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Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Ultimate Recipe for Sweet & Salty Perfection

Add a delightful, crunchy, and salty twist to the classic chocolate chip cookie with this tried-and-tested recipe for Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies. You’ll love that there’s no need for dough chilling, and these cookies consistently come out soft, chewy, and utterly irresistible every time.

Toffee chocolate chip cookies cooling on a wire rack, sprinkled with sea salt — Soft, chewy, and irresistibly delicious, these homemade Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are a must-try for cookie lovers.

How to Achieve the Perfect Soft and Chewy Cookie Texture
Why You’ll Absolutely Love These Toffee Cookies
Essential Ingredients You’ll Need
Step-by-Step: How to Make Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pro Tip: How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies Every Time
Essential Recipe Tips and Tricks for Cookie Perfection
Frequently Asked Questions About Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
More Delicious Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

Improving upon a classic dessert is a challenge, especially when that classic is as beloved as the chocolate chip cookie. But have you ever considered how to elevate them even further? I always strive to enhance old favorites, from my red velvet cake mix cookies, which received high praise, to my caramel-stuffed chocolate chip cookies, a gooey, decadent delight.

So, what’s next for a recipe creator with a deep passion for chocolate chip cookies? Introducing the addition of salty, sweet, and irresistibly crunchy toffee bits!

How to Achieve the Perfect Soft and Chewy Cookie Texture 🍪

While the crunchy toffee adds a delightful textural contrast, I still adore a cookie base that’s wonderfully soft and chewy. This perfect texture boils down to two key elements:

The ratio of white to brown sugar
Baking time and resting period

The higher the proportion of brown sugar in your cookie dough, the softer the cookies will be. Brown sugar contains molasses, which contributes moisture and creates a tender crumb. (For the softest cookies you’ll ever taste, check out my M&M cookies recipe!)

When it comes to baking, achieving a chewy texture requires slightly underbaking the cookies, removing them from the oven when the centers are just set. Crucially, allow them to rest on the hot baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This allows the cookies to set without becoming overly dry.

This toffee chocolate chip cookie recipe masterfully blends that ideal chewy dough with the delightful crispness of candy bits. Many of these toffee bits melt into the dough, creating a harmonious balance of salty and sweet flavors, along with a perfect soft-meets-crunchy texture.

Why You’ll Absolutely Love These Toffee Cookies

Sweet meets salty perfection. These aren’t just chocolate chip cookies; they’re an experience. The combination of semisweet chocolate chips, toffee bits, and a touch of sea salt delivers an irresistible sweet and salty symphony that will leave you craving more.
Incredibly easy to make. This recipe is designed for simplicity, ensuring that anyone can create delicious, bakery-quality cookies at home.
Freezer-friendly for anytime cravings. Prepare the dough in advance, store it in the freezer, and enjoy fresh, homemade cookies whenever a craving strikes.
Perfectly soft and chewy. These cookies boast a delightful texture that’s both soft and chewy, making them a true pleasure to eat.
Sweet, crunchy, and gooey perfection. A trifecta of textures and flavors combine to create a cookie experience unlike any other.

Essential Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for toffee cookies including butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and toffee bits — Gather your ingredients: Unsalted butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, chocolate chips, and toffee bits.

Unsalted Butter: Butter is a key ingredient. It provides flavor, moisture, and helps create a tender texture. You can substitute it with salted butter, but remember to reduce the added salt accordingly to maintain the flavor balance.
Sugars: Like many great cookie recipes (including my kids’ favorite mini chocolate chip cookies), you’ll need both granulated white sugar and light brown sugar. White sugar contributes to sweetness, while light brown sugar adds to the cookies’ delightful chewiness and overall softness. The combination is key to achieving the perfect cookie texture.
Eggs: Cold eggs are essential. Chilling the dough isn’t required before baking, so starting with cold eggs helps control the dough’s temperature and minimizes excessive spreading during baking. This ensures your cookies maintain their shape.
Vanilla Extract: Using pure vanilla extract is crucial. It provides the best, most authentic vanilla flavor, elevating the cookies to gourmet status.
All-Purpose Flour: Flour provides structure and thickness to the cookies. Precise measuring is important in baking. Use proper measuring cups and spoons, and learn the best techniques for how to accurately measure flour to guarantee consistent and successful baking results every time.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: You’ll need both of these leavening agents to give the cookies lift. They work together to help the cookies rise and achieve their desired texture, creating a light and airy crumb.
Kosher Salt: I prefer baking with kosher salt. It distributes more evenly and has a milder flavor than table salt. If you only have table salt, use about ¼ teaspoon, as table salt is finer and denser, meaning it’s more concentrated.
Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chocolate chips are the classic choice for toffee chocolate chip cookies, but don’t be afraid to experiment! Dark, milk, or even white chocolate chips can be used to customize the flavor profile and make them truly your own.
Toffee Bits: These are the stars of the show, adding a rich, buttery sweetness that takes these cookies beyond ordinary chocolate chip cookies. Their crunchy texture and caramel-like flavor make them irresistible.

