Toffee Butter Cookies

This simple cookie doesn't look like much, but oh baby, does it taste wonderful.  It's kind of like those potato chips, you can't eat just one, same deal.  You pick one up, they're deceptive, you think, this isn't going to be much, just something to munch on until the good stuff gets here.  Bite.  Chew.  Close eyes. Heaven.  The caramelized toffee hits you and it tastes so much bigger than you could ever have imagined!  Quickly snatch another one, maybe two more, hoping people aren't watching you make a pig out of yourself.

I originally came across this recipe in America's Test Kitchen's annual Cookie magazine.  I have saved it for many, many years.  It is a go-to recipe for me, because it's easy and so, so good.  I have adapted it a bit to fit my tastes.  This cookie does require chill time, so be aware.  You can't just whip up a batch completely spur of the moment, you've got to give it a couple of hours to chill.

Toffee Butter Cookies
Adapted from:Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking Magazine, 2008

2 1/3 C.  Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
16 Tbl. Regular, salted butter, softened
1 C. lightly packed brown sugar
1 Egg...fresh, perhaps?
2 tsp Vanilla, homemade if ya got!  I used bourbon vanilla, it was yum!
An entire bag of Heath Toffee Chips.  Either plain toffee or the toffee with chocolate, I like them both...but I do lean towards the toffee with chocolate.  I'm a chocolate kinda gal.

optional ingredients for chocolate drizzle
1 Cup chocolate chips (I use a mix of semi sweet and milk)
A small dollop of vegetable shortening.  Probably a teaspoon or two

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar until light brown and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.  Add flour combo and mix.  Add the heath chips.  Mix.

Now, take your dough and split it in half.  Throw one half of  it on a large piece of plastic wrap and begin to form it.  You want it to be shaped approximately 2 inches wide and 1 inch thick.  Nice and rectangular.  This can take a bit of doing.  I use the plastic wrap and help mush it and squish it and form it.  I open and close the plastic wrap, making it tighter each time to help the dough squish down to the appropriate size and shape.

Do the same to the other half.

Refrigerate, in the plastic wrap for about 2 hours.  You can also freeze them for about half an hour and they'll be fine.

Using a sharp knife, slice logs into cookies, about 1/4 inch thick.  Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  You can pack them in pretty close as they don't rise much.  Bake for about 11 minutes, until just beginning to brown around the edges.  Let cool completely.  DEVOUR!

Wednesday's post is going to be about how to take them up a notch and add chocolate drizzles.  But, trust me when I say these cookies are perfect just as they are.  Oh, and they are so good for dunking in hot cocoa!

Thanks for reading!

p.s. not to freak you out, but Christmas is in 9 days.  That means 8 more shopping days left...and 8 more days to make Christmas Cookies!!!  Get busy!

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