Description
A buttery, coffee-kissed cookie studded with crunchy toffee — chewy in the middle, slightly crisp at the edges, and finished with a pinch of sea salt. Ready in a few hours (mostly chilling time) and worth every minute.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 tablespoons (½ cup / 113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- ¾ cup (165 g) packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (≈175 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup (≈80 g) toffee bits (with or without chocolate)
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring as it foams, then watch for amber specks and a nutty aroma. When browned, remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the espresso powder until dissolved. Chill the butter in the fridge until it firms but is still scoopable (about 1–2 hours).
- Cream sugars and butter. In a mixer bowl, beat the cooled browned butter with the brown and granulated sugars until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla. Mix in the egg and vanilla until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry mix to the wet ingredients on low speed and mix just until combined.
- Fold in toffee. Gently fold the toffee bits into the dough with a spatula.
- Chill the dough. Form the dough into large scoops (about 2–3 tablespoons each) and place on a tray. Refrigerate for at least a few hours, ideally overnight, to firm and develop the flavors.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Arrange chilled dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them a couple inches apart. Sprinkle each with a little flaky sea salt. Bake 11–13 minutes, until the edges are golden and centers still look slightly soft.
- Cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 4–5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Flavor boost: For a stronger coffee note, add ½–1 teaspoon extra espresso powder to the dry mix.
- Avoid spread: If cookies spread too much, chill dough longer or reduce oven temperature by 10°F.
- Store: Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze dough: Freeze pre-scooped dough balls on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
- Reheat: Warm cookies on a baking sheet at 350°F (175°C) for 3–5 minutes to refresh their texture.