Chocolate Toffee Cookies with Toasted Pecans
Posted by Ari on December 31, 2008 in Desserts | 83 Comments
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Chocolate and toffee are irresistible on their own, but if you put them together? Whoo whee! The heavens will open, the angels will sing, and your taste buds will do a happy dance. Trust me. You need to make these cookies.
Toffee is made by boiling molasses or sugar with butter until the temperature reaches the hard crack stage of 302–310°F. The mixture is then poured into a shallow container, sometimes with add-ins like almonds, and allowed to cool into a buttery, sweet confection. When I was a kid and my dad brought home a box of See’s chocolates, I always stole the ones with toffee. Poor Dad – maybe if some Chocolate Toffee Cookies had been around he would have gotten a few of those candies!
Tonight my husband and I are welcoming the New Year with cold glasses of milk, chocolate toffee cookies and a collection of movies to watch. Happy New Year! Here’s to 2009. May all our troubles last as long as our resolutions. 
Don’t forget about the monthly book giveaway! December’s books include one copy each of “Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life,” by Jamie Oliver (donated by Hyperion Books) and “The Weekend Baker: Irresistible Recipes, Simple Techniques, and Stress-Free Strategies for Busy People”, by Abigail Johnson Dodge. Winners’ names will be posted on the giveaway page on January 1st, along with the new giveaway titles. If you’re reading this on January 1st, come see what the new books are!Chocolate-Toffee Cookies with Toasted Pecans
Slightly adapted from this Epicurious.com recipe
Ingredients: Makes about 30 cookies
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound semisweet chocolate chips (bittersweet is ok too)
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cups (packed) brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5 1/2-ounces milk chocolate toffee bits (I used the ones by Hershey)
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread whole pecans on baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, whisking to blend.
In the top of a double boiler set over simmering, not boiling, water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. (I used a large pot of simmering water and a large metal bowl to make my “double boiler.” Fill the pot about 1/4 full, bring to a simmer, then place your metal bowl into the pot – there should be a fair amount of space between the water and the bottom of your bowl and the bowl should form a seal with the pot.) Remove from the heat, but keep chocolate warm over the hot water.
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Chop the pecans.
Add the chocolate to the sugar mixture, then add the vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then the toffee bits and pecans. Cover with saran wrap and chill batter in the refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Spray a tablespoon measure with cooking spray (I used PAM), then drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Periodically spray the tablespoon again to help the batter drop onto baking sheets easily.
Bake cookies at 350 degrees F, until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets. These cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Other Posts You Might Like:- Outrageous Chocolate Cookies
- Anita’s Molasses Spice Cookies
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pumpkin Currant Cookies
- Chocolate Chipotle Brownies
- Irresistible Traveler’s Chocolate Muffins
- Classic Drinking Chocolate + The Essence of Chocolate
- Chocolate-Flecked Multigrain Muffins
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I want those cookies! And I used to go to See’s all the time as a kid…
Happy New Year!
My new year wish for you…
May your breads and cookies always bake evenly and your pasta dishes fill your home with heavenly aromas.
These cookies look so appetizing. I can just imagine biting into one and tasting the toffee and pecans. Nice combination.
RuthL – Happy New Year! And thank you for the awesome new year’s wish. Right back at ya babe.
Those cookies are the PERFECT way to ring in the new year – hope it’s a fabulous one for you, Ariela!!
That looks heavenly indeed! I’ll add this in my to do list this week! Heeres wishing you and your loved ones a Happy and Healthy 2009! Cheers!
Holy cow. I can’t even imagine how fabulous those must be. If I was at home I would make them right now. And I know what you mean about those See’s candies. I love the toffee.
Happy new year, Ari! May all your dreams come true in 2009.
Those cookies look amazing! I am so glad I found your blog this year, Can’t wait for 2009.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! These cookies look amazing. I have a major weakness for any and all things toffee. I’d be tempted to whip these up if I weren’t already in a chocolate/sugar coma.
Happy New Year, Ari.
Misfit and Yellow Dog send woofs to Oreo. 
Ooooh, these cookies look mighty delicious! Addictive, I bet!
Happy New Year and best wishes for 2009!
