Barbara Fairchild's Chocolate-Toffee Cookies

Behold, the chocolate-toffee cookie. Isn't it a darling? All creviced and cracked and filled with nubby surprises? There are 26 more of those at home and I'm finding it very difficult to share them with anyone. Anyone at all.

The structure of this cookie is pretty amazing: just a half cup of flour to an entire pound of chocolate. When I first read the recipe, I rubbed my eyes a few times. Would I really go to the expense of purchasing a pound of chocolate (not to mention run to every bodega in my neighborhood looking for those darn toffee bars) if the cookies would end up melting all over the pan?

I trusted my gut. And Barbara. It's a good thing I did. The cookie batter was gorgeous - a bowlful of chilled fudge, practically, doled out on baking sheets (I couldn't bring myself to make 1/4 cup cookies as instructed in the article - who can eat half a cookie and save the rest for the next day? Just make a smaller cookie and eat it all at once. No?).

It tasted a bit like a brownie with that delectable shattering crust - the structure is the same, I suppose. But a brownie studded with melty, buttery chips of toffee bars (not to mention those toasty walnuts - though I'm more of a brownie-cookie purist: no nuts for me. So if I made these again, you get the picture.).

With the week I've had (work, work and more work, a trip to the ER with Ben, bad dreams about my work - did I mention the work? - and a bit of a family crisis in Italy) - baking these cookies was the closest I came to therapy. Eating them is helping, too.

Chocolate-Toffee Cookies
Makes 27 cookies

1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 (1.4-ounce) chocolate-covered English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped

1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; whisk to blend.

2. Stir the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove the mixture from the heat and cool to lukewarm. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture and the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, then the toffee and nuts. Chill the batter until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to one day.

3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the batter by ice-cream scoopfuls onto the baking sheets, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies just until dry and cracked on top but still soft to the touch in the center, about 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets. (The cookies can be prepared two days ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature.)

Comments

[Rebecca]

Do you think you could use those Heath baking bits in place of the chopped up bars? Among all the bags and bags of chips I found in my kitchen were several of those and I'd love to use them. These cookies really do sound divine; I love the description of the "delectable shattering crust".

[Melissa]

Luisa, you are evil!! I am already feeling the fortress surrounding my willpower crumble into a big, gooey, toffee-studded heap. I'm even plotting ways of sneaking out of the office early so I can get my teeth into some of these sooner. If I lose my job, I'll hold you responsible!

[s'kat]

I'll bet those would go quite nicely along with a cuppa later this afternoon. If only I were at home to bake some up!
Ah well, looks like I'll be picking up a pound of chocolate on the way home, then.

[Julie]

That photo of your cookie is beautiful. I love the way it lies bathed in sunlight. Your description makes me want to bake these IMMEDIATELY!

They seem just the thing to help deal with any crisis. Chocolate makes everything seem more manageable. Hope the job situation improves, that Ben is better, and all works out for the best with your family in Italy.

[ilva]

Aha-now I know what my kids are going to bake on Sunday!

[Garrett]

Mmmm... I think I'll have to bake chocolate cookies of one kind or another this weekend.

[eg]

Argh!

I'm going to have to make these when I get back from Italy. They look so good. I love toffee. And chocolate.

[Leah]

Luisa, just a quick question - what size ice cream scoop do you use? I'm finally giving in and getting one, and I can't figure out which to get. I was going to ask Molly the same question but I figured I'd ask here first... Thanks!

[Luisa]

Rebecca - I'm sure you could use those. Aren't they just Heath Bars that have been smashed up a bit? Mmmm. I bet they'd be good in my afternoon yogurt.... Anyway! Yes, try them.

Melissa - Wow! I didn't know my cookies and I had such power! If you bring your colleagues some of these cookies, I promise you won't lose your job ;)

S'kat - I need to figure out some kind of Internet cookie distribution system, I think.

Julie - they are quite a nice kind of soothing agent.

Ilva - great! I hope they like them.

