Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Looking for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever? Well, these aren’t straight chocolate chip cookies, but they are something to experience. Chocolate Toffee Cookies made in a convection oven are a treat you’ll make again and again.
Making the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are defining moments in life, when a sudden thought sticks with you and won’t go away.
Epiphany, or lightbulb moments, that strike so intensely that you can’t shake them off. They work their way to your core, and the deep guttural unction they produce forces you to act on the idea in some way.
That… is the sort of feeling I had several years ago when I started this blog.
I knew nothing about blogging, technology, or photography, but I had this persistent gnawing that I must start a recipe website. The evasive concept wouldn’t leave me alone, no matter how many times I told myself it was a waste of time.
Needless to say, I followed the unction and it changed my life. Over the years, I’ve learned to trust epiphany moments as guidance from above.
Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Another lightbulb moment occurred in my life several years earlier, while I was teaching 3rd graders writing techniques.
I had given my students an assignment to write clear step-by-step instructions on how to make chocolate chip cookies.
Surely all 9-year-olds had made cookies with mom or dad at some point, I thought. Though many of them would not know all the necessary ingredients or proportions, I still expected to receive papers that read:
- Mix flour, sugar, butter, and chocolate chips in a bowl.
- Scoop the dough onto cookie sheets.
- Bake the cookies in the oven.
Instead, what I received was:
- Open the cookie dough log with scissors.
- Cut the dough into circles.
- Place the circles on the cookie sheets and bake.
Or even worse…
- Open the package of cookies.
- Pour the milk and dip.
I was teaching a generation of children who never baked homemade cookies with their parents. Everything they ate was pre-packaged.
Epiphany: I must develop the absolute best chocolate chip cookie recipe and share it with people. That way, they experience the kind of cookies that can spark a desire to learn to cook.
Ok… maybe my idea wouldn’t change the world, but it would provide a lifelong memory to a handful of people and would help them discover the many glorious attributes of cooking/baking from scratch.
Convection Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toffee
I set off on a lengthy journey to test cookies for the very best chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Of course, defining the term “best” is personal and objective. What I consider the perfect cookie, might not appeal to someone else.
So let me tell you what I consider a really exquisite “chunk” style drop cookie.
The cookies must be large and somewhat thin, with a crispy exterior and chewy interior. The dough should taste of rustic grains, vanilla and brown sugar, with a fine texture. There should be plenty of chocolate chips (or various chunks) in each bite that can be seen from the top and bottom of every cookie.
Sound reasonable? This is my idea of the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and I’ve made it many times, with many variations.
Today’s Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies are one of my very favorite varieties. The addition of the english toffee bits brings out the earthy essence of my secret ingredient, ground oats.
Powderized dried oats provide a hearty grain flavor and a substantial texture, that doesn’t come across as course or gritty. It is a fantastic cookie enhancer.
As with most drop cookies, you should chill the dough, so the cookies don’t become too thin.
This is also a great dough recipe for freezing. I’ll often bake several cookies from the chilled dough, then roll the rest of the dough into a log and freeze it for quick convenient “log” cookies that are homemade!
Since our kitchen remodel, I’ve been experimenting with convection baked cookies.
I baked half of these cookies in my new KitchenAid oven on standard conventional bake, and the other half on convection bake. I was very pleased with the extra crispy texture of the “convection” cookies, while still retaining the soft chewy center. I also noticed the “convection” cookies held their shape and didn’t shrink as much when they came out of the oven.
See?
If you have a convection setting on your oven, give convection baked cookies a try. Otherwise, bake in your conventional oven and enjoy.
P.S. I have a sensational Moroccan Tagine Recipe over on KitchenAid’s new blog this week. Stop by and see!
Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup ground oats
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 12 ounce semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup English toffee bits
Instructions
- Place a heaping 3/4 cup of dry oats in the food processor. Process until finely ground.
- Dump both sugars and the vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer. Turn on low and add the melted butter, mix to combine. With the mixer running, pour in the eggs. Add the baking soda, salt, and slowly add the flour and powdered oatmeal. Scrap the bowl and mix to combine, then fold in the chocolate chips and toffee bits.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, OR form into a log on a piece of freezer paper. Wrap and freeze.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (300 degrees F convection.) Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place equal two 2 1/2-tablespoon portions on the baking sheets 3 inches apart. Use either a cookie scoop or cut the frozen dough into rounds.
- Bake until the edges are golden, but the centers look slightly under baked. Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheets until firm enough to pick up. (Baking time varies greatly on the temperature of the dough and whether you are baking with a conventional oven or convection. Conventional: chilled dough 15-20 minutes, frozen dough 20-25 minutes. Convection: chilled dough 10-12 minutes, frozen dough 18-22 minutes.)
These do look quite wonderful, I love toffee!
I could use a cookie right now!
Those cookies… and that oven!
OMG in love!
Yum! Your cookies look amazing!!!
So interesting to see your convection vs. conventional oven baked cookies. Either way, I know I could put away a dozen with a tall glass of milk! These are gorgeous!
Toffee and chocolate chips are two of my favorite cookie mix-ins. Love these!
Is the quantity of toffee bits 1 cup?? Sounds like a great recipe!!
I’m completely fascinated by the convection oven baking for cookies. Embarrasingly I’ll admit we have a beautiful Dacor double oven with convection and I’ve never used it! I think of it for roasts and things but clearly need to get myself up to speed. Your recipe sounds delish and I’m loving all the views of your new kitchen! So much great light! Happy Memorial Day weekend Sommer!
Toffee chips are the perfect addition to chocolate chip cookies!
These look amazing, Sommer. Great idea to add the toffee!
These cookies look absolutely divine!!! I love the addition of toffee.
I’ve not even messed with the convection feature yet. Now I have to do it ASAP!
I am floored by these cookies! Eeeeeeeek! And the side by side of the conventional and convection? Whoa!
I am so excited about this recipe! Toffee bits in my chocolate chip cookies is a favorite of mine, too. I also love that you provided frozen times and convection bake times. This way, I can freeze the dough and bake just a few at a time on convection in my toatser oven! :-)
I guess we both had cookies on the brain this week! =) These look outstanding!
I will always take toffee in my cookies! Love your kitchen, especially those double ovens, swoon!
Wish I had a few of these with my coffee right now.
I am a sucker for choc chip cookies!