Cheers,
Rosa
I miss See’s candy! I used to eat them all the time when I lived in Tucson.
The combination of flavors in this cookie are just irresistible! Happy New Year!
Just as you said it, I’ll have to push that resolution over just one more day, just until I enjoy some of these wonderful cookies, Yum!
Oh wow! These are so mouthwatering!!!
Happy New Year =)
Looks crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, just how I like my cookies!
Happy New Year1
Those cookies look great!
Oh, my! Those cookies look delicious!
Yes, please! Those look fabulous, and I’m a big fan of both toffee and pecans.
Happy New Year! Those look delicious.
Ariela,
Your photographs are just so amazing! I always love clicking on the Baking and Books email when it comes, wondering what delicious looking item will be there. The texture of these cookies looks so perfect! I wish I didn’t have so many cookies in my house at the moment, or I would make them right now!
Happy New Year!
Wow these cookies look absolutely delicious~
Wow, those are quite chocolatey. So pretty! Hope you had a good New Year!
I wish I’d seen this sooner, I’d haave made them for last night, too! But nothing says I can’t make them today, right? Well, except the lack of toffee chips, but I can get those soon. Delicious looking cookies!
And Happy New Year!
These look fabulous!
Chocolate and Toffee together?? These look like a must-make. Happy New Year!
GAH! Just when I was considering dieting… but hay, its worth cutting back somewhere to enjoy something like THIS! mmmmm…
Your recipe reminds me of another I just found (heard/saw) on NPR radio… you would love it too – may even be useful for you for your blog! You can actually even listen to the article HERE:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98275947
Ohhh and also, you would get a kick out of this article too – it is for the SCIENCE of baking and has some fun things like an electric birthday cake.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97909534
I love your blog!
Happy New Year from Barb in Canada
These look delicious! Happy New Year to you. Thanks so much for your visit!
oh ari–what decadent cookies! happy 2009 indeed!
Those do look amazing! And I know this may sound silly, but I never actually knew what toffee was–thank you for expanding my culinary knowledge (as always)! K x
These look incredible! The picture is making me drool. This is definately next up on my list. Thanks for visiting my site. Happy New Year!
I made these cookies for Christmas and they are wonderful!!
Oh my gosh, those look absolutely delicious. Happy New Year!
I love the looks of these cookies! Thanks for the book! I am so excited I won! Happy new year!
Ari, Happy New Year!!. Excellent cookies!!!
That is so funny. I made cookies similar to these too for new year and we had it with a glass of milk! we didn’t watch movis though….. but anyhow.. happy new year to you and here’s to more lovely creations in 2009!
Oh my godness, they look like a brownie cookie! I’m drooling.
Happy New Year!
Oh cookies! They look so good, I may have to make some cookies right now!
Thanks for stopping by Never Without. Oh those cookies look great. I am certainly going to be a regular reader of your posts. AND I’ll try to enter some giveaways. Happy New Year. xoxo MMW
Happy New Year! I have loved coming to this site and I loook forward to more tasty and interesting posts in 2009!
they look so crackly and gorgeous!
happy 2009!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! The cookies look amazing! Glad to see I’m not the only one who rang in the new year with cookies and movies.
You’re right – I think I DO need to make these cookies!
Well, I recently swore I had to ease off on baking and here I am starring at these cookies on my screen before me. They MUST be made. If the store was open right now I would be on my way to get the ingredients needed. Thanks for sharing and I am so glad to have found your site!
You had me at chocolate and toffee. Definitely a must try! Thanks!
those cookies look fantastic!
Oh wow, those cookies look absolutely marvelous! What a great pairing with a cold glass of milk, sounds like a winner to me
Hope you are having a fantastic 2009!
These cookies sound heavenly!
I made these cookies when they first appeared in Bon Appetit and they were fantastic. Thanks for reminding me that I will have to make them again soon! I also grew up with See’s and every Christmas whenthose Kiosks appear at the mallibring home a box so my kids can experience the joy os See’s. I remember my Mom was crazy about the molasses Chips.
Hi, Ari!!! Thanks a lot for visit my site and left a comment inside. I love your recipes, they´re simple and I´ve been made a couple of these. The results , fantastic!!!
