Toffee Shortbread Nutella Crumble Bars

I have been thinking about these and how I wanted to make them for far too long.   Well, maybe not, because they are extremely delicious and, had I made them sooner, I would have surely made them differently.  And that would be sad. We all know the Nutella craze and how long it has gone on.  It seems there are unending recipes out there for nutella in just about everything.  I have partaken in this craze, because there is a reason for it.  Nutella is delicious.  It’s that simple.  It has generated copy cat versions from JIF and Hershey’s.  Probably others, but not that I can attest to.  JIF has done pretty well with some of theirs (Mocha Cappuccino flavor is pretty darn good).  Not so much with Hershey. But I wanted to do something a LITTLE different, if possible.  So I’ve thought about it.  And thought about it.  For some time now.  And when I was shopping this weekend, I noticed something different enough to catch my eye.  JIF had a new hazelnut spread flavor on the shelf.  Salted caramel.   Hmmmm…..Salted Caramel Chocolate Hazelnut…..I thought about that for a long microsecond, and threw a jar in the cart. So, now I had to come up with a cookie something, to do justice to it because, when I got home, I opened the jar and just tasted.  OMG, just get me a  spoon and stand back! Anyway, years ago, in my trusty old Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (part of a wedding gift from my Mother-in-Law, bless her departed soul), I made these bar cookies called toffee bars.  They are basically a brown sugar shortbread (with an egg yolk), that are supposed to include chocolate chips and nuts.  They were quite delicious plain, which was how I first made them because, back then, I could never afford chocolate chips and nuts.  I thought of those now, a perfect partner for this new love in my life. That toffee flavor that comes with the marriage of brown sugar and butter…..then that spread in there.  I got this.  You’re Welcome.