Chewy Double Dark Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Like the 16 million viewers who tune in each week, I’ve become seriously starstruck by Empire, the mega hit tv series about the music industry. More specifically, I’ve developed a giant girl crush on the lead character, known simply as Cookie. While her checkered past isn’t exactly admirable, she is a powerful female character who can stand up to any man while maintaining her feminine sensibility, edgy style, and smoking hot confidence.

In a word: Cookie is a badass. 

With a name like Cookie, and in the interest of  silliness and shameless fun, I felt compelled to get in the kitchen and bake a cookie for Cookie.  

Yes, I’ve created a homemade treat for an entirely fictional character. And since Cookie and I have virtually nothing in common (no, I’m not a reformed drug dealer), it follows that this recipe is a departure from my usual whole grain, flaxmeal-flecked, honey-kissed sweets.   

Cookie’s cookies are over-the-top just like she is.  Indeed,  these Chewy Chocolate Toffee Cookies are bold, rich, full of little surprises, heavily adorned, not too sweet, and just a tiny bit salty. They’re every bit as devilish as she is and, like her, are best enjoyed in small doses.

This recipe is inspired by Jill O’Connor, a master of over-the-top cookie baking. You might want to check out her Hunka Chunka Chocolate Chip Cookies  from Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey Treats for Kids (Chronicle Books).

5 from 1 vote

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Chewy Double Dark Chocolate Toffee Pecan Cookies

These are rich chocolate cookies studded with chocolate chips, toffee bits and pecans. They’re sweetened with brown sugar, which is part of what gives them a pleasing caramel flavor and chewy texture. Chilling the dough helps with texture, too, but if waiting a few hours to get your hands on a cookie is unthinkable, these are delicious baked straight from the mixing bowl as well.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 2 dozen cookies

Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, melted (4 ounces)
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup toffee bits (see note)
• 1/2 heaping cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
• Flaky salt

Instructions

1. Put the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla into a large bowl. Mix on high with an electric mixer until creamy and blended, about 30 seconds. You can also do this vigorgously by hand.
2. Measure the flour, cocoa power, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a sifter (I set the sifter on a piece of parchment to catch anything that escapes). Sift into the bowl with the butter/sugar and mix until smooth and combined.
3. Add the toffee bits, dark chocolate chips, and pecans. Mix just enough to incorporate into the dough. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, up to overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment/Silpat or lightly grease them.
5. Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets in rounded 1-tablespoon balls, figuring 12 per sheet. Use your hand or the bottom of a juice glass to gently press down the dough so it looks like a 1/3-inch-thick disk. Crumble a tiny pinch flaky salt to the top of each cookie.
6. Bake until the cookies just barely lose their raw looking quality across the top, about 10 minutes. If your dough wasn't refrigerated, figure 9 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Toffee chips are sold in the candy or baking section of supermarkets. Heath is a common brand. If you can't find the toffee bits, you can chop up a couple of Heath bars by hand or use butterscotch chips instead.