If I had to pick my favorite cookie either one of these would be the one. The following recipes for chocolate chip cookies and brownie toffee cookies rely on excellent quality chocolate, like Ghirardelli or Guittard, and both contain toffee. I am a sucker for the chocolate and toffee flavor combination. I love them both, but they are different. The first one is a classic chocolate chip, while the other one is a crossover of a brownie converted into a chewy, fudgy cookie.
I love the Tate chocolate chip cookie that I first tasted at Tate's Bake Shop in Southampton, N.Y. I returned home to my kitchen and began trying to duplicate the texture and flavor. I substituted some oatmeal for part of the flour, used lots of brown sugar and toffee bits to give these cookies a crisp, crunchy texture.
Chocolate chip cookies can be either chewy or crispy, depending upon the recipe and how you place them on the cookie sheet:
--Rounds of cookie dough will produce thicker and chewier cookies, while flattened rounds of dough will spread into thin flat crisps of buttery dough studded with chocolate chips and toffee.
--If you prefer larger cookies, drop golf-ball sized cookies onto baking sheets, and bake the cookies a few minutes longer.
The brownie toffee cookies are easy to make and include a combination of bittersweet chocolate batter and toffee bits. The toffee bits add a bit of extra sweetness and texture to the bittersweet chocolate batter. Sometimes I serve these at the end of a meal on a pretty platter with coffee and liqueurs. They are also great for afternoon tea, a casual lunch or a dinner dessert.
One of the secrets to making exceptional cookies is to make up the dough a day ahead, cover and refrigerate. This gives either baked cookie a richer, fuller flavor with notes of toffee and caramel. So go ahead and enjoy a platter of both or just one of these chocolate cookie gems. Watch how fast they disappear.
My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 5 dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies or 28 4-inch thin cookies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (If you prefer less, sweet use 60 percent bittersweet)
1/2 cup toffee bits
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Reserve.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture a little at a time and beat until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips, toffee and nuts. Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.
3. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. For cakier cookies: Using a teaspoon, drop cookies onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving 2-inches between each cookie. For crispier cookies: Using a 1-inch ice cream scoop, drop 4 scoops of cookie dough onto each baking sheet. Then press them into very thin rounds using the heel of your hand, leaving 2 inches between the cookies, until they are approximately 4 inches across.
4. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden. If using two racks, swap the baking sheets halfway through baking (these may need a minute or two longer to brown). Cookies will cook faster if using a dark non-stick cooking pan.
5. Remove baking sheets from oven and let cookies cool on sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Advance preparation: The cookies can be made up to one day ahead, covered and refrigerated through Step 2. Store the cookies in airtight containers for up to 1 week, or freeze for another time.
Brownie Toffee Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate chips (11/4 cups)
1/4 pound semisweet chocolate chips (2/3 cup)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toffee bits
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two baking sheets, or line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place the flour, salt and baking powder in a strainer over wax paper and sift. Reserve.
3. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over boiling water. Whisk the butter and chocolate until blended. Cool.
4. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the eggs and sugar until lemon colored, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate mixture and the vanilla, and beat until combined.
5. Stir the flour mixture into the batter slowly so it has no lumps. Stir in the toffee bits. Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.
6. Use a small ice cream scooper to scoop out cookies about 1 1/2 inches in size. Place the cookies about 3 inches apart. Dip the ice cream scoop in hot water between cookies to prevent sticking.
5. Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops barely spring back and are slightly puffed. Cool and serve.
Advance preparation: The cookies can be made one day ahead, covered and refrigerated through Step 4. Keep the cookies in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze for another time.
This article is written by Diane Rossen Worthington from Seriously Simple and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