Now, i have another cookie recipe to try.
kisses,
Ana
Ok, these sound absolutely heavenly! Yum, what a combination!
Wow – I’ve gotta say – these look amazing!
-Darius
http://www.everydaycookin.com
Oh, I would have loved to make these for cookie exchange. They look soo good.
These look wonderful! I love chocolate and toffee together… and I’m sure I’d love these!
Wow those cookies look fantastic! Toffee and chocolate are my two favorite things so I’m in love with this recipe:)
Wow these sound and look soo yummy. I’m off to find those toffee bits, and shall make these as soon as I find them. Happy New Year to you and everybody around.
These are my husband’s favorite flavors all combined in a single cookie, I think I’ll have to give them a try! Thanks for sharing!
Happy new year!
I liked your comment about our resolutions
I don’t usually like toffee, but these cookies look absolutely divine. I will have to try them out soon. Happy New Year!
These are perfect for me to take to a dinner party tomorrow night…thanks again!
These look amazing! I’m not that big a toffee fan (and well, shouldn’t eat it until my bad tooth is gone, gone, gone), so I’m wonder how well these would work with caramel pieces. Because caramel is a much better choice with a bad tooth, really!
Yum! Happy New Year!
Best,
Paz
Those look amazing! I love love love toffee and chocolate together!
Happy New Year!
These look great, I’ve made a very similar recipe before. Happy new year!
These look great! I have added it to my favorites list so when I am looking for a cookie it is there!
I haven’t used milk chocolate toffee bits – they sound interesting.
mmmmm cookies. While I’m not a nutty kinda girl (the flavors are fine, but the textures set off some issues), cookies go straight to my heart. And toffee and chocolate, heaven!
New to your site….love it!!
I L-O-V-E love toffee (especially in cookies) but I had no idea it was made with molasses and butter!!! wow!
Great! I was given 2 pounds pecans as a present…
Whishing you all the best for 2009 too!!
I followed this recipe to the letter, but I must have done SOMETHING wrong! They weren’t so much cookies, as they were baking trays covered in a very thin layer of crust! The batter spread so much!!
Any tips on what it may be that i did wrong would be greatly appreciated…
Kirsty – Sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. Let me think…. how long did you chill the batter for? Was it firm enough to shape into balls? When I was making this recipe I noticed that the batter was very loose right after mixing and it was only after chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes that it became firm enough to shape.
Wowee, they look amazing. Happy new year to you, all the best for 2009
Hi Ariela, thanks for the thoughts – i think the batter was just too thin. I left some of the mixture in the fridge overnight and will be having another go when I get home! Perhaps I need to add more flour… I’ll muck around and tell you if I have any luck! (All my other B&B attempts have come out beautifully) x
Kirsty – For sure let me know how things turn out, and please post your results so other people can learn from you too.
This recipe sounds so good! I might try it out with Skor bits. I’ve been hankering for chocolatey cookies lately.
Now that’s how I wish I would have welcomed in the New Year! These look amazing!!
Too bad I am allergic to pecans. I would take one right off the screen to eat! izazbz at yahoo dot com
Just made the cookies with my 18 month old son. The batter was a little stiff for him to spoon out, but he liked how they tasted. By the way, I couldn’t find the toffee chip bite things, so I chopped up 4 SKOR bars. Seemed to work ok… thanks for the terrific recipe! Noah (from the Jewish Eating class)
it looks very yummy~~~ I want to bite it. >w<
Hope I can make it 2.
I’ve tried over the years to find those toffee chips: is it possible there’s a Bay Area embargo? And my neighborhood grocery store doesn’t even sell Heath Bars. So I settled for something called Bits o’ Brickle, which provided the requisite crunch but contributed no chocolate. (However, with a pound of chocolate already in the batter, i thought I could make that sacrifice.) The result yielded a nice combination of crunchy and chewy but was quite a bit too sweet for my taste. I’m wondering whether adding some instant espresso powder to the recipe would balance the flavor.
Nancy – Sorry you couldn’t find the toffee chips! They only began appearing around here recently, I didn’t even know they existed until a few months ago. Have you considered buying them online? I’d love to hear how the espresso powder works about if you try it!
those cookies look fab