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.
Have I got a cookie recipe for you today!!
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.
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.
Recipe Video
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
browned butter toffee chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookies
This post was originally published in 2014 and updated in 2020 with recipe improvements, more tips, and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
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!)
Hi Tessa!
These cookies look amazing! I love toffee flavor as well as really soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges. I will definitely plan on making these soon. One question, would making these cookies smaller interfere with the overall texture of these cookies? Typically, I haven’t had an issue with this as long as I decrease the baking time, but just wanted to be sure since that texture looks like one of the best parts about these cookies! I also appreciate your detailed instructions on how to brown the butter, including the cooling time! Other recipes I’ve noticed just say to brown the butter and that’s it.
Also, I love your chocolate chip cookie guide! I’ve always wanted to do that but never had enough people to consume all those cookies! Your results are really interesting though and helpful!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
I wanted to know if I can substitute all-purpose flour in place of bread flour.
I realize, from your Ultimate Guide to CCC, that bread flour makes cookies thick and chewy, but would the cookies still be near perfect if I use only all-purpose flour?
Hi,
We don’t get toffee bits around here, but we do get regular chocolate bars with toffee bits inside, so I was wondering if I could chop up these bars to resemble chocolate chips and use them in place of the toffee bits and chocolate chips.
I made these cookies over the weekend and the flavor was outstanding! The only thing was that they baked up completely flat. I chilled them the 24 hours and even popped a batch into the freezer on the cookie sheet right before baking, the way I do with my sugar cookies. Same results. I really want them to look like YOUR cookies pictured above. These really are the best in flavor. So I’m wondering…. Could I put the browned butter in the fridge until it got hard again? I’ve never tried to solidify browned butter. What do you think?
I used a doughmakers sheet (regular large sheet with no sides and it is NOT non-stick). No grease at all and I used parchment paper for most batches and my silpat for one batch (those were too dark on the bottom).
Do you prefer these or your ultimate chocolate chip cookies? Why? I have tried the ultimate chocolate chip cookies and they were excellent. I am just wondering if I should try these cookies or stick with the ultimate chocolate chip cookies.
I like these cookies when I want to switch things up a bit – they are more flavorful than the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. Try them out – you’ll like them!!
I’m getting ready to make these right now, but as I read through the directions I’m just a little confused. The directions state that at this point you can freeze the balls, then it continues with the directions to let them sit for 15 minutes at room temperature before baking. Is this applying to the freshly made dough or the frozen or both?
Do you have to form the individual cookie balls before freezing? I have a small freezer and would prefer to freeze the whole plastic wrapped dough together as it takes up less space than a large plastic container. Then thaw and shape for later use. Will this change the texture and final bake result?
These taste really really good!
The only hard part is letting them sit in the fridge for a day.
So I made 5 and ate them all in about 20 seconds, then put the rest of the dough in the fridge.
Delicious. I just made these (but only had all purpose flour), the chai tea sugar cookies, and your oatmeal cookie (I love raisins so used that instead of chocolate). Every single recipe turned out beautifully. Thank you for posting these recipes.
This is my first time visiting your site, and I love it! I have a question for you though, do you have any chocolate chip cookie recipes that can help me use up my bag of Rolos?
Need oC the F word disappeared in the 70’s which was last century. Sticks and cups I can live with.
Celsius or Centigrade is modern please use alongside the vintage F word.
Thanks.
when browning butter, do u use those brown bits that are formed during cooking? I have always strained those out but that does loose a lot of butter. Please help me on this. BTW, you are causing me to loose a lot of time during the day cause all I want to do is read everything you write, often more than once, and I’m not getting the laundry, dusting, and vacuuming done! lol. jk. Then the rest of the day, I’m baking according to your tips and recipes! And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Made the cookie dough during the week to bring up to Lake Tahoe for a snow trip this weekend and everyone loved it! Amazing flavor and warmed us up with a glass of milk! Not to mention the whole house smelled heavenly! I used a mix of semisweet and milk chocolate chips, perfect combination!
This is one perfect cookie. I’ve chilled the dough for about 4 hours and still they turned out amazing. Rich flavour, caramel aroma, wonderful texture. I’ll definitely keep a supply of them in my freezer.
Just made my third batch of these! Everyone that has tried these cookies RAVES about how delicious they are. Thanks for the tips and tricks your provide throughout the recipe. It was clearly written and easy to follow.
Hi! I started a chocolate cake, but my butter was too cold (cold kitchen). It wouldn’t fluff even after I added eggs & brown sugar. So I adapted recipe and made these cookies. I browned the second stick of butter, added a scant tablespoon of espresso powder. There was 1/2 cup extra brown sugar already in the mix so my final cookie sample (I couldn’t wait 24 hour!) was extra crispy. Also added a pecan half on top. Oh! So good!! I plan to bake off rest today & will shave off 2 minutes cooking time for another trial run to keep more moisture in the middle. I have some grandchildren coming to judge. Sure to be fun!
Let me tell you….MAKE THEM!! This recipe is perfect. Sooooo full of intense toffee flavors. You simply can’t go wrong. They are in my opinion the best CCC EVER
I’ve made this recipe every Christmas for the last few years. I add a sprinkle of French sea salt on top to finish them off, and they’re perfect. Whenever I make these, I get rave reviews. Refrigerating the dough overnight is a must. The bread flour and browned butter make a huge difference. I’ve made versions with milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and have come to prefer the semi-sweet. They are just the most flavorful chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. I’ve tried similar recipes that had no overnight chill or fewer ingredients and always come back to this one.