See the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat and prep: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
Cream butter and sugars: In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), cream together the softened butter, white sugar, and light brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes and is crucial for incorporating air into the dough, resulting in lighter cookies.
Incorporate wet ingredients: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then, add the vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.

Creamed sugar and butter — Cream together the softened butter, white sugar, and light brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Butter, sugar, and egg mixture — Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until just combined.

Add dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating just until combined. Avoid overmixing, which can develop the gluten in the flour and result in tough cookies.
Fold in chocolate and toffee: Gently fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and toffee bits until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Don’t overmix at this stage; just ensure everything is incorporated.

Toffee bits and chocolate chips in cookie dough — Gently fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and toffee bits.

Toffee chocolate chip cookie dough — The cookie dough is ready to be scooped and baked.

Scoop and bake: Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop 2-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between each mound. Add a few extra chocolate chips atop each cookie dough ball for a bakery-worthy look. Bake the cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until they are slightly crispy around the edges and just barely set in the centers. Keep a close eye on them to prevent overbaking.

Scooping cookie dough onto baking sheet — Drop 2-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the baking sheets.

Cookie dough balls topped with chocolate chips — Add a few extra chocolate chips atop each cookie dough ball.

Cool and enjoy: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This allows them to set and prevents them from breaking.

Baker’s Secret: For an extra layer of flavor, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top of each cookie just before baking. The sea salt enhances the sweetness and complements the toffee, creating a truly gourmet experience.

Pro Tip: How to Make Perfectly Round Cookies Every Time

A fellow baker shared this amazing pro tip with me that has completely transformed my cookie-shaping skills. If you desire uniformly shaped, perfectly round cookies, grab a large circular cookie cutter (slightly larger than the size of your baked cookies) or even a drinking glass with a wide enough rim to fit over each cookie.

Once you remove the cookies from the oven, immediately place the cookie cutter on top and gently swirl it around each cookie on the baking sheet. The edges of the cookies will bounce off the inside of the cutter, rounding out the sides and guaranteeing perfectly circular cookies, no matter their initial shape. It’s pure genius!

Essential Recipe Tips and Tricks for Cookie Perfection

Soften Butter Correctly: Make sure your butter is softened but not melted. It should be pliable but still cool to the touch. Leave it out at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes prior to starting the recipe.
Chill Cookie Dough: If the dough becomes too sticky while working with it, refrigerate it for 15-30 minutes to firm it up. This can help prevent cookies from spreading too much during baking.
Portion Cookie Dough Evenly: Use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to ensure consistent cookie sizes. This helps them bake evenly.
Space Cookies Appropriately: Leave enough space between cookie dough mounds on the baking sheet to allow for spreading during baking. Typically, about 2 inches apart works well.
Store Properly: Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container. They’ll keep for up to a week. If you want to keep them soft, you can place a slice of bread in the container, which can help maintain moisture.

Freezing Tip: Portion the cookie dough into individual servings and freeze them. Bake a few fresh cookies whenever you’re in the mood for a warm treat! This is perfect for spontaneous cravings.

Frequently Asked Questions About Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why do my cookies spread too much during baking?

If your cookies spread excessively, it may be due to using overly softened butter or dough that’s too warm. Ensure your butter is softened but not melted, and, if your dough becomes sticky while working with it, consider refrigerating it for 15-30 minutes before baking to help prevent excessive spreading.

What’s the purpose of sea salt on top of the cookies?

A pinch of sea salt on top enhances the sweet-salty contrast in each bite, adding depth to the flavor profile. It’s optional but highly recommended for a gourmet touch.

Can I use different types of chocolate in the recipe?

Absolutely! Feel free to experiment with various chocolate options, such as dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips or even chocolate chunks, to customize the flavor to your liking.

Can I make the dough in advance and freeze it?

Yes, you can prepare the dough, shape it into cookie-sized portions, and freeze them for later. When you’re ready to bake, simply place the frozen dough on a baking sheet and bake as usual, adding a minute or two to the baking time.

Toffee chocolate chip cookies with milk — Enjoy your freshly baked Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies with a glass of milk!

More Delicious Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Salted Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Blended Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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