Garrett - What other kind is there? :)

Eg - I also love toffee. Immensely. So much that I almost wish I could have saved one of those Skor bars for some afternoon nibbling right now. Where in Italy are you going?

Leah - The ice cream scoop was one of those Oxo ones without a trigger. I used it to sort of approximate 1/8 cup of cookie dough.

[lobstersquad]

Dammit, now I´ll spend every free hour looking for toffee bars. I´m not sure we have anything remotely like Heath. Argh.

[Jessika]

I always seem to show up late but these look magnificent -- hope Ben is doing ok and that it was nothing serious that landed you in the ER!!!

[KT]

It's a cookie--it's a brownie--it's a cookie--it's a brownie!

These look AWESOME!

[Natalia]

They look and sound delicious! I love toffee in cookies. Have you seen the new toffee Andes bars? They are awesome in chocolate chip cookies!

[Sofia]

This cookie is EXACTLY what I need after a work week that has also tried to eat me alive! Thanks!

Also, I know you don't do magazine recipes, but have you tried any from Food and Wine? They have this nifty index in front to point out fast recipes, recipes that the whole staff loves, etc... some of the ones in the Oct. issue looked yummy-- cheddar and scallion muffins... I'm a fool for savory muffins.

[Luisa]

Ximena - do you have Daim bars in Spain? That's the "European" equivalent to Skor and Heath...

Jessika - you're not late at all! Ben's doing much better, thank you. In fact, the week is over so we're all doing much better! Especially with these cookies... :)

KT - you made me giggle. Thanks!

Natalia - I haven't, good tip. Andes bars always remind me of my grandmother - she loved the chocolate-mint ones.

Sofia - I've got a couple F&W recipes in my binders, and I love their site and magazine, I just never have time anymore to try them. But they've got good ones, indeed.

[Cathy]

Wow, those look fantastic Luisa. I'd have been worried about spreading too, but these are beautiful! Is golden brown sugar the same as light brown sugar?

[Lia]

These sound amazing! Great pic too.

[Lydia]

The perfect indulgence! Any recipe that calls for an entire pound of chocolate has to be amazing. And your photo makes it irresistible!

[Lisa (Homesick Texan)]

Have you ever had the cookies from Levain on the Upper West Side? These sound similar--mouthfuls of thick, crispy, cakey, chocolatey, decadent deliciousness. I don't usually bake cookies, but these sound very approachable and very rewarding.

[Abby]

Those look divine.

I used a cookie recipe that Smitten Kitchen tried, too, which called for 1/4 cup of dough per cookie. We thought it was outrageous. Apparently it's more common than I thought!

[Ari]

This cookie looks and sounds amazing! I don't think I've ever had a cookie with that much chocolate in it. Must rectify that!

[Luisa]

Cathy - I'm pretty sure golden brown and light brown sugar are interchangeable, so go for it!

Lia - thank you! They're getting better with "age", too...

Lydia - thanks! That pound of chocolate really sort of weirded me out at first, well, until I actually tried a cookie ;)

Lisa - I have heard so much about Levain's cookies, but never actually tried one. Silly, since I used to live near there. Aren't they, like, a half pound in weight or something? Nuts.

Abby - I'm actually really not a fan of those oversize cookies. In fact, as much as I like City Bakery's inside-out chocolate cookies, I always wish they were half the size. So, resist the quarter cup cookie scoop! :)

Ari - it really is pretty fantastic. Three days later, and these are still some ridiculously tasty cookies. The flavor deepens and develops. Yum.

[Julia]

oh, this is absolutely chocolate-HEAVEN (!)
I love the way you write about them (if I had these, I as well wouldn't want to share them...) ;)
and they look very delicious - thanks for the recipe and good luck with work(!)

[jnet]

hi, new here!

those cookies look absolutely divine. as a single girl living on her own--i have absolutely no excuse to make these!!! but i want to so badly. now im gonna have to find friends who are worthy of sharing these with me!! thanks for the recipe!

