These chewy Salted Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are a labor of love. They are full of homemade toffee bits, brown butter, and chocolate. The edges are crispy while the center is gooey and chewy.
These chewy salted toffee chocolate chip cookies took lots of testing and trial & error, but I finally landed on a recipe that I absolutely love.
Brown butter toffee cookies are often thinner and crispier. I wanted this recipe to be crispy on the edges but gooey and chewy in the center.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Nutty & notes of caramel – From the homemade toffee, brown butter, and brown sugar, these cookies have a rich toasted flavor.
- Homemade toffee – This really takes these salted toffee cookies to the next level. This recipe was written specifically for homemade toffee so I do not recommend substituting store-bought.
- Brown butter – Browning butter is the process of toasting the milk solids. It gives the butter a much more rich & nutty flavor.
- Milk powder – Milk powder is dried milk. It adds even more milk solids to the butter that will brown, basically creating brown butter on steroids.
- Cornstarch – This makes the cookies thick and chewy.
- Extra brown sugar – This also helps the cookies to not spread as much and stay nice and chewy.
- Extra salt – The dough itself has little extra salt and these cookies are finished with salt flakes which contrasts the sweetness beautifully.
- Freezes great – See the section below about how to freeze cookie dough balls.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter: For the cookie dough, I prefer to use a European-style butter like Kerrygold. It has a richer flavor and a higher percentage of butterfat. With that being said, for the toffee, you MUST use American-style butter. The higher butterfat in the European-style butter makes the toffee oily.
- Chocolate: I like to use a mixture of chopped chocolate, chocolate wafers, and chocolate chips. You can use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. I prefer a combination of semi-sweet and dark. Use good quality brands such as Guittard, Lindt, or Ghirardelli.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Salted Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Quick Overview
- Brown the butter.
- Make the toffee.
- Whisk dry ingredients.
- Whisk wet ingredients.
- Fold dry & wet together.
- Add toffee & chocolate.
- Scoop & chill.
- Bake.
Step by Step Instructions
Be sure to whisk the toffee vigorously and continuously.
Step 1: In a light colored saucepan, melt the butter and milk powder over medium heat, whisking to combine. The mixture will look curdled (this is normal).
Step 2: Continue cooking & whisking the butter mixture for about 5 minutes or until the milk solids begin to sink to the bottom and turn golden brown and the butter looks frothy.
Step 3: Remove the butter from the heat immediately and pour it into a large glass mixing bowl. Set aside to cool.
Step 4: While the butter is cooling, make the toffee. Prepare a small heat resistant plate or tray with parchment paper. Set aside. In a heavy bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and salt. Continue whisking vigorously and cooking the mixture for about 8-10 minutes. Do NOT stop whisking. The butter and sugar will be separated at first but will come together after a couple of minutes. Then, the color of the mixture will become more pale and look gritty. Finally, it will turn a darker color and become smooth, like peanut butter. (See the photos above.)
Before adding the sugars to the butter, make sure it has cooled to room temperature.
Step 5: Remove from the heat immediately and pour onto the prepared plate. Set aside to cool.
Step 6: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Step 7: Check the butter. If it has cooled to room temperature (about 70 degrees), proceed. If it is still warm, pop it in the fridge or freezer until it has reached room temperature. Once it has cooled, whisk the brown and granulated sugar into the butter until well combined.
Step 8: Add the eggs, vanilla, and espresso. Whisk until smooth.
Chill the scooped cookie dough for 2 hours so the cookies have a deeper flavor and do not spread too much.
Step 9: Pour all of the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold until the flour is about halfway combined.
Step 10: Once the toffee is cool enough to handle, transfer it to a quart size zip top bag, breaking it in half if needed to fit. Seal the bag and use a rolling pin or heavy object to smash the toffee into small bits.
Step 11: Add all of the toffee bits and the chocolate to the cookie dough. Continue folding just until all of the flour is absorbed.
Step 12: Using a cookie scoop, scoop all of the cookie dough into either 1.5, 3, or 4 Tablespoon balls. (I used a 4 Tablespoon scoop.) Place on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper that can fit in your refrigerator. Cover and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Step 13: At the end of the 2 hour chill time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (I fit 6 balls at a time on my sheet.)
Step 14: Bake as follows depending on the size of your cookies. For 1.5 Tbs, bake for 10-12 minutes. For 3 Tbs, bake for 11-13 minutes. For 4 Tbs, bake for 13-15 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are brown and the middle is puffy and soft. Do not overbake. If some of the toffee spills out of the cookies, use a butter knife or round cookie cutter to gently push it back and reshape the cookies. Sprinkle each cookie with the sea salt flakes. Cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet or until set. Transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Follow the recipe exactly as written. Baking is a science. Substituting ingredients or not following the instructions carefully will alter the taste and texture of the cookies. I highly recommend reading the whole blog post and recipe notes before beginning.
- Use a kitchen scale. Too much/too little flour, butter, or sugar will dramatically impact the texture and taste of the cookies. Standard measuring cups are not very accurate for baking. I highly recommend ordering a scale for this recipe and using the measurements written in grams. In a pinch if you do not have a scale, be sure to spoon & level the flour. This means to gently use a spoon to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level the top with a knife. Do NOT scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup. This compacts the flour and will cause you to add way too much. This will make the cookies dry and crumbly. It will also prevent them from spreading.
