Sweet, soft cookies packed with toffee pieces and just slightly salted. These Brown Butter Toffee Cookies are flavored with vanilla and a generous amount of perfectly browned butter. Recipe includes easy steps for browning butter!
The inspiration for these Brown Butter Toffee Cookies came to me via the cafeteria of the hospital where I work.
After taking our lunch together last week (I think I’ve mentioned that Zach and I work at the same hospital, just in different departments), Zach went to buy himself a drink. As we went through the checkout, I saw small, clear-wrapped package labeled “Butter Toffee Cookies” and immediately threw them at him.
I need these — for research!
He bought them and the graceless mouth-stuffing research commenced, but I was honestly a little disappointed.
They were almost too sweet– there was too much artificial flavor somewhere in there. Faux vanilla, maybe? Some sort of preservative?
They weren’t exactly crunchy, but still somehow seemed a little too dry for me. And for a cookie that touted the word “Butter” right in its name, I expected a much… butterier flavor.
I had some good starting points, thanks to an underwhelming cafeteria cookie.
These Brown Butter Toffee Cookies live up to the “butter” part of their name.
For the best, butteriest flavor, you’re going to use browned butter in this recipe. You may have spied this ingredient in several of my other cookie recipes, or maybe in my recent brown butter blondies (just… yum).
I absolutely adore browned butter because of its nearly nutty, toffee-like (what better complement to the toffee add-ins) flavor.
Brown butter used to seem intimidating to me — you have to get out a saucepan and turn on the stove and, yes, watch it very carefully for a few minutes, but it’s really a simple process. The recipe below includes step-by-step instructions on how to perfectly brown butter.
Hint: It should look like this when you’re done
Make sure to cool the browned butter for 25-30 minutes before adding your other ingredients, otherwise you run the risk of melting your sugars, and could end up with some seriously runny, unusable dough.
This recipe does not require any chilling (I know, a lot of my recent cookie recipes have required fridge time). However, it may be covered and chilled, if you would like, and this would likely give the cookies an even richer, more buttery flavor.
Keep in mind that that the dough gets a bit crumbly when chilled and will need to warm back up to room temperature in order to scoop and bake.
I have a serious cookie obsession and each time I make a new version I sincerely believe that it’s my new favorite, and these are no exception. They are so good — slightly crisped exteriors, crunchy toffee bits accented with milk chocolate, and a nutty, buttery flavor in every bite (especially in those soft centers!).
Make sure to top everything off with a small shower of sea salt, which really intensifies all of the already robust flavors of these brown butter toffee cookies.
I also cannot recommend strongly enough that you re-heat these briefly in the microwave before eating (about 9-seconds per cookie, in my microwave).
Warm cookies are the best cookies.
Enjoy!
Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar (200g) (light or dark is fine, I like to use a blend of the two)
- ⅔ cup white sugar (135g)
- 2 eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (350g)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch cornflour in UK
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk chocolate toffee pieces (Like Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Pieces) (170g)
- sea salt for sprinkling on top of the cookies (fine or coarse, your preference)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cut your butter into Tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a medium-sized saucepan. Melt over medium-low heat.
To Brown the Butter (It's easy, I promise!)
- Once butter has melted, increase heat to just above medium heat.
- Swirl and scrape the sides of the pan frequently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula - the butter will bubble and pop. Once the bubbling/popping slows, the butter will begin to turn brown, it will look like this once it's finished:
- Watch the butter very carefully at this point, and once it begins to brown and you smell the nutty aroma of browned butter, remove from heat quickly and pour into a large, heatproof bowl.
- Allow butter to cool for 25-30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
Cookie Dough
- Add sugars into cooled browned butter, stir well.
- Stir in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Add vanilla extract and stir.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until ingredients are nearly completely combined.
- Add milk chocolate toffee bits and stir until ingredients are well-incorporated.
- Drop by heaping, rounded 1 ½ Tbsp scoops onto prepared cookie sheets, placing at least 2" apart.
- Bake on 350F (177C) for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown (cookies should still be quite soft when you remove them from the oven, and may even appear slightly underbaked in center).
- Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking pan for about 3 minutes and then use a spatula to gently scoop beneath them and carefully wiggle them free from the parchment paper, as the toffee tends to stick.
- Allow to cool several more minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Cody Alkema
I’ve been baking cookies for at least 40 years and these are the best I’ve ever made! I used plain toffee bits and added 60% dark chocolate chips and walnuts. They are incredible! I love any baked good with butter in it (if it doesn’t have real butter in it it’s not worth eating) and I have never tried browning butter before. It made all the difference!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cody! 🙂
Arie
These are great! I chilled for a hour and then warmed to room temperature.
