These toffee cookies are made with brown butter, dark brown sugar, and homemade toffee - they are incredibly flavorful with soft & fluffy centers and lightly crisp on the edges. No mixer is required for this recipe!
These toffee cookies are addicting! The homemade toffee, plus the brown butter and dark brown sugar is an amazing combination that brings so many yummy flavors to the cookies!
These cookies are kind of like a snickerdoodle, just without the sugar coating. This base recipe was taken from my Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Recipe, so it's full of flavor and super soft textures from the cornstarch & cream of tartar! No mixer is required, so clean-up is minimal!
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Why you'll love these toffee cookies
- The brown butter. Brown butter in any recipe brings boatloads of flavor! You are basically caramelizing the milk solids, leading to a toasted & nutty flavor. Plus, it's so simple to make!
- Homemade toffee. The toffee chunks are made with 3 simple ingredients - butter, brown sugar, and salt! It's easy to make and adds the best crunch/flavor to the cookies.
- No mixer required. I love a recipe that only requires mixing bowls! Clean-up tends to be easier and the steps are quick.
Ingredient notes
- Flour: all purpose flour is the flour of choice here for the best texture.
- Fine sea salt: salt is a flavor enhancer - it is needed in all dessert recipes.
- Leavening agents: baking soda & cream of tartar are used to help the cookies rise & spread.
- Cornstarch: cornstarch is added to the cookies for a tender and soft texture.
- Cinnamon: adds a hint of warmth to the cookies, and the best cinnamon flavor.
- Butter: unsalted butter is preferred for the toffee & cookies, so we can control the exact amount of salt in the recipe.
- Sugar: granulated sugar & dark brown sugar is preferred in these cookies for added flavor and moisture. I like to make the toffee with light brown sugar.
- Egg & egg yolk: these add moisture and richness to the dough, contributing to the soft and chewy texture of the cookies.
- Vanilla extract: good quality vanilla extract is key for great flavor.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients & their quantities.
Step by step instructions
See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient list and recipe instructions.
Make the toffee.
In a small pot, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and salt and whisk vigorously for one minute until combined. Whisking often, bring the mixture to a simmer and let the temperature rise to approximately 300F. Immediately pour the hot mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spreading it gently into an even layer. Let it cool & set. Once hardened, coarsely chop the toffee.
Brown the butter.
Melt the butter completely - it will begin to crack & sizzle. Let it do this while stirring occasionally. Once the butter stops rapidly bubbling, it will begin to foam up in the pan. Gently stir until you can see golden milk solids floating in the butter & the butter is golden brown. Remove from the heat.
Make the cookie dough.
Whisk together the brown butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk until combined. Whisk in the baking soda, cream of tartar, ground cinnamon, salt, & cornstarch. Add the flour and fold until a few pockets of flour remain, then add the toffee and fold until evenly incorporated and the flour is fully mixed in. Cover the bowl tightly and chill in the fridge for at least three hours.
Bake!
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough and form cookies - space the cookies 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are set and centers are puffy.
FAQ
I used this cookie scoop - it's about three tablespoons or 40-50 grams. But you can really make these cookies any size; the baking time will need to be adjusted accordingly.
Yes! The toffee can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use. The dough can be made and left to chill in the fridge for 1-2 days before baking. Any longer than that and the dough should be frozen.
Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to bake. Bake immediately from the freezer; 1-2 minutes may need to be added to the bake time.
Baking in grams
I rely on gram measurements when testing recipes because they offer the highest level of accuracy (and less cleanup!). Unlike volume measurements, which can vary, grams provide a reliable and consistent standard. I carefully test all of my recipes using this kitchen scale, therefore I cannot guarantee the outcome when using volume measurements. However, volume measurements are available in the recipe card.
Other cookie recipes to try
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Toffee Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Homemade Toffee
- 113 grams unsalted butter
- 200 grams light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Cookie
- 184 grams unsalted butter browned to 150 grams
- 100 grams dark brown sugar
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 grams cornstarch
- 250 grams all purpose flour
- homemade toffee
Instructions
Toffee
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small pot, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and salt and whisk vigorously for one minute until combined.113 grams unsalted butter, 200 grams light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Whisking often, bring the mixture to a simmer and let the temperature rise to approximately 300F.
- If the mixture separates at all, remove from the heat and whisk vigorously until combined again.
- Immediately pour the hot mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it gently into an even layer. Let it cool & set.
- Once the toffee is hardened, use your hands to break it apart or coarsely chop with a knife. Set aside until ready to use.
Cookie
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Once completely melted, the butter will crack/sizzle for a few minutes. Let it do this while stirring occasionally.184 grams unsalted butter
- Once the butter stops rapidly bubbling, it will begin to foam up in the pan. Gently stir until you can see golden milk solids floating in the butter & the butter is golden brown.
- Remove from the heat & pour the butter into a different container. Since the butter is so hot in the pan, it will continue cooking. Transferring the butter to another container will stop it from browning further and potentially burning.
- Once the butter is cool enough (it can be warm, not hot), add the dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.100 grams dark brown sugar, 100 grams granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk well until completely combined.1 egg, 1 egg yolk
- Whisk in the baking soda, cream of tartar, ground cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch. Add the flour and fold until a few pockets of flour remain.1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 5 grams cornstarch, 250 grams all purpose flour
- Add the toffee and fold until incorporated & the flour is fully mixed in. Cover the bowl tightly and chill the dough for at least 3 hours.homemade toffee
- Once the three hours is almost up, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough and form cookies - I used a 1.125 oz cookie scoop, approximately 40-50 grams or three tablespoons.
- Space the cookies on the prepared baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are set and centers are puffy.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then enjoy warm or transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Lori
Hello. I made the toffee but it is a lot lighter than yours. How do I make it darker?
Jess Italiano
Hi! Did it harden? My thought is that it probably wasn’t cooked enough.