- Whisk the toffee vigorously. This will prevent the toffee from separating. If the sugar and butter do separate. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk vigorously. Another thing that can cause it to separate is abrupt temperature changes. Try to not alter the stove temperature while making the toffee.
- Do not overbake. The cookies will continue cooking as they rest on the hot baking sheet.
- Finish the cookies with salt flakes. Maldon is my favorite brand. You can order these on Amazon. They add a great texture and taste.
Freezing Leftover Cookie Dough
I love to freeze the cookie dough balls because then you basically have fresh warm cookies on demand. Here is how:
- Freeze the dough balls (not touching) on a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper until solid. This is called par-freezing
- Transfer to a freezer zip top bag or airtight container. Label and date the bag.
- Store in the freezer for 3-4 months.
When baking from frozen, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and increase bake time by 2-4 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
It not only adds a great flavor which brings out the sweetness of the cookie, it also adds texture.
Using melted butter, brown sugar, and cornstarch will yield a very chewy cookie.
While melted butter, brown sugar, and cornstarch will create a chewy cookie, more butter and granulated sugar will create a crispy cookie.
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Salted Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (16 Tablespoons or 227 g) unsalted butter*
- 2 1/2 cup (325 g) all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
- 1/4 cup (36 g) nonfat milk powder
- 1 1/4 cup (250 g) brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso
- 8 ounces (227 g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate*
Homemade Toffee
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted American-style butter*
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- Maldon flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- In a light colored saucepan, melt the butter and milk powder over medium heat, whisking to combine. The mixture will look curdled (this is normal).
- Continue cooking & whisking the butter mixture for about 5 minutes or until the milk solids begin to sink to the bottom and turn golden brown and the butter looks frothy.
- Remove the butter from the heat immediately and pour it into a large glass mixing bowl. Set aside to cool.
- While the butter is cooling, make the toffee. Prepare a small heat resistant plate or tray with parchment paper. Set aside. In a heavy bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and salt. Continue whisking vigorously and cooking the mixture for about 8-10 minutes. Do NOT stop whisking. The butter and sugar will be separated at first but will come together after a couple of minutes. Then, the color of the mixture will become more pale and look gritty. Finally, it will turn a darker color and become smooth, like peanut butter. (See the photos above.)
- Remove from the heat immediately and pour onto the prepared plate. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Check the butter. If it has cooled to room temperature (about 70 degrees), proceed. If it is still warm, pop it in the fridge or freezer until it has reached room temperature. Once it has cooled, whisk the brown and granulated sugar into the butter until well combined.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and espresso. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour all of the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold until the flour is about halfway combined.
- Once the toffee is cool enough to handle, transfer it to a quart size zip top bag, breaking it in half if needed to fit. Seal the bag and use a rolling pin or heavy object to smash the toffee into small bits.
- Add all of the toffee bits and the chocolate to the cookie dough. Continue folding just until all of the flour is absorbed.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop all of the cookie dough into either 1.5, 3, or 4 Tablespoon balls. (I used a 4 Tablespoon scoop.) Place on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper that can fit in your refrigerator. Cover and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- At the end of the 2 hour chill time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (I fit 6 balls at a time on my sheet.)
- Bake as follows depending on the size of your cookies. For 1.5 Tbs, bake for 10-12 minutes. For 3 Tbs, bake for 11-13 minutes. For 4 Tbs, bake for 13-15 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are brown and the middle is puffy and soft. Do not overbake. If some of the toffee spills out of the cookies, use a butter knife or round cookie cutter to gently push it back and reshape the cookies. Sprinkle each cookie with the sea salt flakes. Cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet or until set. Transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- Butter: For the cookie dough, I prefer to use a European-style butter like Kerrygold. It has a richer flavor and a higher percentage of butterfat. With that being said, for the toffee, you MUST use American-style butter. The higher butterfat in the European-style butter makes the toffee oily.
- Chocolate: I like to use a mixture of chopped chocolate, chocolate wafers, and chocolate chips. You can use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. I prefer a combination of semi-sweet and dark. Use good quality brands such as Guittard, Lindt, or Ghirardelli.
- Follow the recipe exactly as written. Baking is a science. Substituting ingredients or not following the instructions carefully will alter the taste and texture of the cookies. I highly recommend reading the whole blog post and recipe notes before beginning.
- Use a kitchen scale. Too much/too little flour, butter, or sugar will dramatically impact the texture and taste of the cookies. Standard measuring cups are not very accurate for baking. I highly recommend ordering a scale for this recipe and using the measurements written in grams. In a pinch if you do not have a scale, be sure to spoon & level the flour. This means to gently use a spoon to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level the top with a knife. Do NOT scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup. This compacts the flour and will cause you to add way too much. This will make the cookies dry and crumbly. It will also prevent them from spreading.
- Whisk the toffee vigorously. This will prevent the toffee from separating. If the sugar and butter do separate. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk vigorously. Another thing that can cause it to separate is abrupt temperature changes. Try to not alter the stove temperature while making the toffee.
- Do not overbake. The cookies will continue cooking as they rest on the hot baking sheet.
- Finish the cookies with salt flakes. Maldon is my favorite brand. You can order these on Amazon. They add a great texture and taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I veganized your recipe and it came out so good. Thx for sharing these delish cookies.
I just whipped up a batch of these salted toffee chocolate chip cookies, and wow, they did not disappoint! I loved the crispy edges with the gooey center!
Omg! What a divine combination! I had to try them right away, and the whole family devoured them! Thanks!