Toffee Sandwich Cookies with Almonds & Brown-Butter Buttercream Filling

WOW. My daughter declared that these are the best cookies I have ever made!

They are composed of crispy and crunchy, thin toffee cookies sandwiched with fabulous brown-butter buttercream. The filling is the perfect complement to the toffee flavored cookies.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Sohla El-Waylly. I modified the method and increased the amount of filling. I also used toffee with chocolate- now I’ll have to try them without as well. Amazing!

The original recipe notes that these cookies are ideal for shipping and sharing because they have a long shelf life. They didn’t last very long in my house! 😉

Yield: 34 to 36 sandwich cookies

For the Cookies:

• 227 g (about 1 1/2 cups) English toffee bits, preferably without chocolate (such as Heath Bits O’Brickle)(I used Trader Joe’s Toffee Chips with both dark and milk chocolate, coarsely chopped)
• 112 g (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/4 tsp Morton kosher salt
• 3 T (42 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, white and yolk separated, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (224 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/3 cup (40 g) sliced almonds, or more, for garnish

For the Brown-Butter Buttercream Filling:

• 16 T (227 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp plus a pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/8 tsp Morton kosher salt
• 320 g (2 2/3 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

To Make the Cookies:

1. In a food processor, process the toffee bits, sugar, baking soda and salt until the toffee is mostly ground and the mixture is sandy, about 1 minute.
2. Transfer the toffee mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer).
3. Add butter, egg white and vanilla. Mix together with the paddle attachment on medium until creamy and fluffy, stopping once to scrape the bowl and paddle, about 2 minutes.
4. Add flour, and mix on medium-low until the mixture comes together into a soft dough, about 30 seconds.
5. Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a disk. Wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before proceeding. (I wrapped each disk in plastic wrap.)
6. Dust a piece of parchment paper and dough with flour. Top with a second piece of parchment paper.
7. Working with one piece of dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick between the two sheets of parchment (the thickness of two stacked pennies), turning the dough frequently to ensure it moves freely, dusting with more flour as needed. Each sheet of dough will be about the size of a standard sheet of paper.
8. Place the dough on a flat surface (I used a cutting board) and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
9. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter dusted in flour, cut out cookies from one sheet of dough. Using an offset spatula, transfer rounds to a parchment paper lined rimmed sheet pan, placing another sheet of parchment paper between layers. (I stacked the rounds between sheets of plastic wrap but it was slightly difficult to remove them once frozen- parchment paper seems like a better plan.)
10. Repeat with the remaining sheet of dough.
11. Gather and knead together any scraps, refreeze and re-roll, repeating until all the dough has been rolled out for a total of about 68 to 72 cookies.
12. Wrap the rounds of dough on the sheet pan with plastic wrap; freeze on sheet trays for at least 30 minutes before baking. (Alternatively, once the cookies have firmly frozen, stack them between parchment in a freezer-safe container or zipper-lock bag for up to 3 months.)
13. Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. (I used the convection setting.)
14. Whisk together the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water and evenly brush on the tops of half (34 to 36) of the chilled cookies.
15. Sprinkle the yolk-brushed cookies with almonds, pressing gently to adhere.
16. Bake the cookies until deeply browned like a pretzel, switching the sheet trays from top to bottom and rotating from front to back halfway through, 10 to 14 minutes. (I simultaneously baked 3 pans of 12 cookies each for 10 to 11 minutes on convection.)
17. Bake the remaining cookies (without almonds) at the same temperature for the same duration.
18. Let cookies cool completely on the sheet pans.

To Make the Filling:

1. Set a piping bag in a tall and narrow container, like a deli quart container, and fold over the top edge to secure.
2. Flip over the cookies without almonds. (You need to pipe the icing onto the cookies immediately after mixing, so make sure you are set up.)
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until foamy, about 3 minutes.
4. Continue cooking butter, stirring and scraping frequently with a stiff silicone spatula, until the sputtering has subsided and the butter solids look deeply browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the butter and any brown bits into the bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large bowl if mixing by hand).
5. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
6. Sift over the powdered sugar.
7. With the paddle attachment, mix on low until creamy and combined, about 1 minute, stopping once during mixing to scrape the bowl and the paddle. (You can also mix with a stiff silicone spatula until creamy and combined.)
8. Transfer the icing to the piping bag and cut a 1-inch wide opening at the tip. (I used a round piping tip instead.) The icing will be warm and fluid.
9. Pipe a scant tablespoon of filling onto a flipped cookie and immediately top with an almond-topped cookie.
10. Gently press to adhere so that the filling reaches the edges of the cookie.
11. Repeat with remaining cookies and icing. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Brown Butter & Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh my… these were quite fabulous. The combination of brown butter, dark chocolate, and the finishing touch of sea salt really elevated this incredible variation of a classic chocolate chip cookie. I know that I will make them again and again. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Kate Davis. I used Nestlé 62% cacao bittersweet chocolate morsels instead of the recommended dark chocolate wafers or disks, and they were still absolutely amazing. I also made smaller cookies.