Are you supposed to use BOTH all purpose flour AND bread flour per the recipe ? I wasn’t sure if that was to show that there is an option or that you are supposed to use both types – Thanks.
You are supposed to use both types – you need a total of 2.5 cups of flour (as per Tessa’s note, if you don’t have bread flour, you can use 2.5 cups of all-purpose flour). The New York Times chocolate chip cookie uses the same combination of flours (possibly other cookie recipes do as well).
A total of 2.5 cups of flour. For you Canadians out there, use just all-purpose. The all-purpose flour here has a higher protein percentage, the same as bread flour, which is what gives it the chewy texture.
Happy baking!
Hello !
When you talk about bread flour, is it the one with more gluten ?
Not leaving in the US so just want to be sure I’m looking for the right ingredient…
Thank you !
Hi Armelle! Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. You can also use just 2 cups of all-purpose flour for this recipe. Hope that helps!
These cookies are fantastic! I made them half the size because I’m giving them out for Christmas. At 1.5 tbsp in size, 12 minutes in the oven was perfect. I will definitely make these again, whether full or half sized. 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe!
The toffee should still work in this recipe! The toffee should be crunchy with a slight candy chew, so it’s okay if it’s slightly stretchy. Enjoy your cookies!
This cookies are a lot of work,BUT totally worth it, they are so adicting with an ice latte <3_<3
just had one problem with the cookies burning on the outside and raw on the center, any tips?
Have not made these Cookies yet as I’m not sure they will be thick enough as I’m trying to get to. If the Butter is melted down and then let turn a dark brown I’m thinking that the air won’t get trapped around the sugar as the sugar is incorporated. If this is the case will these Cookies be thick with a bit of chew in the middle or more flat like a biscuit? Could anyone suggest the end results?
Hi! Instead of chopped semisweet chocolate could you sub 10oz of semisweet chocolate chips or do a combo of chocolate chips and the guittard semisweet wafers? Would the amount change if I used this instead?
Hands down the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever made!!!!
I used extra dark chocolate wafers, broken into pieces, from Bulk Barn and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
I am going to make a large batch to freeze once I have scooped the dough into balls and will try your toffee recipe.
I learned that if I bake them a little too long they become a little too flat but they still taste amazing! Love browned butter.
Thanks so much, Tessa for keeping us happy and positive. 🙂
I truly wished there was a rating higher than 5 star. I found everything I ever wanted in a cookie in this Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chips cookie. Crispy edges, chewy and gooey in the middle, not overly sweet and the marriage of flavors was mind blowing, this recipe just won my heart over my former best, your giant chocolate chips cookie recipe. Thanks for all you do. The frozen cookie dough keeps calling me.❤
THE BEST COOKIES YOU’LL EVER TASTE! The recipe is perfect. It’s super easy to follow and no mixer required. The homemade toffee bits are super delicious and well worth the extra time. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. I went ahead and “marinated” my cookie dough for 48 hours and they turned out nothing less than phenomenal. I chilled the extra batch in the freezer. If you love chocolate chip and toffee, look no further! I totally recommend you make these cookies because you will not be disappointed. Thank you Tessa for an outstanding recipe! <3
I’ve been trying to find the right words to say about these cookies. Let me just say, I’ve tried a lot of cookie recipes over the years and usually felt pretty good about them. These cookies are not only delicious and gorgeous, but they also boosted my confidence in my baking skills. I don’t know if it’s Tessa and how she writes her recipes, or if it’s pulling off the browned butter. But wow. I’ve been walking on clouds ever since I made these.
Number one thing: trust Tessa’s tips! She will not steer you wrong and your cookies will be flawless.
THE BEST COOKIE RECIPE YOU’LL FIND OUT THERE!
This recipe is simple as can be and takes less than an hour to make! I made Tessa’s homemade toffee as well and that added a WHOLE OTHER DIMENSION. The espresso is optional but I 10/10 recommend adding it. And the browned butter
Definitely recommend making this at least once because once you make it there’s no going back!
This recipe was amazing. I made it exactly as the directions state and I was floored at how great these turned out. I did however use parchment paper over a cookie sheet I currently own and had no issues. My biggest take away that I will forever utilize when baking now is to remove the cookies from the oven when they still look slightly under done and right as they begin to brown around the edges just a bit (literally the smallest amount of brown). And they will be perfectly soft even a day after baking. These were a hit ! This was my first recipe from Tessa & I am forever a fan. Thank you !
Amazing & well explained Recipe. Hats off to the amalgamation of toffee, brown butter & chocolate. I tried this recipe at home, and results were so so delicious cookies 🙂
Thank you so much for putting in much efforts 🙂
I have this dough in my refrigerator right now (but all AP, no bread flour) and am just DYING to bake. I made this dough late yesterday afternoon, and am just not sure how long I can wait! What is the quality difference between 24 and 48 hours of chilling, in anyone’s opinion? Bonus points if you can answer having used all AP flour!
Cookies that have chilled for 24 hours will be absolutely thick, flavorful and delicious! If they have been chilling for 24 hours, I’d say go ahead and bake them up 🙂 Enjoy!
