Yesterday Anna and I promised Oliver some homemade cookies to greet him from his first day of senior kindergarten. I wanted to try something new, and after a very quick look around pinterest I found these cookies from Julia’s Album that she had originally adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. Not being able to leave anything alone though, I decided to tweak them. After all, if you have some toffee bits lying around the house, it would be a crime not to throw them into the cookies.
On that note, you could really add anything to these and it would hold up pretty well. Some dried cherries or cranberries would be good (and festive), some peanut butter chips would be good (and you could even melt those in with the chocolate at the beginning, just swap out equal amounts). The best thing about a cookie like this is the versatility, so go crazy… and make sure to tell me what you’ve added so I can give it a try!
Julia up above goes into a lot of detail about melting the chocolate, and how to make these turn out perfectly every time. I’m a bit more loosey-goosey in the kitchen and just roll with it. If the chocolate is really hot and runny though, your cookies will turn out flatter and slightly more crisp. If you kind of half melt the chocolate, then stir it until the lumps are gone, they’ll be thicker and a bit cakey on the inside, with a crisp crackled crust on the outside. The taste won’t change though, they’ll be delicious either way, so just do what you have time for!
These are really easy to whip up, and the kids couldn’t get enough of them. Oliver had to inspect his lunch this morning before heading back to school to make sure I’d thrown a couple in for a snack. Of course I had!
Double Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate (chips, or chopped squares)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 oz toffee pieces (approx. ½ package)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF with a rack in the middle position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or mats.
- Melt 8oz of chocolate and the butter together in the microwave. Microwave for 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until most of the chocolate has melted. Continue stirring until all lumps are gone.
- In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Place the eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture and beat on medium speed until uniform. Add the flour mixture and beat on low until combined and no lumps remain. Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee pieces.
- Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto your prepared pans, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges and top are crackled and set, but the centers are still slightly soft to the touch. Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to racks to finish cooling.
Notes
These cookies are very versatile. Try mixing in anything you like: dried cherries or cranberries, peanut butter chips, white chocolate, etc.
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com