Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Buttery Toffee Chunks

These milk chocolate toffee cookies are soft and chewy and a delightful departure from the more common semi-sweet chocolate chip cookie. They are filled to the brim with brown butter, milk chocolate and chunks of buttery homemade toffee. Making your own toffee requires a few extra minutes but is so worthwhile! The cookie dough needs to be chilled so keep that in mind when preparing these. This recipe makes 18 large cookies.

Love toffee? Try Heath Bar Cookies and Slice & Bake Brown Sugar Toffee Shortbread Cookies, too!

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What makes these Milk chocolate Toffee Cookies so special

• These milk chocolate toffee cookies are soft and chewy on the inside with crispy edges
• Typically, chocolate chip cookies use semi-sweet chocolate. The use of milk chocolate and toffee in this cookie makes for a delightful contrast of flavors and textures 
• I choose to chop a milk chocolate baking bar, leaving the chunks in large pieces. Same goes for the toffee pieces. The bigger the better in this cookie. The toffee melts while baking, creating beautiful caramely pools that aren't too sticky or sweet. And those chunks of milk chocolate give these cookies the perfect balance of chocolate and sweetness
• These cookies have brown butter in them, creating another layer of nutty flavor that makes these the best cookies around!

Why make Homemade Toffee

The english toffee bits you find in the store, like in Heath Bars or Heath Bits, tend to be covered in chocolate, which is a good thing normally. But for these milk chocolate toffee cookies, we really want the toffee flavor to come through and take center stage.

When I made my own homemade toffee, I chose to keep the pieces large so they stand out in the finished cookie. And stand out they certainly do!

Homemade toffee is made just like caramel by cooking brown sugar in a small pot on the stovetop. Once the sugar is melted, butter and vanilla are added to make toffee. Cream is also added for caramel.

The difference between toffee and caramel comes down to the length of time they are cooked. Toffee is cooked longer (to hard crack stage or 305ºF) and poured out on a sheet pan where it hardens and becomes brittle.

Caramel is cooked for less time and remains a thick liquid at room temperature instead of hardening like toffee does.

Ingredients needed to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies with toffee

• Brown Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter to make the brown butter so you can control the amount of salt added to the toffee. Different brands of salted butter have varying amounts of salt in them. If you only have salted butter, omit the salt from the cookie dough ingredients. No need to bring the butter to room temperature since it will be melted and browned.
• Granulated sugar
• Egg + egg yolks: this recipe calls for one whole large egg and two egg yolks. Egg yolk adds richness to the cookie dough. Be sure to bring the eggs to room temperature by removing them from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to baking. Room temperature eggs will incorporate more easily and evenly into the other ingredients in the cookie dough
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Milk chocolate: Use milk chocolate baking bars and chop them into chunks, reserving some for adding to the tops of the cookies. Or, use milk chocolate chips or milk chocolate chunks from the baking aisle.
• Toffee Bits: If you prefer to use store-bought toffee, chop up Heath bars or Skor bars, or purchase a bag of Heath toffee bits. Please note, these toffee bits are coated in chocolate unlike the homemade toffee bits.
• Flaky sea salt: this is optional. Use to sprinkle on top of the baked cookies

How to make brown butter toffee cookies

Step 1

Prepare the Toffee

Immediately pour onto the prepared sheet pan and quickly spread into a thin layer. Allow to cool while you prepare the cookies. While the toffee cools, it'll get hard and brittle.

Once cool, break up into small pieces with your hands or by gently banging with a rolling pin or mallet. Be gentle, as the pieces break easily and will fly all over your kitchen if hit too hard. Place pieces in a jar, bowl, or ziplock bag until ready to use. 

Step 2

Brown the butter in a medium skillet set over medium-low heat then pour into a heatproof bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Be sure to scrape all those brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 60 minutes. If you keep the browned butter in the fridge longer than an hour or so, remove it from fridge about 30 minutes before making the cookies to allow it to soften a bit before using.

Step 3

Make the Cookie Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using an electric mixer), add the chilled browned butter and granulated sugar.

Beat on medium speed until well combined and light in color, about 2-3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom. 

Add the egg, egg yolks and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt).

Turn the mixer on low and mix until just combined and no dry spots of flour appear in the batter, about 30-45 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the chopped milk chocolate and toffee pieces. Turn mixer on low and stir just until combined, about 30 seconds.

Step 4

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large cookie scoop (¼ cup or 2 ounce size), scoop the dough and place on the lined baking sheet. You can place them close together since you will be chilling them at this point, not baking them.

Gently press additional chopped milk chocolate and toffee pieces into the tops of each portion of cookie dough. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, giving the dough rest and time to firm up.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a second baking tray with parchment paper.

Step 5

Remove the cookie dough balls from the freezer and place 6 cookies on the second baking tray, spacing at least 2 inches apart, as these cookies will spread a good amount. Place the first baking sheet with the remaining cookie dough balls back in the freezer.

Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, rotating the baking tray halfway through, until golden brown with crisp edges. Baking time may vary oven to oven so keep an eye on them and check for signs of doneness such as the golden brown color and the middle of the cookies no longer look wet.

Remove from the oven and, using a large circular cookie cutter, the rim of a small bowl turned upside down, or a large measuring cup to place around the edges of the cookies, one at time.