Yield: about 50 cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 chocolate toffee bars, 1.4 oz/39 g each, (preferably Skor), chopped into ¼-inch pieces
• 1½ cups chocolate wafers (disks, pistoles, fèves; preferably 72% cacao) (I used one 10 oz bag of Nestlé 62% cacao bittersweet chocolate morsels)
• flaky sea salt

1. Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl) and let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a separate medium bowl.
3. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the browned butter. Using the mixer on medium speed, beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture lightens and begins to thicken, about 30 seconds.
5. Reduce mixer speed to low; add dry ingredients and beat just to combine.
6. Mix in toffee pieces and chocolate wafers with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.
7. Let dough sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate. Dough will look very loose at first, but will thicken as it sits. (I let my dough sit for 1 hour.)
8. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°, preferably on convection. Using a small ice cream scoop, portion out 11 balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 3″ apart (you can also form dough into ping pong–sized balls with your hands). Do not flatten; cookies will spread as they bake. Sprinkle with sea salt.
9. Bake cookies until edges are golden brown and firm but centers are still soft, 7 to 9 minutes.
10. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
11. Repeat with remaining dough and fresh parchment-lined baking sheets.

Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Let dough come to room temperature before baking.

One Year Ago: Apple-Cider Doughnut Cake

Two Years Ago: Chocolate-Avocado Pudding

Three Years Ago: Lemony Butter Cookies and Vanilla Rose Cake

Four Years Ago: Speculoos and Mini M&M Cookies

Five Years Ago: Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pretzel-Shortbread Bars

Sticky Banana Toffee Pudding

Happy Mardi Gras! I am making our traditional King Cake today, but I thought that this dessert could also be an appropriate celebratory option. It reminded me of a New Orleans bread pudding with some of the flavors of Bananas Foster, another famous New Orleans dessert.

The recipe was part of a Food and Wine magazine article, contributed by Laura Rege, titled “Ugly Delicious!” The author makes the point that a lot of delicious food isn’t Instagram drool-worthy. I didn’t really think that this dessert was that ugly, but it was delicious! 🙂

Yield: Serves 9

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided, plus more for greasing
 (I used cooking oil spray for greasing)
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 6 ounces pitted dates, chopped (1 cup)
 (I used Medjool dates)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 medium-size overripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350°, preferably on convection. Grease a 9-inch square metal cake pan with butter or cooking oil spray.
2. In a small heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over the dates; stir in the baking soda.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat 1/4 cup of the butter with 3/4 cup of the brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
6. At low-speed, beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
7. Add the date mixture and bananas, and beat at low-speed until just combined.
8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, the remaining 1/4 cup of butter, and the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar. Bring to a gentle boil over moderate heat, and cook until slightly thickened and deep golden, about 3 minutes. Keep warm.
10. Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke holes all over the cake.
11. Pour half of the warm sauce over the cake, and let stand until absorbed, about 10 minutes.
12. Serve warm with the remaining sauce and the whipped cream.

One Year Ago: Pear & Cranberry Pie

Two Years Ago: My Mother-in-Law’s Napoleon Torte

Three Years Ago:

• Fudgy Brownie Cake
• Mad Hungry Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Four Years Ago:

• Apple Dutch Baby
• Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
• Skinny Whole Wheat Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Five Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat Cinnamon Snacking Cake
• My Dad’s Breakfast Crepes
• Blueberry Buttermilk Waffles

Crisp Toffee Bars

I am a huge fan of a skillet-baked dessert. Irresistible. These blondie-esque, nutty cookies were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The edges were fabulously crumbly too. In the original recipe, the edges are removed prior to serving… What on Earth?! 😉

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Julia Moskin. I weighed all of the dry ingredients, included both of the add-ins, increased the skillet size, and reduced the baking time. The article cited that the original recipe for these buttery, basic toffee bars belongs to Maida Heatter, the great American dessert maven of the 20th century. It was adapted for a cast-iron skillet by Charlotte Druckman, who wrote a book on cast-iron baking in 2016. Wonderful.

Yield: 2 dozen bars

• 2 sticks/225 grams unsalted butter, cold but not frozen, plus 1 T more for buttering the pan
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup/210 grams soft-packed dark brown sugar
• 2 cups/240 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup/100 grams unsalted slivered almonds, toasted
• 6 ounces/170 grams chocolate chips or small chunks

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection. Place a rack in the middle and place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on it.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on low-speed for about a minute, until softened. Scrape down the bowl and the paddle.
3. With the mixer running at low-speed, add salt and vanilla.
4. Add the brown sugar, then turn the speed up to medium and beat until mixture is the color of peanut butter and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl again.
5. With the mixer running at low-speed, shake in flour, beating just until dough holds together. Mix in nuts or chocolate just until combined.
6. Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place 1 T of butter in it. As butter melts, swirl it over the bottom and sides of the pan until evenly coated.
7. Dump dough into skillet and press it out to evenly fill the skillet. You can use your fingers (being careful to avoid touching the hot pan), a potato masher or the bottom of a measuring cup. Press dough down firmly to make a compact, even layer.
8. Transfer to oven and bake for 25 to 40 minutes, until the top is walnut brown. You may be tempted to take it out when the edges have begun to darken, but let it continue to cook so the entire surface can take on that color. There may be bubbles visible on top of the dough; that’s a good sign.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. If necessary, run an offset spatula or butter knife around the sides of the pan to loosen. Cut into bars, squares or diamonds. (I cut them after they had completely cooled.)
10. Let the bars cool completely before removing from pan. Store in airtight container; they keep well for up to 1 week.

