Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are loaded with flavor and have a soft yet chewy, ooey gooey texture. These were a HUGE hit!
Yield:
25 large cookies
Prep Time:20minutes
Cook:15minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Possibly the most flavorful chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. The combination of the nutty brown butter, the rich sweetness of the dark brown sugar, and the caramel-y toffee is INSANELY good. Texture: These cookies are big, thick, chewy, ooey, and gooey. Seriously perfect. Ease: More involved than your standard chocolate chip cookie recipe. There’s the browning of the butter and letting the dough chill for at least 24 hours. Pros: Fantastic chocolate chip cookies that your family and friends will adore. Cons: A little extra work involved, but I promise it’s completely worthwhile. Would I make this again? Oh yes. Once my freezer stockpile runs out I plan on keeping a steady supply of these cookies coming out of my kitchen.
In fact, my recipe photographer Ashley, who shot all 50 recipes in my cookie cookbook, said this may just be my BEST COOKIE RECIPE yet. People have been known to fight over these cookies.
This Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is kind of a mouthful to say. But when you actually have a mouthful of one of these cookies I think you’re going to love me.
These are one of the most flavorful chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted, and the texture is absolutely perfect. You NEED to try this recipe. If your friends and family are anything like mine, they plead and beg you to make it again and again.
Yes, this recipe is a little extra work. But the best things in life usually are.
You may even want to make a double batch so you have plenty of dough to freeze for when the craving hits. Trust me… it WILL hit!
How to Make Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients you’ll need:
Butter (make sure to use unsalted!)
Dark brown sugar (adds a butterscotch flavor)
Granulated sugar
All-purpose flour and bread flour
Leavening
Salt
Espresso powder (optional)
Eggs
Vanilla
Semisweet chocolate
Toffee bits
How to brown butter:
Use a stainless steel sauté pan for best results. Nonstick prevents the butter from browning completely and prevents you from being able to visually see how browned it’s getting. Same with the dark color of cast iron. Something with a wider surface area, like a sauté pan over a saucepan, encourages more browning more quickly.
Don’t step away from butter that’s browning after it’s melted. It can go from browned to burnt quickly. At the same time, don’t be afraid of letting that color develop. It should become a rich and fragrant amber. Scrape all the brown bits into the mixing bowl – that’s where the flavor lives!
Do I really need to use bread flour?
You don’t absolutely have to use bread flour, but it adds a ton of chewy texture to these cookies that’s worth the extra trip to the store. If you don’t have bread flour, then use a total of 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour in the recipe.
Why is there espresso powder in this recipe?
I really like the way the bitter espresso plays off the sweetness of the toffee and the nuttiness of the browned butter. It’s totally optional, if you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, feel free to simply omit.
I know, it’s annoying. But I promise you it’s SO worth it. Especially for this recipe which uses melted brown butter. You must chill at least until the dough is firm to ensure your cookies won’t spread too much. But the magic of letting your dough ‘marinate’ for up to 72 hours is detailed in this article here.
Can I make smaller cookies?
Yes, though I much prefer the crisp edges, chewy texture, and soft center 3-tablespoon sized (large scoop) cookies. If you want to bake smaller cookies, scoop into 1 1/2 tablespoon sized balls (medium scoop) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Can I freeze this cookie dough?
Yes! After letting the dough marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours, portion it into balls. Place dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove frozen balls of dough to an airtight container and store for up to 6 weeks.Click here for my full guide on how to freeze and bake frozen dough.
In a medium stainless sauté pan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises. Once the crackling becomes quieter, continue to swirl the pan or stir until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Be sure to keep the brown bits at the bottom of the pan as well, they hold so much flavor!
Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the hot butter, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl combine the flours, baking soda, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt.
To the cooled butter mixture, whisk in the eggs, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Gradually stir in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Stir in the chocolate chunks and toffee bits. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours.
Let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Dough may be slightly challenging to scoop.
At this point you can portion the dough, place it on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove frozen balls of dough to an airtight container and store for up to 6 weeks.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies, if desired. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
The easiest recipe I have ever made. Incredible taste. A must try for people with a sweet tooth. I made sure that I let my dough reset in the fridge while I was waiting in between batches in the oven to keep the dough nice and cold. Best results
As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
Over 200 pages with 50+ cookie recipes that'll make you a COOKIE PRO. Discover how to turn your biggest cookie flops into WINS by mastering the sweet science of baking. Even learn how to customize your own recipes! Beautiful, hardcopy, full color, photos of every recipe so you know EXACTLY how your cookies should look. Order now to have the book delivered to your doorstep!
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So delicious! It’s worth it to chill the dough for 24 hours, they came out so good. 10/10 would recommend!
So excited to hear that you love these cookies so much, Peyton!!
Excellent cookies. Homemade toffee is beyond yummy. These are a family favourite.
So happy to hear these are a family favorite, Risa!! 🙂
The easiest recipe I have ever made. Incredible taste. A must try for people with a sweet tooth. I made sure that I let my dough reset in the fridge while I was waiting in between batches in the oven to keep the dough nice and cold. Best results
Yay! So happy these cookies were so delicious, Julissa!