Hands down the best cookie I have ever made and tasted… And my husband agrees! Adding bread flour is a total game changer as far as consistency. It makes the perfect blend of chewy and tender! The flake sea salt gives it that extra punch to surprise and delight. I would give this cookie recipe 10 stars if I could! I “cheated” and used Heath bar bits and semisweet chocolate chips. Next time will be making my own toffee 🙂
So delicious. We have made them twice in three days. The homemade toffee is easy to make- no candy thermometer needed! We could not find sea Salt flakes to finish them off. Still A M A Z I N G!!!
Followed the directions exactly and weighed all of my ingredients. They came out SO flat. Too much butter and not enough flour I’m guessing? The browned butter flavour is nice but they were VERY sweet with the toffee. Sad they didn’t turn out.
I finished the first step of browning the butter and adding the brown and granulated white sugars. When it cooled to room temperature, some of the butter separated. Should I try to mix it back into the sugars? or scoop it out and discard it because this means there was a bit too much butter (which may affect the quality of the cookie).
So delicious! It’s the perfect balance of salty to sweet and Tessa’s homemade toffee recipe is unbeatable in these cookies. The espresso powder blends so nicely with the flavours.
Uh oh….I made these cookies with the “assistance” of my 2-year old and 5-year old grandkids. I had all the ingredients perfectly laid out on my counter ahead of time, even the cooled perfectly browned butter. Well…I got distracted by the grandkids and forgot to put the sugars into the browned butter. Had a hard time mixing the batter and couldn’t figure out why. Even tasted the batter and it wasn’t sweet at all, so I looked over and saw that the sugar had been omitted! I added it in and had to use a mixer to blend it all together, but it just never blended well. It was mostly a mess of crumbled dough. I went ahead and baked 8 cookies just to determine if I should throw it all away and start all over. But they were DELICIOUS even though I messed up! Can’t wait to make these again without my “assistants” and get it correct – I’m sure they’ll be even more delicious!!!
I think -and this is huge for me- that this just became my favorite cookie of all time :’)
It took every drop of willpower I had to resist the temptation and refrigerate for 24 hours, but sooo worth it.
I used your from scratch recipe for the toffee candy bark or toffee bits as you call them, to die for!
Thank you so much for the recipe and for your detailed tips and video, I found them very helpful!
I wish I could attach a photo for people to see just how gorgeous it turned out!
First time browning butter and if I can do it, anyone can. These cookies are an explosion of amazing flavor and I can’t wait to make them again. I used milk chocolate Heath covered toffee because that’s what I had so I will definitely be making them with actual toffee next time (maybe homemade toffee). Love this recipe!
While VERY good, they were also very overwhelming. There’s a lot happening so it’s hard to eat even a whole cookie at once. I left out the espresso powder but did add the salt on top. The salt was an amazing addition, I’m happy I left out the espresso. Next time I’d probably chop the chocolate into smaller pieces. I’d asked what she used and never got a response, so I went with the “chunks” and they were just a bit large.
For the toffee: USE A NONSTICK PAN! I failed twice while using a metal pan burning it. The nonstick pan never made it to the bubbling stage but the temp was right. Would make the toffee again too!
These were definitely some of the best chocolate chip cookies I’d ever made. I refrigerated for 48 hours, let sit out for about 1 hour, and then scooped and baked them. I made homemade toffee bits, but it didn’t go as perfect as planned so I actually did half the dough with homemade and half with Heath and both were delicious. Great recipe!
These cookies are absolutely delicious; make no mistake about it. HOWEVER, I baked six cookies after only two hours in the refrigerator, and they turned out perfect. They were also *easier* to scoop. I then left the dough for 48 hours in the refrigerator, as instructed. I took it out for the hour that was suggested, and it was like trying to scoop from a rock. It was absolutely maddening, and I was cursing these cookies. After baking them, they do not taste any different to us with the long wait time. If I had done that from the beginning, I would never make these cookies again. But, I will make them again and chill for only two hours. Again, they are great cookies.
Cookies were good but it was way too much work/took too long. The dough by itself is my favorite. I made your toffee from scratch and that was delicious. Had some leftover so I sprinkled that on top of the cookies after they came out of the oven and that was good since then you could really taste the toffee flavor. Perhaps I chopped up the toffee too small so it didn’t have a strong taste in the cookies? They still were delicious…just seemed to take forever.
Truly awesome!!! Probably the best chocolate cookies ever! I am not a cookie dough eater but this dough was out of control good! I usually change recipes but made this one straight up except I did use regular all purpose flour. I made them smaller and liked that better than the big ones! Have you tried with gluten free flour? If so, which kind?
The best chocolate chip cookies! Follow the recipe as is. The homemade toffee bits are so good and easy to make. I “marinated” my cookie dough for 72 hours which greatly enhanced the flavors.
The toffee and browned butter were so good that I incorporated both in a double dark chocolate cookie. Two ingredients that take everything to the next level!
These cookies are so delicious! I bake lots of cookies but these have become one of my families’ favorites.
I made them in December and used your homemade toffee bits. Then I made them again this weekend with bought toffee bits.
I love the cookies either way but the homemade toffee made the cookies so delicious – and the toffee was so easy!
Thanks for the recipe!
These were amazing. A much more complex taste than regular chocolate chip cookies. I have never used melted butter in a cookie recipe before but I suppose it doesn’t matter when you are chilling the dough for days. I will be making these again.
The best cookie I’ve ever made, and I don’t say that lightly! Perfectly chewy, with a crisp edge – exactly how I love my cookies! The flavors are so rich and delicious. Absolutely will make again!