Move the cookie cutter or bowl in a circular motion around the edges of the cookie to form it into a circle, as these cookies tend to spread a good amount and lose their shape while baking.

Step 6

Sprinkle with sea salt, if using. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray while you bake the rest of the cookies, repeating the process of baking one tray at a time. Allow the cookies to cool completely before eating or storing.

How to store brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies

• Toffee can be made a few days ahead of time. Store pieces in a tightly sealed mason jar or ziplock bag until ready to use. If pieces stick together, break apart gently by tapping with a butter knife or handle of a spoon
• Once cookies have cooled completely, store in an airtight container for up to 7 days
• Cooled cookies may be frozen for up to 3 months. Place cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for at least an hour. Place frozen cookies in a freezer-safe storage bag and put back in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature or by placing in the microwave and heating at 50% power for 1 minute or until desired temperature has been reached

Tips for Making Milk Chocolate Toffee Cookies

• If you do not feel like going to the trouble of making your own homemade toffee, you may substitute the homemade toffee for toffee bits. Alternately, use chopped Heath Bar or Skor Bar.
• When you're making the homemade toffee, stay right by the stove and keep stirring while the sugar mixture comes to a boil. The sugar can burn really quickly, so don't walk away from it. The whole process takes about 10 minutes total, so its not very long that you'll be standing there! Once the mixture reaches 305ºF, that's the point at which I recommend removing it from the heat, and pour immediately onto a prepared sheet tray. Spread it in an even layer quickly as it begins to harden very quickly
• Even though the cookies get placed in the freezer for 30 minutes before baking, they still spread a good amount. This is because the toffee melts and seeps out. Plus, we want a soft cookie here and to create a soft cookie, we don't add a lot of ingredients that tend to create solid structure. So, I recommend taking a large round cookie cutter or even the lid of a bowl turned upside down, place it around each freshly baked cookie and move your hand in a circular motion to get those cookies back into shape. It's important to do this as soon as the cookies come out of the oven while they're piping hot because that's when they're most malleable

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Buttery Toffee Chunks

I created a version of Milk Chocolate Toffee Cookies filled to the brim with large hunks of good quality milk chocolate and melty pools of homemade toffee. Making your own toffee requires a few extra minutes but is so worthwhile!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Course: All Recipes, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate chip cookies with toffee, homemade toffee, how to make buttery toffee, how to make homemade toffee, toffee chocolate chip cookies

Servings: 18 servings

Calories: 344kcal

Author: Kimberlee Ho

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups toffee bits
• brown butter from 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks room temperature
• 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate baking bars chopped, plus more for tops
• flaky sea salt sprinkling on top, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Prepare the toffee.
  1 ½ cups toffee bits
• Immediately pour onto the prepared sheet pan and quickly spread into a thin layer. Allow to cool while you prepare the cookies.
• Once cool, break up into small pieces with your hands or by gently banging with a rolling pin or mallet. Be gentle, as the pieces break easily and will fly all over your kitchen if hit too hard. Set aside until ready to use in the cookies.
• Brown the butter in a medium skillet set over medium-low heat.
  brown butter
• Pour the contents of the skillet into a heatproof bowl, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a heatproof spatula to get all the browned bits. Cover and place in the fridge for 60 minutes.
• If you keep the browned butter in the fridge longer than an hour or so, remove it from fridge about 30 minutes before making the cookies to allow it to soften a bit before using.

Make the Cookie Dough:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the chilled browned butter and granulated sugar.
  1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• Beat on medium speed until well combined and light in color, about 2-3 minutes.
• Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom. Add the egg, egg yolks and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
  1 large egg, 2 large egg yolks, 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
• Stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Then add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Turn the mixer on low and mix until just combined and no dry spots of flour appear in the batter, about 30-45 seconds.
• Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the chopped milk chocolate and toffee pieces.
  1 cup milk chocolate baking bars, 1 ½ cups toffee bits
• Turn mixer on low and stir just until combined, about 30 seconds.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a ¼ cup (2 ounce) ice cream scoop, scoop the dough and place on the lined baking sheet. You can place them close together.
• Gently press additional chopped milk chocolate and toffee pieces into the tops of each portion of cookie dough.
• Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) and line a second baking tray with parchment paper.
• Remove the cookie dough from the freezer and place 6 cookies on the second baking tray, spacing at least 2 inches apart, as these cookies will spread a good amount.
• Place the first baking sheet back in the freezer. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, rotating the baking tray halfway through.
• Remove from the oven and, using a large cookie cutter or the rim of a small bowl turned upside down, place around the edges of the cookies.
• Move the cookie cutter or bowl in a circular motion around the edges of the cookie to form it into a circle, as these cookies tend to spread a good amount and lose their shape while baking.
• Sprinkle with sea salt, if using.
  flaky sea salt
• Allow the cookies to cool on the tray while you bake the rest of the cookies, repeating the process of baking one tray at a time.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely before eating or storing

Notes

• Once cookies have cooled completely, store in an airtight container for up to 7 days
• Cooled cookies may be frozen for up to 3 months. Place cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for at least an hour. Place frozen cookies in a freezer-safe storage bag and put back in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature or by placing in the microwave and heating at 50% power for 1 minute or until desired temperature has been reached

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.9g | Protein: 3.7g | Fat: 19.1g | Saturated Fat: 11.6g | Cholesterol: 73.8mg | Sodium: 290.6mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 24.6g

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