Toffee Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
a new take on my most popular recipe
Happy spring wherever you are! It’s finally warming up here (I mean like 50s, this is still Maine…). The birds are chirping, and the seagulls are squawking. Many things globally feel much less cheery than the return of spring so I am thinking a lot about managing this time of chaos, how to refresh and focus on what I can control. What does this look like? Some thoughts:
Put on sunscreen everyday and get a haircut
Email and/or call my elected officials when I see a news article that stresses me out
Do a closet cleanout - post on Poshmark and Depop, give the rest to a local organization
Bake for my friends and family - birthdays, Mother’s Day, “thinking of you” treats
The final bullet point leads me to today’s recipe. My toffee chocolate chip cookies from a few years ago is one of my most popular recipes. This chocolate version is the more decadent and salty sweet version that I’ve made on repeat this spring. These ship well* and are even better the day after they are baked. Trader’s Joes has a great toffee if you want a shortcut to save some time. In the words of Ina, “store-bought is fine”!
*Although, I avoid shipping chocolate in the middle of the summer.
Toffee Double Chocolate Cookies
Yield: ~20 cookies, about 2 ounces each
Ingredients
Salted Toffee (optional)
½ cup (110g) sugar
½ teaspoon (2g) kosher salt
6 tablespoons (82g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Chocolate Cookie Dough
1 cup (145g) ap flour
¾ cup (75g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons (141g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) dark brown sugar
¾ cup (150g) sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
1 ½ cups Trader Joe’s toffee chips OR one batch of Salted Toffee
1 cup (~145g) chocolate chips
Flaky salt, for topping
Instructions
Step 1: Homemade Salted Toffee (skip to Step 2 if using a store-bought version)
Combine your sugar, salt and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and occasionally stir. Meanwhile, line a 9x5 loaf pan with large piece of parchment paper so it hangs over the sides of the pan.*
As the butter and sugar melt and the mixture starts to bubble, stir constantly (I like to use a small whisk but a rubber spatula works too). Once the liquid takes on a warm caramel color, carefully pour into your prepared pan.** Let cool while measuring out the ingredients for the cookie dough.
*Using a loaf pan will give you a slightly thicker toffee since there won’t be as much space for the toffee to spread. Alternatively, you can line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
**This toffee recipe has a lot of butter so don’t worry if the butter is still slightly separated when the toffee color darkens to the warm caramel color. If it is still separated once the toffee turns to the caramel color, remove the saucepan from the heat and continue whisking until the mixture incorporates. Once it comes together, you can pour onto your prepared surface, whether into a loaf pan or a flat baking sheet.
Step 2: Chocolate Cookie Dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
Step 3
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with hand mixers, beat together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
Step 4
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Chop the toffee into pieces and add to the dough. Add the chocolate chips and mix to combine. Chill the dough for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Step 5
Remove from the fridge, and scoop the dough out into balls about the size of a small golf ball, about 2 ounces each. Cover the cookie dough with plastic and chill it for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Step 6
When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place about 8 cookies on a baking sheet at time, with at least about 1-2” between the dough balls. Bake cookies for about 10-12 until the cookies are no longer wet on top and have spread.
Step 7
Once removed from the oven, using a round cookie cutter or the top of a cup, reshape the cookies back into a circle by shuffling in a circular motion around the cookie. Top with flaky salt. Let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 days. Enjoy !
I can’t stop talking about… Q1 book recs. It’s probably no surprise but my big step back from social media has correlated with an increase in reading. While I’ll share a couple of highlights, send your recent favorites my way! I am hoping to read a broader variety of genres this summer.
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors and The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin. In many ways, these books have a lot of similarities: New York City back drop, story of 4 siblings, their complicated lives and relationships, and addiction. Both are fantastic, and I highly recommend.
Beach read season is upon us so, in no particular order, some rom coms I have enjoyed this year: Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine, The Cheat Sheet and Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams, and Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman.
Keep an eye out for a ~bonus~ Portland, Maine food guide. I hope this will be timely content as summer approaches!