Hi,
Making these right now because they look so good! Can I ask why the dough needs to be refrigerated for 24 hours? Can you chill for a few hours and then bake? What’s the reasoning?
Thanks so much! Excited to eat them!
Val
Cookie crack! Nice complex layers of flavors. Salty, sweet, tasted the espresso but just barely, was a lovely touch. The toffee bits were another level of flavor. So much going on when I tried to put the second batch in the cookie jar, some broke off and I had to eat it. It’s cookie crack!
Hi! Been doing them and love them! I have a question, you say “1 cup (200 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour” but 1 1/2 should be more grams and you mention less. Is this an error? I was using the “cup” measure but now Im checking the grams and doesn’t make sense I think…
Flour and sugar weigh differently so that’s why the grams will be different amounts. But if you follow the grams in the written recipe your cookies should turn out great 🙂 Enjoy!
I made these and they are absolutely amazing!! Highly recommend them!
Just one question – Mine were extremely puffy and I was wondering if there is any way to make them flatter? This seems to be the opposite problem of what most people are having.
Thank you for this recipe!!
Hi There! Yes I did! However, I did lose some butter in the browning process due to spillage and then eyeballed it while adding more. Do you think that may have been the culprit?
I made a double batch of these cookies, and then the next day had leftover toffee and made another batch just to freeze. They are THAT good. Absolutely amazing. Drooling just thinking about them.
I never comment on recipes, but I just had to tell you how amazing these cookies are! I have tried about a billion choc chip cookie recipes in search of The One, and these are it. The browned butter, the espresso powder, the toffee chips. Who knew!? They are literally perfect in every way
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.
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You had me at browned butter….then you said toffee and chocolate chip cookies and my taste buds fell off my head. These look PERFECT Tess! Pinned!
Haha! Thanks!
Hi Tessa!
These cookies look amazing! I love toffee flavor as well as really soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges. I will definitely plan on making these soon. One question, would making these cookies smaller interfere with the overall texture of these cookies? Typically, I haven’t had an issue with this as long as I decrease the baking time, but just wanted to be sure since that texture looks like one of the best parts about these cookies! I also appreciate your detailed instructions on how to brown the butter, including the cooling time! Other recipes I’ve noticed just say to brown the butter and that’s it.
Also, I love your chocolate chip cookie guide! I’ve always wanted to do that but never had enough people to consume all those cookies! Your results are really interesting though and helpful!
It might change the texture a little but it should be just fine. Thanks!! Glad you like the guide 🙂
Holy cookie wow! Can you just box some up for me? 😉
You are only one state over! 😉
I need about a dozen of these just for me!
I need these cookies in my life…chocolate chip with toffee…wow! Thanks for sharing!
yum! these look divine.. love brown butter cookies.
These look phenomenal, Tessa!
Hi! i was wondering if i could use margarine in place of the butter?! These really do look amazing!
Unfortunately you cannot use margarine – it needs to be butter!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
I wanted to know if I can substitute all-purpose flour in place of bread flour.
I realize, from your Ultimate Guide to CCC, that bread flour makes cookies thick and chewy, but would the cookies still be near perfect if I use only all-purpose flour?
They definitely won’t be as thick and chewy with AP flour but you’ll still get nice cookies.
Hi, these cookies look amazing. I am plannimg to try these soon. Could I substitute the AP flour and bread flour for 100% whole wheat flour?
You could, though I would recommend using white whole wheat flour instead for a more delicate wheat taste and texture.
Hi,
We don’t get toffee bits around here, but we do get regular chocolate bars with toffee bits inside, so I was wondering if I could chop up these bars to resemble chocolate chips and use them in place of the toffee bits and chocolate chips.
You can use whatever kind of chips or chocolate you want!
Wow! These look like cookie perfection!
Thanks so much 🙂
When you use your frozen cookie dough do you let it thaw out first before baking?
I usually just take the dough out then preheat the oven. The colder the dough is the thicker the cookies will be.
I made these cookies over the weekend and the flavor was outstanding! The only thing was that they baked up completely flat. I chilled them the 24 hours and even popped a batch into the freezer on the cookie sheet right before baking, the way I do with my sugar cookies. Same results. I really want them to look like YOUR cookies pictured above. These really are the best in flavor. So I’m wondering…. Could I put the browned butter in the fridge until it got hard again? I’ve never tried to solidify browned butter. What do you think?
What kind of baking sheet did you use? Did you grease the sheet at all?
This happened to me too! Amazing taste but flatter than a pancake! 🙁
Did you follow the recommended chilling time? And were your baking sheets cool and ungreased?
Yup, it could have been that my toffee bits weren’t quite right and melted.
I used a doughmakers sheet (regular large sheet with no sides and it is NOT non-stick). No grease at all and I used parchment paper for most batches and my silpat for one batch (those were too dark on the bottom).
Do you prefer these or your ultimate chocolate chip cookies? Why? I have tried the ultimate chocolate chip cookies and they were excellent. I am just wondering if I should try these cookies or stick with the ultimate chocolate chip cookies.
I like these cookies when I want to switch things up a bit – they are more flavorful than the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. Try them out – you’ll like them!!
Could I freeze this cookie dough and just take out what I need whenever I feel like a cookie?
