Tag Archives: chocolate toffee cookies

Browned Butter Pretzel Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Cookies are a subject I take very seriously. They are my passion. I won’t waste your time by posting meh cookies. I’m really stoked to share this cookie recipe with you. Created by Molly Adams over at thefeedfeed.com, they are an outrageous, over the top indulgence. Make them this week for someone you love.

I’m not gonna lie, these cookies are a bit of work. Start by browning the butter. I promise, it’s worth taking the extra time and and dirtying another pot. If you have never browned butter before, here’s an excellent tutorial to guide you. You could skip this step, but why would you want to? It adds a deep, rich, nutty flavour and everyone will ask why your chocolate chip cookies are so good.

The browned butter needs to chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes, before creaming with brown and white sugar. Eggs and vanilla are added, then flour, baking soda and salt. And then, it gets exciting!

Let’s talk about chocolate. So often, friends have told me, “My cookies never taste as good as yours. I followed the recipe. What went wrong?” 90% of the time, the answer is the kind of chocolate they used. (The other 10% of the time, its the temperature of the butter – too warm). Avoid regular chocolate chips and spring for the good stuff. I have made these with chopped Lindt 70% bittersweet bars, Valrhona 64% bittersweet feves, and this week, I discovered these delicious Belgian bittersweet wafers at Bulk Barn.

Mini pretzel twists work best in this recipe. Chopped pretzels go into the dough and then after scooping the cookies, I topped each one with a whole pretzel.

Let’s chat about the toffee addition. Molly suggests making your own toffee bits to add to the cookies. It’s not a difficult process, if you have a candy thermometer. Using Skor bits is an excellent ready-made option, if homemade is not for you. No judgement! if you decide to make it, here’s a how-to video.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

with milk 1

Usually at this time of year I am the one packaging up and sending cookies out to everyone I love. So this year, it was a wonderful change of pace to be the recipient of some cookies. As a participant in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, which I wrote about a few days ago, I received three packages in the mail, each containing a dozen very delicious cookies.

There is something so exciting about getting a package in the mail. I suspect that little thrill of finding a parcel in my mailbox is the primary  factor contributing to my on-line shopping addiction. By the time the box arrives, I have completely forgotten about it, so it comes as a wonderful surprise. (Lovely, that is, until the credit card comes later in the month reminding me that I bought myself these gifts!)

My bounty from the Cookie Swap included:

  • Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies from Dana of  hot pink apron. In the accompanying note she said,”They’re simple yet painfully addictive – you’ve been warned!” She was right!
  • Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies from Kate of kate’s plate. Deep and dark and deliciously satisfying with my morning latte!
  • Sour Cream Softies Cookies and a beautiful handmade origami ornament from Lisa of  je suis alimentageuse.  The tang of the sour cream kept these cookies from going over the sweet edge.

I am a big believer in sweet generosity! I have always felt that baking for other people is one of the most thoughtful gifts that you can give. Rather than shop for gifts for all the people in my life for whom I am grateful, I decided many years ago to bake. And somehow, over the years my gratitude has grown to include a circle of about 44 people!

While I may get a little bored baking the same treats year after year, certain items in my gift box are mandatory or there may be an uprising. Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark and Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies are sacrosanct.

I decided to add Chocolate Toffee Cookies to the mix this year.  These cookies take chocolate loving to the next level. Deep dark bittersweet chocolate combines with toffee bits to create a chewy cookie with bits of crunchy toffee in the center. A sprinkling of Maldon Sea Salt on top of the cookies adds an incredible textural component as the little salt crystals crunch gently between your teeth and then dissolve on your tongue. After my friend Edward received his box of cookies he sent me the following brief email:

Subject: Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Are you insane? You should be locked away. They are “O.F.S.”……..out f^#*ing standing.

High praise indeed for some pretty yummy cookies!

The toffee in these cookies comes from chopped up Skor bars. Chop up more Skor bars than the recipe calls for since the little bits of chopped up toffee have a mysterious way of disappearing! I wondered where those little bits had gone to and then I discovered them on my hips this week!

skor bar packages

Eggs and brown sugar are mixed well for about 5 minutes.

sugar and eggs

sugar and eggs creamed

Add cooled melted chocolate and butter mixture and then the chopped Skor bars.

adding melted chocolate

adding chopped skor bars

An ice cream scoop works well to portion dough so that all your cookies are exactly the same size and bake evenly.

scooping out dough

Halfway through the baking I like to sprinkle the tops with a bit of Maldon sea salt. The cookies are done when the tops have a beautiful crackly surface. They will still look a bit wet on top but remove them from the oven anyways. If you bake them for too long you will have a dry crumbly cookie instead of a chewy one.

baked

on tray

Click here to print recipe for Chocolate Toffee Cookies.

with pink ribbons 1