Note: This recipe can be adapted to bake in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

One Year Ago:

• Samoa Brownies

Two Years Ago:

• Outrageous Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread

Four Years Ago:

• Brown-Butter Toffee Blondies

Speculoos-Toffee Cookies

These were a perfect choice for a Father’s Day dessert for my husband. Two of his absolute favorite flavors combined in a crispy on the outside- chewy on the inside cookie. Their flavor was reminiscent of Pepperidge Farm “Bordeaux” cookies- a childhood favorite of my husband’s and mine. Delicious!

This recipe was adapted from Food.com, via Jess @ Cooking is my Sport. I made them slightly smaller and used Trader Joe’s chunky Speculoos cookie butter. They would also be insanely delicious as a cookie-wich!

Yield: 4 dozen 3 1/2-inch cookies

• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy or chunky Speculoos cookie butter (I used Trader Joe’s)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup Heath toffee bits

1. Cream together both sugars, the butter and the Speculoos cookie butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and salt and stir to combine.
3. In separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and corn starch together with whisk until well combined. Slowly add it to the wet mixture, mixing until well incorporated.
4. Using the lowest speed of mixer, or by hand, stir in the Heath toffee bits.
5. Refrigerate cookie dough at least one hour, preferably overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection. Line two rimmed baking sheet pans with parchment paper.
7. Using a large cookie scoop, spoon out portions of dough. Place onto sheet pans about 2-inches apart.
8. Bake cookies for 11 minutes, rotating the baking pans halfway through, or until the edges are lightly browned.
9. Allow cookies to sit on the baking pans for about 3-5 minutes, before moving to cooling rack to cool completely.

One Year Ago:

• Vanilla Rose Cake
• Fourth of July S’mores Bars with Marshmallow Meringue

Two Years Ago:

• Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Mini “M&M” Cookies

Three Years Ago:

• Father’s Day Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream
• Sour Cream Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Bean-Infused Turbinado Sugar
• Giant Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake

I may have overdone it… I made Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Bread for breakfast and Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake for dessert on the SAME DAY…. BUT, I have never made a “dump cake” (or heard of a “dump cake”) and I really wanted to try this one! 🙂 A “dump” cake is named for its simple preparation- dumping ingredients into a bowl, stirring, pouring into a pan and then coating with toppings prior to baking. The bottom layer of the cake is custardy and the top crunchy- great.

I knew that this “pumpkin-overload” in my menu planning was okay when my son called this cake “heaven on a plate.” My husband said that it was the best pumpkin dessert he had ever had! What rave reviews!! 🙂 This recipe was adapted from AllRecipes, via Nancy Creative. It is a wonderful autumn dessert and would be a great part of a Thanksgiving menu as well. We ate it with a dollop of whipped cream.

Yield: Makes one 9 x 13-inch cake

• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (16.5 oz.) package yellow cake mix (or use spice cake mix) (I used Dunkin Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup toffee bits
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
• whipped cream, for serving, optional
• salted caramel sauce, for serving, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (on convection). Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan.
2. In large bowl, mix pumpkin, light brown sugar, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and salt, blending well. Stir in the evaporated milk, then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pan.
3. Sprinkle all of the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture, then sprinkle the chopped pecans and then the toffee bits evenly over top of cake mix. Drizzle melted butter evenly over everything.
4. Bake for 45 minutes (on convection) or up to 60 minutes in a standard oven, until edges are lightly browned (it may be a little soft in the center, but will set as it cools; also, the cake may sink slightly as it cools). Cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving. You can serve just as it is or with a dollop of whipped cream. (maybe even a drizzle of salted caramel sauce on top if you really want to make it decadent!) Refrigerate any leftovers.

One Year Ago:

• Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Two Years Ago:

• Potato Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Brown-Butter Toffee Blondies

We have been taking a break from desserts – these were worth the wait. I have been desperate to make these blondies ever since I saw the recipe. Now that I have finally made them, we were not disappointed. We LOVED them! We ate them warm from the oven – gooey and DELICIOUS. They just might be the best blondies I have ever made. This recipe is from MarthaStewart.com.

• Yield: Makes about 1 dozen

• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)
• 1 cup toffee bits
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter parchment paper. (I used cooking oil spray.)
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown; remove from heat, and let cool.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
5. Attach bowl to mixer; add eggs. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
6. Add vanilla, and beat to combine.
7. Add flour mixture, walnuts, and toffee bits. Mix until thoroughly combined, and pour into prepared pan.
8. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 minutes on convection, or up to 40 minutes in a standard oven. (Do not overbake!).
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before turning out of pan onto a cutting board. Peel off parchment paper; cut blondies into 3-inch squares or with 1 1/2- to 2-inch cookie cutters.
10. Just before serving, dust half with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.