I’m getting ready to make these right now, but as I read through the directions I’m just a little confused. The directions state that at this point you can freeze the balls, then it continues with the directions to let them sit for 15 minutes at room temperature before baking. Is this applying to the freshly made dough or the frozen or both?
The freshly made dough would already be close to room temperature – that line is meant for frozen dough balls.
Do you have to form the individual cookie balls before freezing? I have a small freezer and would prefer to freeze the whole plastic wrapped dough together as it takes up less space than a large plastic container. Then thaw and shape for later use. Will this change the texture and final bake result?
These taste really really good!
The only hard part is letting them sit in the fridge for a day.
So I made 5 and ate them all in about 20 seconds, then put the rest of the dough in the fridge.
How would sifting the dry ingredients affect the recipe? I know some recipes require that to be done. I hope to make these soon! Thanks!
Hello, I was wondering what I have to do to the recipe if I wanted to add oatmeal into the mix?
To be honest, I wouldn’t even try that. Oatmeal sucks so much moisture that I think you’d be better off just finding an oatmeal cookie recipe. This one might fit the bill: https://handletheheat.com/biscoff-browned-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
To save time, could I scoop the dough into balls and then chill, instead of chilling first and then having to wait an hour before scooping?
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How many inches apart do you place the cookie balls on the baking sheet
How many inches apart do you place the cookie balls on the baking sheet
Where do you find bread flour? All I have seen are “mixes” which is bread flour already mixed with baking soda/powder
Delicious. I just made these (but only had all purpose flour), the chai tea sugar cookies, and your oatmeal cookie (I love raisins so used that instead of chocolate). Every single recipe turned out beautifully. Thank you for posting these recipes.
This is my first time visiting your site, and I love it! I have a question for you though, do you have any chocolate chip cookie recipes that can help me use up my bag of Rolos?
Yes! This is the perfect recipe for you: https://handletheheat.com/butterscotch-browned-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Need oC the F word disappeared in the 70’s which was last century. Sticks and cups I can live with.
Celsius or Centigrade is modern please use alongside the vintage F word.
Thanks.
Hi, can you help me with substitution from dark and white sugar to raw honey only. Thank you.
Hi Lana, unfortunately that won’t work. This recipe is best made as written!
when browning butter, do u use those brown bits that are formed during cooking? I have always strained those out but that does loose a lot of butter. Please help me on this. BTW, you are causing me to loose a lot of time during the day cause all I want to do is read everything you write, often more than once, and I’m not getting the laundry, dusting, and vacuuming done! lol. jk. Then the rest of the day, I’m baking according to your tips and recipes! And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Haha!! Too funny, Patricia. Yes, using everything from the browned butter. Those bits are where all of the wonderful flavor is 🙂
Hi there,
Obsessed with your blog! Do you sift your flour for cookies or do you find that it makes a difference?
Thanks!
Nope, I don’t find it’s worth the hassle!
I was wondering if I could put the fresh made cookie dough in balls and just freeze until i use them or do they have to set in fridge first
Made the cookie dough during the week to bring up to Lake Tahoe for a snow trip this weekend and everyone loved it! Amazing flavor and warmed us up with a glass of milk! Not to mention the whole house smelled heavenly! I used a mix of semisweet and milk chocolate chips, perfect combination!
How wonderful, Sabrina! Thanks for sharing xo
This is one perfect cookie. I’ve chilled the dough for about 4 hours and still they turned out amazing. Rich flavour, caramel aroma, wonderful texture. I’ll definitely keep a supply of them in my freezer.
Can these be made even larger or will they spread too much?
Just made my third batch of these! Everyone that has tried these cookies RAVES about how delicious they are. Thanks for the tips and tricks your provide throughout the recipe. It was clearly written and easy to follow.
Can the recipe be halved?
Hi! I started a chocolate cake, but my butter was too cold (cold kitchen). It wouldn’t fluff even after I added eggs & brown sugar. So I adapted recipe and made these cookies. I browned the second stick of butter, added a scant tablespoon of espresso powder. There was 1/2 cup extra brown sugar already in the mix so my final cookie sample (I couldn’t wait 24 hour!) was extra crispy. Also added a pecan half on top. Oh! So good!! I plan to bake off rest today & will shave off 2 minutes cooking time for another trial run to keep more moisture in the middle. I have some grandchildren coming to judge. Sure to be fun!
I knew the dough was “off” because it was so dry and crumbly. The ratio of flour is too high. The baking powder is also unneeded.
These cookies barely stayed together (and yes, I measured all ingredients precisely and double checked the amounts.
I had to work a good amount of moisture into the rest of the dough to salve the batch.
I’m going to try another recipe for this cookie.
Excellent, decadent, and well worth making!
Let me tell you….MAKE THEM!! This recipe is perfect. Sooooo full of intense toffee flavors. You simply can’t go wrong. They are in my opinion the best CCC EVER
I’ve made this recipe every Christmas for the last few years. I add a sprinkle of French sea salt on top to finish them off, and they’re perfect. Whenever I make these, I get rave reviews. Refrigerating the dough overnight is a must. The bread flour and browned butter make a huge difference. I’ve made versions with milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and have come to prefer the semi-sweet. They are just the most flavorful chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. I’ve tried similar recipes that had no overnight chill or fewer ingredients and always come back to this one.
How long can I keep the cookies at room temperature? I’m thinking of baking and sending it overseas to my family.
Can these cookies be made gluten free?
I think these might be the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made! They baked up perfectly soft and chewy. Cookie perfection!