[Abi]

Thanks for posting these. I made the dough last night and baked them tonight. I omitted the nuts because a bunch of folks at the office are allergic. They definitely bake better as a large cookie, but 1/4 c. is way to much dough. I went with a smaller scoop, but still heftier than my standard cookie size. I can't believe I'm going to give away all of those gorgeous cookies tomorrow. Thanks again.

[mona]

Oh wow.
Thank you to your gut feeling, these look amazing. I could taste the cookies through your words.

[eg]

We went to Gaeta, Umbria, Florence, and one night in a small town quite near the airport in Rome. Plus a lot of stopping in various towns to look at stuff or shop.

Mostly fun although I didn't get to go to the Farmacia at SMN to buy all the soaps and stuff that I wanted. Boo.

[am lusins]

I have a B&B and will try this on my guests..they love cookies!

[Jocelyn]

I made these for my fiance's bday last night and they are great! Thanks for the recipe.

Question: of all the cookies that you've posted here, which ones, in your oppinion, are the very best?

Thanks again!

[JB]

Just made these as holiday presents for neighbors, and they are delicious! That crackling crust, that chewy interior ... I would chop the Heath bars more finely next time, but otherwise, they are perfection!

Thanks for the recipe-
JB

[betty]

I love this recipe. I just baked these bookies 10 minutes ago and cannot wait to give them away. One question though ... how do you remove the cookies from the parchment paper without breaking them? I've had several cookies crack , crumble, or stick to the paper when I tried to remove them. Thanks!

[tracy]

I am so glad i decided it was time to use up the Heath baking bits! The dough was really rich, but the cookie is delicious!!! Next time, i might try adding cacao nibs...thanks for posting an amazing recipe!

[Luisa]

Gosh, I've been amiss in answering questions here. I'm glad the cookie was such a hit for everyone, too!

Jocelyn - I'm not really sure, out of all the cookies on the blog? This one is pretty high on the list, but so is that raisin-spice cookie from the LAT... I'll have to do some kind of Best Cookie Round-Up soon, maybe in time for the holidays? :)

Betty - one thing to try is using a silicone baking mat, like Silpat - nothing will stick to that. I didn't seem to have the same problem as you - did you wait a few minutes before attempting to remove them? Sometimes letting them cool a little helps.

[cybersybil]

Hi Luisa--long time lurker, first time poster. Made these last night with Skor bars and they're amazing. (I subbed pecans for walnuts.) I also used an ice cream scoop (the old-fashioned heavy-duty metal kind) and the sizing was perfect--about 2-3" across. I'd also like to second the Silpat recommendation. Even if you have a weird schizophrenic oven like mine, it takes effort to burn a cookie using a Silpat. Thanks for the great blog.

[Koren]

I bookmarked this recipe long ago, and finally made them for the Super Bowl party I went to yesterday - and they were SUCH a huge hit. They even helped cheer up the boy when the Pats lost! Absolutely delicious; thanks so much for the recipe and the great blog!

[Paul]

Is Barbara in any way connected to the Fairchild Gardens in Miami? I think I had some very similar cookies at their 2nd annual international Chocolate Festival in January 2008.

[rina]

HI THIS IS RINA AND I HAVE MADE CHOCOLATE TOFFEE COOKIES, IT REALLY TASTE SO GOOD! AND I NEED UR HELP, CAN U HELP ME GET THE RECIPE FOR "CHEWY CHOCOLATE SUPREME COOKIES SAME AS GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES PLEASE! EMAIL ME SOON TK U RINA ;0)

[Madison]

Please, anyone at all, please find the recipe for Chewy Chocolate Supreme cookies from Great American Cookies. I have been searching for the recipe forever. Please! Your Chocolate Toffee cookies-brownies is the closest description I could find! Please!

[Madison]

Okay, I'll cave. Which chocolate did you use-bittersweet or semisweet? I fine with either, but please tell me which one you used. Also, does it make a difference if you use regular brown sugar, or do you have to use golden brown sugar.

[Madison]

Sorry, but I realized that the other e-mail address I gave you is'nt working anymore, so if you could send your answer to my new e-mail address that would be great! My question is which type of chocolate did you use- bittersweet or semisweet? Thanks!