Anna
Hi there. Can I can make the receipts the night before and leave the dough in the fridge/freezer to bake the next day ? Will that ruin them or will it work ?
Thank you 🙂
Sam
Hi Anna! The dough will be fine in the refrigerator overnight. Make sure to wrap it tightly. 🙂
Paula
omg. That’s how I’ll start. So, I bake a lot of cookies. I mean, A lot of cookies, but I have never made a browned butter cookie…until today. omg…these are incredible. Browning the butter is easy, but you have to be patient, as it takes several minutes. And, I made my own toffee. I found a 3 ingredient recipe and made homemade toffee pieces, which I would highly recommend. The flavor of the homemade cookie with the homemade toffee pieces is ethereal. I like bigger cookies, so I weighed each ball of dough ( 1.75) oz each and got 23 cookies. Make these!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Paula! 🙂
Anonymous
Oohh, what toffee recipe did you use if you dont mind my asking?
Paula
Hi! If you are replying to my comment about me making homemade toffee pieces, I used Handle The Heat’s 3 ingredient Homemade Toffee Pieces recipe. It’s super easy and really good!! I only use homemade toffee pieces in these Brown Butter Toffee cookies. I opted for no chocolate.
Paula
Hi! Came across your recipe today, and after reading reviews, I will definitely make. Maybe you can give some feedback: I will be making my own toffee because I don’t want any chocolate in this particular cookie. I really want to make a toffee cookie. I do like larger cookies (like 3″ diameter), and I am also hoping that they aren’t flat. Do you think I can get the size and moderate thickness I am looking for? Sorry to be so specific. 🙂 Thank you so much!! P.S.- I have enjoyed some of your other recipes, so thank you for that!!
Sam
Hi Paula! My cookies are probably 2 – 3 inches in diameter. You can make them larger if you’d like and it shouldn’t change the thickness of them too much. I hope you love these too! 🙂
Claretta
You are a great writer!
Sam
Thank you! 🙂
Teri
Do these cookies have to be heated in the microwave before eating them. I’m making them for a party and won’t be able to heat them before serving them.
Sam
Oh no, it’s not a necessity! It’s just a nice extra indulgence to enjoy them warm, but they’re perfectly delicious at room temp! I hope everyone enjoys, Teri!
Gioia
Hi there. These are a cookie you should make over and over again. Every single detail in the directions is spot on. Mine baked up in 10 mins. I used an Italian sea salt for the tops. These are one of the top 5 cookies I’ve ever baked.
Sam
What a compliment! Thank you so much for the kind words, Gioia! I’m so glad you enjoyed 🙂
Mindy
Can I omit the cornstarch if I don’t have any on hand?
Sam
Hi Mindy! I would recommend adding a little additional flour to make up for the lack of the cornstarch. 🙂
Dana K
These are INCREDIBLE!!! I have always been a big fan of McAlister’s heath bar cookies, and wanted something similar. The whole family loves these, and agrees these are better than McAlister’s! Question, is it safe to half the recipe? Do I need to make any other adjustments? OR can the dough be frozen?
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Dana! You can half this recipe without issue. If you want to freeze the dough I would portion out the cookies, wrap them individually in cling wrap and store in a freezer bag. You can bake them from frozen, they will just need an extra minute or two. 🙂
Karyn
I just realized I bought Heath English toffee bits instead of milk chocolate – could I sub some for chocolate chips and combine the two?
Sam
Hi Karyn! That should work fine here. 🙂
EB
Was craving for toffee cookies and this was the first one that showed up. I normally don’t leave comments but with this one I felt like I had to. These are so delicious and the best ever! Followed recipe as described except I added walnuts which added more texture and flavor. I used a tablespoon scoop and baked them for 8-9 mins, left on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before placing on cookie rack. Your tip on microwaving cookies before eating makes all the difference.
Will definitely be making more of these! Thank you so much for sharing 😊
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Nicole C Fishman
I made these cookies for the first time 6 days ago and WOW!!! My family has decided these are our new favorite cookie. I’m already browning the butter as we speak because as soon as the first batch was gone, they were begging for more! Thanks for a great recipe to follow. Love, love these cookies
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Nicole! 🙂
Melissa Kennard Flower
I am not a baker but I made these with some toffee christmas candy that wasn’t very nice and OMG, I love love love these cookies. And please dont forget the sea salt on the top.
Jackie
Maybe one of the best cookie recipes I have ever made!!! YUM
Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe!
Malcolm Williams
I noticed you said stir, can I use my hand mixer?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