Yum I just made these. They are not going to last long.
Hi, is it necessary to include bread flour or are there substitutes?
So good, especially hot, but still soft and chewy after they cool. Sea salt on top might be a nice addition.
As she said. Insanely good!
Ive been unable to locate bread flour. Is it ok to use just all purpose flour in this recipe?
Can I fill it with kinder chocolate.
Are you supposed to use BOTH all purpose flour AND bread flour per the recipe ? I wasn’t sure if that was to show that there is an option or that you are supposed to use both types – Thanks.
You are supposed to use both types – you need a total of 2.5 cups of flour (as per Tessa’s note, if you don’t have bread flour, you can use 2.5 cups of all-purpose flour). The New York Times chocolate chip cookie uses the same combination of flours (possibly other cookie recipes do as well).
A total of 2.5 cups of flour. For you Canadians out there, use just all-purpose. The all-purpose flour here has a higher protein percentage, the same as bread flour, which is what gives it the chewy texture.
Happy baking!
These look amazing. And thanks for the toffee bits recipe as they are not available where I live.
One question – do you know the weight of the cookie dough (I prefer to weigh out my dough to ensure that they are evenly sized)?
Hello !
When you talk about bread flour, is it the one with more gluten ?
Not leaving in the US so just want to be sure I’m looking for the right ingredient…
Thank you !
Hi Armelle! Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. You can also use just 2 cups of all-purpose flour for this recipe. Hope that helps!
How do you use the finishing salt? Is it sprinkled after baking or before? If after, how do you get it to stay on?
I sprinkled salt on top of the cookies immediately after taking them out of the oven!
These cookies are fantastic! I made them half the size because I’m giving them out for Christmas. At 1.5 tbsp in size, 12 minutes in the oven was perfect. I will definitely make these again, whether full or half sized. 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe!
So, so happy you enjoyed these cookies!
Just wondering when to put on the finishing salt – before or after baking?
Thanks!
Hi Jenny, sprinkle salt on the cookies immediately after taking them out of the oven! Enjoy your cookies!
I made the toffee and it’s a little more stretchy than hard. Can I still use it for this recipe or do I need to make/buy more toffee?
The toffee should still work in this recipe! The toffee should be crunchy with a slight candy chew, so it’s okay if it’s slightly stretchy. Enjoy your cookies!
This cookies are a lot of work,BUT totally worth it, they are so adicting with an ice latte <3_<3
just had one problem with the cookies burning on the outside and raw on the center, any tips?
Did you bake your cookies on tinfoil or parchment paper?
Have not made these Cookies yet as I’m not sure they will be thick enough as I’m trying to get to. If the Butter is melted down and then let turn a dark brown I’m thinking that the air won’t get trapped around the sugar as the sugar is incorporated. If this is the case will these Cookies be thick with a bit of chew in the middle or more flat like a biscuit? Could anyone suggest the end results?
If you follow the directions exactly including chilling the cookie dough, these cookies should bake up nice and big and thick!
Hi! Instead of chopped semisweet chocolate could you sub 10oz of semisweet chocolate chips or do a combo of chocolate chips and the guittard semisweet wafers? Would the amount change if I used this instead?
Hands down the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever made!!!!
I used extra dark chocolate wafers, broken into pieces, from Bulk Barn and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
I am going to make a large batch to freeze once I have scooped the dough into balls and will try your toffee recipe.
I learned that if I bake them a little too long they become a little too flat but they still taste amazing! Love browned butter.
Thanks so much, Tessa for keeping us happy and positive. 🙂
I’m honored these are the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever made! Hooray! Thanks so much for the kind feedback.
I mean c’mon. These are SCRUMPTIOUS. New fave recipe for sure 🙂
So glad you tried these cookies out!
I truly wished there was a rating higher than 5 star. I found everything I ever wanted in a cookie in this Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chips cookie. Crispy edges, chewy and gooey in the middle, not overly sweet and the marriage of flavors was mind blowing, this recipe just won my heart over my former best, your giant chocolate chips cookie recipe. Thanks for all you do. The frozen cookie dough keeps calling me.❤
You are so kind! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies so much! Hooray!! Smiling so big right now.
THE BEST COOKIES YOU’LL EVER TASTE! The recipe is perfect. It’s super easy to follow and no mixer required. The homemade toffee bits are super delicious and well worth the extra time. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. I went ahead and “marinated” my cookie dough for 48 hours and they turned out nothing less than phenomenal. I chilled the extra batch in the freezer. If you love chocolate chip and toffee, look no further! I totally recommend you make these cookies because you will not be disappointed. Thank you Tessa for an outstanding recipe! <3
So, so happy you loved these cookies! Thanks so much Eliza.
I’ve been trying to find the right words to say about these cookies. Let me just say, I’ve tried a lot of cookie recipes over the years and usually felt pretty good about them. These cookies are not only delicious and gorgeous, but they also boosted my confidence in my baking skills. I don’t know if it’s Tessa and how she writes her recipes, or if it’s pulling off the browned butter. But wow. I’ve been walking on clouds ever since I made these.
Number one thing: trust Tessa’s tips! She will not steer you wrong and your cookies will be flawless.
This is so incredibly kind of you to say, Monica! I am so glad you find all of the tips helpful. SO glad you loved these cookies!
THE BEST COOKIE RECIPE YOU’LL FIND OUT THERE!
