Monday, December 16, 2013

Toffee Butter Cookies

This simple cookie doesn't look like much, but oh baby, does it taste wonderful.  It's kind of like those potato chips, you can't eat just one, same deal.  You pick one up, they're deceptive, you think, this isn't going to be much, just something to munch on until the good stuff gets here.  Bite.  Chew.  Close eyes. Heaven.  The caramelized toffee hits you and it tastes so much bigger than you could ever have imagined!  Quickly snatch another one, maybe two more, hoping people aren't watching you make a pig out of yourself.

I originally came across this recipe in America's Test Kitchen's annual Cookie magazine.  I have saved it for many, many years.  It is a go-to recipe for me, because it's easy and so, so good.  I have adapted it a bit to fit my tastes.  This cookie does require chill time, so be aware.  You can't just whip up a batch completely spur of the moment, you've got to give it a couple of hours to chill.

Toffee Butter Cookies
Adapted from:Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking Magazine, 2008

2 1/3 C.  Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
16 Tbl. Regular, salted butter, softened
1 C. lightly packed brown sugar
1 Egg...fresh, perhaps?
2 tsp Vanilla, homemade if ya got!  I used bourbon vanilla, it was yum!
An entire bag of Heath Toffee Chips.  Either plain toffee or the toffee with chocolate, I like them both...but I do lean towards the toffee with chocolate.  I'm a chocolate kinda gal.

optional ingredients for chocolate drizzle
1 Cup chocolate chips (I use a mix of semi sweet and milk)
A small dollop of vegetable shortening.  Probably a teaspoon or two



Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar until light brown and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.  Add flour combo and mix.  Add the heath chips.  Mix.

Now, take your dough and split it in half.  Throw one half of  it on a large piece of plastic wrap and begin to form it.  You want it to be shaped approximately 2 inches wide and 1 inch thick.  Nice and rectangular.  This can take a bit of doing.  I use the plastic wrap and help mush it and squish it and form it.  I open and close the plastic wrap, making it tighter each time to help the dough squish down to the appropriate size and shape.


Do the same to the other half.

Refrigerate, in the plastic wrap for about 2 hours.  You can also freeze them for about half an hour and they'll be fine.

Using a sharp knife, slice logs into cookies, about 1/4 inch thick.  Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  You can pack them in pretty close as they don't rise much.  Bake for about 11 minutes, until just beginning to brown around the edges.  Let cool completely.  DEVOUR!

Wednesday's post is going to be about how to take them up a notch and add chocolate drizzles.  But, trust me when I say these cookies are perfect just as they are.  Oh, and they are so good for dunking in hot cocoa!

Thanks for reading!

p.s. not to freak you out, but Christmas is in 9 days.  That means 8 more shopping days left...and 8 more days to make Christmas Cookies!!!  Get busy!

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Heather
 

11 comments:

  1. Oh my, I can not wait to try these. Somehow or another they will make my Christmas baking list - no doubt!

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  2. I hand wrote all of this on a recipe card. Thank you . Going to be fun making these with my 15 year old daughter this week. Thank you for sharing this . oxxoxoxo HUGS

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  3. Yum! Looks delicious. I was hooked at the mention of toffee.

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  4. Ohh heather you're killing me yum! There is nothing but more awesome with each cookie

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  5. Yep, I gained another pound!! Pinning this one.

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  6. Baby, you're still speaking my language!!! Not much better than a heath bar, unless it's stuffed into a cookie and drizzled with chocolate!!!!!

    -andi

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  7. Um, toffee with my coffee? Yes, please! After those absolutely fabulous Triple Chocolate Cranberry cookies (that I featured on my Facebook page) I trust you implicitly with all cookie recipes from here until the end of time.
    Hey Heather, I do have one question....I usually use regular table salt when a recipe calls for kosher salt...what are your thoughts about that, do you just use kosher salt because a recipe calls for it? Thanks so much! Di

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  8. The only thing I think I like more than chocolate is toffee. I've been trying to figure out what cookies to make and gosh, I think these are going right on the list. I wouldn't put chocolate drizzle on either, no way jose...(not that there's anything wrong with that)... they're just perfect the way they are. Once again, I like the pre-prep and chill idea (oh how that works for me) Thanks, Heather

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  9. I'm going to try to crank out a quick batch of cookies for my neighbor today. These look awesome! Thanks for freaking me out.

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  10. What a great way to use Heath Bars!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Love ya! XOXOXO

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