKale out of surgery yet?  Is he okay?"  My oldest is very empathetic and sensitive and when I told him MacKale was finally out of surgery and everything went well, his eyes welled up with tears and he whispered and excited "YES!" as he fist pumped the air.  Although the boys have never met MacKale, they pray for him like he's family.  We'd love for you to keep this sweet family in your prayers....you can keep up with MacKale's journey here:  MacKale's Journey

This sweet one participated in his first UIL competition.  He was SO excited to be on the creative writing team.  He woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and couldn't wait to get on the bus and spend the day with his friends.  He was beaming with pride when he placed!  Bless!! SO proud of him!

The rest of our weekend was pretty low-key.  I flew to OKC yesterday for a two-day Kindergarten conference and I'm so excited to spend today and tomorrow talking shop!  

I'm heading to Dallas this weekend to spend time with some of my best friends, so no meal planning just yet.  I'll be winging it...pretty much like everything else in life right now, hahaha.

Dallas here I come!!!

Let's start the month of love with something I adore...DESSERT!!!!  Here's a little something sweet that's easy to make, but tastes like you slaved over it for hours.  If you're a fan of chocolate and toffee, here's your fix!!!

CHOCOLATE TOFFEE BARS

via Sugar Apron

1 & 1/2 sticks of salted butter, softened

3/4 C. light brown sugar

1 & 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

2 TBSP. butter

1 (16 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips

1-2 C. toffee bits

Preheat your oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, and flour.  This will make your crust, so expect your dough to be a bit crumbly in appearance.  Transfer the dough to the greased 9x13 pan and press evenly to the bottom of the pan.

Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden and then remove from oven.  Make sure to keep the oven on because you'll need it again!

In a small saucepan, heat the sweetened condensed milk and the 2 tablespoons of butter on med/low heat for about 5-10 minutes...just long enough to thicken up the mixture.  Pour that on top of the cooled crust and spread evenly over the top.   Return to the oven for an additional 12-15 minutes (or until it is lightly golden).

Remove from oven and evenly spread chocolate chips on top.  Then go ahead and return back to the oven for about 2-3 minutes.  This will soften up the chocolate chips and make them spreadable.

Remove from oven, spread the chocolate chips, and top with toffee bits...as much or little as you prefer.  Of course, we preferred a ton!  

Cool to room temperature and cut into bars.  

I made a batch of these on Friday, cut them into bars, saved a few for our family, and gifted the rest to our new neighbors :)

These are absolutely decadent!!!  Depending on how big/small you cut them, you can get about 12-18 bars out of one batch.  Great for parties, potlucks, or even welcoming people to the neighborhood.  You're sure to be the favorite neighbor with this kind of treat ;)