This recipe is simple as can be and takes less than an hour to make! I made Tessa’s homemade toffee as well and that added a WHOLE OTHER DIMENSION. The espresso is optional but I 10/10 recommend adding it. And the browned butter
Definitely recommend making this at least once because once you make it there’s no going back!
I’m so happy you loved these cookies so much! Hooray!!
cookies look delicious, question would the recipe be fine with regular light brown sugar?
That should be fine! Enjoy!
This recipe was amazing. I made it exactly as the directions state and I was floored at how great these turned out. I did however use parchment paper over a cookie sheet I currently own and had no issues. My biggest take away that I will forever utilize when baking now is to remove the cookies from the oven when they still look slightly under done and right as they begin to brown around the edges just a bit (literally the smallest amount of brown). And they will be perfectly soft even a day after baking. These were a hit ! This was my first recipe from Tessa & I am forever a fan. Thank you !
I’m so glad you loved these cookies! I can’t wait to see which other recipes you try 🙂
Amazing & well explained Recipe. Hats off to the amalgamation of toffee, brown butter & chocolate. I tried this recipe at home, and results were so so delicious cookies 🙂
Thank you so much for putting in much efforts 🙂
So happy you loved these cookies 🙂 Yay!
Umm… SERIOUSLY OUF OF THIS WORLD!
Worth taking the time to do EVERY STEP!
Yay! Thanks so much, Rebecca 🙂
I have this dough in my refrigerator right now (but all AP, no bread flour) and am just DYING to bake. I made this dough late yesterday afternoon, and am just not sure how long I can wait! What is the quality difference between 24 and 48 hours of chilling, in anyone’s opinion? Bonus points if you can answer having used all AP flour!
Cookies that have chilled for 24 hours will be absolutely thick, flavorful and delicious! If they have been chilling for 24 hours, I’d say go ahead and bake them up 🙂 Enjoy!
Hands down the best cookie I have ever made and tasted… And my husband agrees! Adding bread flour is a total game changer as far as consistency. It makes the perfect blend of chewy and tender! The flake sea salt gives it that extra punch to surprise and delight. I would give this cookie recipe 10 stars if I could! I “cheated” and used Heath bar bits and semisweet chocolate chips. Next time will be making my own toffee 🙂
I’m so happy to hear this, Megan! So glad you and your husband enjoyed these cookies.
I’m very picky about my chocolate chip cookies. These are the best I’ve had in ages! Maybe a tad bit more work but so worth it!
So thrilled you enjoyed these cookies! Yay!
These are so yummy.
Thanks so much, Brooke!
So delicious. We have made them twice in three days. The homemade toffee is easy to make- no candy thermometer needed! We could not find sea Salt flakes to finish them off. Still A M A Z I N G!!!
Followed the directions exactly and weighed all of my ingredients. They came out SO flat. Too much butter and not enough flour I’m guessing? The browned butter flavour is nice but they were VERY sweet with the toffee. Sad they didn’t turn out.
I finished the first step of browning the butter and adding the brown and granulated white sugars. When it cooled to room temperature, some of the butter separated. Should I try to mix it back into the sugars? or scoop it out and discard it because this means there was a bit too much butter (which may affect the quality of the cookie).
Amazing and easy recipe! They came out gooey and delicious:)
So delicious! It’s the perfect balance of salty to sweet and Tessa’s homemade toffee recipe is unbeatable in these cookies. The espresso powder blends so nicely with the flavours.
I made these cookies but they turned out cakey! What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe without a mixer but by hand. Is that why??
I can’t say enough good things about these cookies. They are truly the best cookies I have ever eaten. The homemade toffee bits are a must.
Uh oh….I made these cookies with the “assistance” of my 2-year old and 5-year old grandkids. I had all the ingredients perfectly laid out on my counter ahead of time, even the cooled perfectly browned butter. Well…I got distracted by the grandkids and forgot to put the sugars into the browned butter. Had a hard time mixing the batter and couldn’t figure out why. Even tasted the batter and it wasn’t sweet at all, so I looked over and saw that the sugar had been omitted! I added it in and had to use a mixer to blend it all together, but it just never blended well. It was mostly a mess of crumbled dough. I went ahead and baked 8 cookies just to determine if I should throw it all away and start all over. But they were DELICIOUS even though I messed up! Can’t wait to make these again without my “assistants” and get it correct – I’m sure they’ll be even more delicious!!!
It was SUPER GOOD. Luv the cookies. Now I am a fan of this luvly cookies. Yumzzzzz
I think -and this is huge for me- that this just became my favorite cookie of all time :’)
It took every drop of willpower I had to resist the temptation and refrigerate for 24 hours, but sooo worth it.
I used your from scratch recipe for the toffee candy bark or toffee bits as you call them, to die for!
Thank you so much for the recipe and for your detailed tips and video, I found them very helpful!
I wish I could attach a photo for people to see just how gorgeous it turned out!
First time browning butter and if I can do it, anyone can. These cookies are an explosion of amazing flavor and I can’t wait to make them again. I used milk chocolate Heath covered toffee because that’s what I had so I will definitely be making them with actual toffee next time (maybe homemade toffee). Love this recipe!
While VERY good, they were also very overwhelming. There’s a lot happening so it’s hard to eat even a whole cookie at once. I left out the espresso powder but did add the salt on top. The salt was an amazing addition, I’m happy I left out the espresso. Next time I’d probably chop the chocolate into smaller pieces. I’d asked what she used and never got a response, so I went with the “chunks” and they were just a bit large.
