Symphony Toffee Brownies
When you take a pan of fudgy brownies and fill them with milk chocolate toffee bars, the result is a batch of Symphony Toffee Brownies, one of the tastiest treats you’ll ever taste!!
I was heading to Colorado with 5 girlfriends and got an email asking whether I was bringing any baked goods. These brownies with toffee were already in the oven! We did a good job devouring the batch. Not a crumb came home.
Symphony Toffee Brownies
Are you familiar with Symphony Bars? They are a Hershey product with the milk chocolate ingredients tweaked for a creamier texture. With both a plain and almond toffee version, the latter was used in these rich, fudgy Symphony toffee brownies!
This recipe comes from my friend, Diane Morrissey. She’s an extraordinary cook; check her out on Instagram. When I made these first in 2011, I had just purchased Bake! by Nick Malgieri, the baking guru. When trying to decide which brownie recipe to use for these Toffee Brownies, I went to Nick’s book and quickly decided on his Florida Brownies which are his take on Maida Heatter’s Palm Beach Brownies. They did not disappoint. If they aren’t rich enough for you, try adding a layer of chocolate bars in the middle. They’re definitely sublime.
But Diane’s version is even easier! She uses a box of Ghirardelli’s brownie mix which makes these rich uber chocolaty brownies a breeze to prepare!
Tips for Making These Easy Brownies with Toffee
If you’re not much of a baker or short on time, just grab a box of brownie mix and your friends will think you’re a genius. These brownies with toffee have a delicious, rich, crunchy surprise in every bite!
The eggs, sugar, and vanilla are mixed for up to 10 minutes, so using a stand mixer is the best option if available. Make sure to scrape the bowl a couple of times during the process to make certain all the batter is beaten to the same consistency.
Since the chocolate bar in the center will be gooey when the brownies are done cooking, you cannot use the usual toothpick test to check whether your brownies are done. The 35-minute timing worked well for me in two different ovens.
Like with many fabulous brownie recipes, there is a very thin, crisp layer that shatters a bit when you cut these. Using a serrated knife to score them first will help a bit, but there’s really no way to get a perfect, clean cut with every slice.
PRO-Tip: Line your baking pans with non-stick foil. This ensures the brownies will not stick to the sides of the pan and also helps for easy removal for cutting after they’ve cooled.
More Brownies You’ll Love:
- Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies
- Fudgy Kahlua Brownies
- Simple Fudgy Brownies
- Fudgy Cocoa Brownies
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
- More Chocolate Recipes
This recipe was first shared in April, 2011. Photos and text were updated in 2019.
Symphony Toffee Brownies Recipe
Fudgy brownies with a milk chocolate toffee candy bar filling!
Ingredients
Brownies*:
- 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter
- 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 5 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 2/3 cups flour
Filling:
- 4 6.8 ounce Symphony milk chocolate bars w/ almonds & toffee chips
Instructions
- Line 9 x 13 pan with aluminum foil. Grease foil with cooking spray.
- Prepare brownies as the recipe or box states.
- For these homemade brownies, preheat the oven to 375º. Line 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick foil or use regular foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave, using 30-second increments, stirring frequently so as to not overheat chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside.
- Combine eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl (add a large pinch of salt if using unsalted butter). Using a mixer, beat on high, scraping a few times, till very light and fluffy, for up to 10 minutes.
- Add chocolate and mix in on low, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Sift flour into a bowl and mix till just combined.
- Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the candy bars side by side over the batter, cutting the 4th bar into sections to finish covering the batter. Top with the rest of the brownie batter and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35 minutes (if using a box mix, follow the baking temperature and time on the package). Cool completely, then remove from pan using foil to lift. Cut and serve.
Notes
*Or use 2 box mixes for a 9 x 13 pan like Ghirardelli brand. You may need to add some additional baking time to the time listed on the box.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 brownieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 307Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 35mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 2gSugar: 38gProtein: 5g
39 Comments on “Symphony Toffee Brownies”
The warning signs are flashing but I want to make these anyway. No way I could resist a batch of these sitting on the counter.
If I had come on your trip, you would have needed 2 batches. 🙂
This is EXACTLY what I need for my chocolate craving! The toffee adds that buttery goodness, and the brownies- well, you really can’t go wrong!
Indeed, I’ve never heard of (or even seen) the Symphony bars, but the combo of milk chocolate, toffee, and almonds is divine! Also, there bars look and sound just fantastic; no wonder you didn’t have any leftovers!
The filling is just perfect! I love how you can make these homemade or from boxed brownies!
These were so good and truly irresistible!! I love it!
Having been a fan of symphony bars forever, I am so surprised to find out that these are soooo similar. If not, better. I followed your recipe (and it turned out perfectly), but I love the convenience of being able to use brownie mix if I am short on time.
Thanks for yet another delicious recipe Liz.
These look decadent delicious, Liz! Love that sweet crunch in the middle of a super chocolaty brownie!
This dessert is killer! I love toffee!
I remember these bad boys! I love that middle and these are sheer decadence!
Oh my… They look fabulous:@)
I have never had those brownies…you have me crave some, Liz. They look amazingl
Lizzy these sound delicious! I am getting hungry for brownies after reading this post ;)!Beautiful photos as well :)! Hope you have a fabulous rest of the week!
I just saw this video with Paula Dean and these brownies and I about fell over! They look wonderful!!!!!
Have to keep these away from Adam, he’d devour the whole pan in a heartbeat! Great recipe.
Thanks for all your sweet comments!!! xo
These are serious brownies. I have that book somewhere – I should stop buying magazines and just cook my books. Love toffee – who wouldn’t adore this?
delicious looking brownies
yummy pictures
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing!
I’m absolutely loving that first picture of the brownie bisection! What amazing layers!
So delicious! toffee and chocolate? im sold! congrats on your wins and great way to use that gift card!
NICE NEWS FRIEND,
I have been meaning to come back to this post. You had me at the stack of brownies. Mmmmmmmm
Wow….rich and full of chocolate glory. I need a couple of these to ring in my weekend. 😉
Yum, what a way to make brownies super decadent.
Oh those brownies look so luscious! I can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂
Gosh, these look decadent. Only a few more days and Lent will be over and I can indulge. 🙂
Lizzy – you are killing me with these killer desserts lately. Oh my – I have been in heaven. When am I gonna make all these?!?! But I must!!
oh these look wonderful!! thanks for sharing..i think i need to add them to my baking goal list!!
YUM! It was hubby’s birthday yesterday and we’re celebrating this weekend. Hubby loves chocolate, so I’m bookmarking your brownies!
These sound absolutely divine…. my mouth is watering for some of this rich chocolaty goodness!
I have some of Nick Malgieri’s cookbooks and I love them. What a great use of your gift card. I enjoy making brownies so much and these look fantastic!
I’m so glad you made these with a scratch recipe… something I’d been meaning to do, but never got around to. Oh yeah, FABULOUS photo!!
🙂
ButterYum
Look lovely!! Happy Easter dear! gloria
I cant let my husband see this one… these are his favorite candy bar, he will have me in the kitchen in a heartbeat making these! I guess I will have to surprise him… thanks for posting these cant wait to try them for him!
These look amazing! I am a sucker for anything chocolate and anything toffee. I will be making these very soon. Thanks!
These are unbelievable decadent. Wonderful! -the constant hunger
I love this recipe! They look fabulous Lizzy!
I adore those Symphony toffee chocolate bars. I bet these brownies taste amazing!