For the toffee: USE A NONSTICK PAN! I failed twice while using a metal pan burning it. The nonstick pan never made it to the bubbling stage but the temp was right. Would make the toffee again too!
These were definitely some of the best chocolate chip cookies I’d ever made. I refrigerated for 48 hours, let sit out for about 1 hour, and then scooped and baked them. I made homemade toffee bits, but it didn’t go as perfect as planned so I actually did half the dough with homemade and half with Heath and both were delicious. Great recipe!
These cookies are absolutely delicious; make no mistake about it. HOWEVER, I baked six cookies after only two hours in the refrigerator, and they turned out perfect. They were also *easier* to scoop. I then left the dough for 48 hours in the refrigerator, as instructed. I took it out for the hour that was suggested, and it was like trying to scoop from a rock. It was absolutely maddening, and I was cursing these cookies. After baking them, they do not taste any different to us with the long wait time. If I had done that from the beginning, I would never make these cookies again. But, I will make them again and chill for only two hours. Again, they are great cookies.
Cookies were good but it was way too much work/took too long. The dough by itself is my favorite. I made your toffee from scratch and that was delicious. Had some leftover so I sprinkled that on top of the cookies after they came out of the oven and that was good since then you could really taste the toffee flavor. Perhaps I chopped up the toffee too small so it didn’t have a strong taste in the cookies? They still were delicious…just seemed to take forever.
Truly awesome!!! Probably the best chocolate cookies ever! I am not a cookie dough eater but this dough was out of control good! I usually change recipes but made this one straight up except I did use regular all purpose flour. I made them smaller and liked that better than the big ones! Have you tried with gluten free flour? If so, which kind?
Most amazing chocolate cookies ever. I am throwing away every other recipe!
So happy to hear this!
The best chocolate chip cookies! Follow the recipe as is. The homemade toffee bits are so good and easy to make. I “marinated” my cookie dough for 72 hours which greatly enhanced the flavors.
The toffee and browned butter were so good that I incorporated both in a double dark chocolate cookie. Two ingredients that take everything to the next level!
I am so glad you loved these cookies!
These cookies are so delicious! I bake lots of cookies but these have become one of my families’ favorites.
I made them in December and used your homemade toffee bits. Then I made them again this weekend with bought toffee bits.
I love the cookies either way but the homemade toffee made the cookies so delicious – and the toffee was so easy!
Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this cookie recipe!
These were amazing. A much more complex taste than regular chocolate chip cookies. I have never used melted butter in a cookie recipe before but I suppose it doesn’t matter when you are chilling the dough for days. I will be making these again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies!
The best cookie I’ve ever made, and I don’t say that lightly! Perfectly chewy, with a crisp edge – exactly how I love my cookies! The flavors are so rich and delicious. Absolutely will make again!
I’m honored you loved these cookies!
Hi,
Making these right now because they look so good! Can I ask why the dough needs to be refrigerated for 24 hours? Can you chill for a few hours and then bake? What’s the reasoning?
Thanks so much! Excited to eat them!
Val
Hey Val, check out the pink box on this page where I answer this question! And enjoy your cookies!
Cookie crack! Nice complex layers of flavors. Salty, sweet, tasted the espresso but just barely, was a lovely touch. The toffee bits were another level of flavor. So much going on when I tried to put the second batch in the cookie jar, some broke off and I had to eat it. It’s cookie crack!
So glad you enjoyed these cookies!
Hi! Been doing them and love them! I have a question, you say “1 cup (200 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour” but 1 1/2 should be more grams and you mention less. Is this an error? I was using the “cup” measure but now Im checking the grams and doesn’t make sense I think…
Thank you!!
Flour and sugar weigh differently so that’s why the grams will be different amounts. But if you follow the grams in the written recipe your cookies should turn out great 🙂 Enjoy!
I made these and they are absolutely amazing!! Highly recommend them!
Just one question – Mine were extremely puffy and I was wondering if there is any way to make them flatter? This seems to be the opposite problem of what most people are having.
Thank you for this recipe!!
Hi Pranika! So glad you enjoyed these cookies. Did you use a digital scale to measure your flour?
Hi There! Yes I did! However, I did lose some butter in the browning process due to spillage and then eyeballed it while adding more. Do you think that may have been the culprit?
the best cookies ever¡¡¡¡¡¡
love it
Hooray!
I made a double batch of these cookies, and then the next day had leftover toffee and made another batch just to freeze. They are THAT good. Absolutely amazing. Drooling just thinking about them.
So glad these cookies were enjoyed!
These cookies ended up being gooey up top and crispy on the bottom? They tasted good, though
Hi Rachel, these cookies should be chewy and gooey in the center and crisp on the bottom and edges! Is that how your cookies turned out?
Was never great at baking cookies but I followed the recipe to the gram and these turned out SO GOOD!
Hooray! So glad to hear this!
I never comment on recipes, but I just had to tell you how amazing these cookies are! I have tried about a billion choc chip cookie recipes in search of The One, and these are it. The browned butter, the espresso powder, the toffee chips. Who knew!? They are literally perfect in every way
These are so incredible!! By far the best and fanciest chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever made, and completely worth the wait!
So glad you tried these cookies out!
What an amazing recipe. Everyone I shared them with loved them!
So glad to hear this!