Christmas Toffee Delight Cookies Recipe

Christmas Toffee Cookie Recipe That Spreads Holiday Cheer

Sweet Christmas toffee delight cookies spark memories of festive gatherings and warm kitchen moments.

Rich, buttery textures merge with delicate holiday spices in this irresistible treat.

Seasonal baking changes ordinary ingredients into extraordinary culinary magic that delights families and friends.

Crisp edges and soft centers create a perfect balance of textures that dance across your palate.

Hints of caramel and toffee weave through each delectable bite, capturing the essence of winter celebrations.

Nostalgic flavors blend seamlessly, promising a mouthwatering experience that connects generations through shared sweetness.

Store Your Toffee Cookies Well

  • Storing and Reheating Leftovers
  • Refrigerate cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Layer between parchment paper to prevent sticking. Seal tightly to maintain freshness and prevent moisture absorption. Freeze baked cookies for maximum 3 weeks by wrapping individual cookies in plastic wrap, then storing in freezer-safe containers. Thaw frozen cookies at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Restore crispy texture by warming cookies in a 300°F oven for 3-5 minutes just before enjoying. Microwave briefly (10-15 seconds) if you prefer softer, warm cookies with melted chocolate and toffee bits.

Serve With Toffee Cookies

  • Savor Festive Wine Companions: Pair these rich, buttery cookies with a sweet dessert wine like port or moscato, which complements the toffee's caramel notes and enhances the cookie's decadent flavor profile.
  • Match Cozy Beverage Warmth: Enjoy these cookies alongside a creamy hot chocolate or a spiced chai latte, allowing the warm drink to melt the chocolate and highlight the toffee's sweet crunch.
  • Craft Complementary Cheese Plate: Create a delightful dessert experience by serving these cookies with a selection of mild cheeses like brie or mascarpone, which balance the cookie's sweetness and provide a luxurious texture contrast.
  • Elevate Coffee Moment: Serve alongside a smooth espresso or a classic cappuccino, where the coffee's robust flavor cuts through the cookie's richness and brings out the nuanced browned butter undertones.

Flavor Options for Toffee Cookies

  • Peppermint Crunch Toffee Cookies: Crush candy canes and mix into the toffee layer, sprinkle crushed peppermint on top of cookies for a festive winter flavor.
  • Nutty Caramel Variation: Replace saltines with graham crackers, add chopped pecans or almonds to the toffee base for extra crunch and rich nutty undertones.
  • Dark Chocolate Espresso Edition: Swap milk chocolate chips with dark chocolate, add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the cookie dough for a sophisticated coffee-infused treat.
  • Sea Salt Caramel Swirl: Drizzle homemade caramel sauce over the cooled cookies, increase sea salt quantity for a pronounced sweet-salty contrast that elevates the original recipe.

What Makes Toffee Cookies Festive

  • Flavor Explosion: Indulge in a perfect blend of sweet, salty, and buttery notes that dance together in each bite, creating a mouthwatering Christmas treat that'll make taste buds sing with joy.
  • Texture Wonderland: Experience a delightful contrast between crispy toffee edges, soft cookie centers, and crunchy sea salt sprinkles that provide an irresistible textural adventure in every single cookie.
  • Impressive Technique Mastery: Elevate your baking skills by mastering professional techniques like browning butter and making homemade toffee, transforming ordinary cookie-baking into a gourmet culinary experience that'll wow friends and family.
  • Holiday Showstopper: Craft a festive dessert that screams Christmas celebration, perfect for gifting, cookie exchanges, or creating memorable moments with loved ones during the most wonderful time of the year.

Main Ingredients:

Toffee Base:
  • Saltines: Crisp, salty base that provides a perfect foundation for the toffee layer.
  • Butter: Rich, golden ingredient that creates the classic toffee texture and deep flavor.
  • Brown Sugar: Adds deep caramel sweetness and helps create the sticky toffee layer.
Cookie Ingredients:
  • All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and helps create the perfect cookie texture.
  • Baking Soda: Helps cookies rise and spread with a soft, chewy consistency.
  • Eggs: Bind the ingredients and add moisture to the cookie dough.
  • Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor with warm, sweet aromatics.
Finishing Ingredients:
  • Chocolate Chips: Adds rich, melty chocolate flavor and extra indulgence.
  • Sea Salt: Provides a perfect balance to the sweet toffee and chocolate.
  • Granulated Sugar: Contributes to cookie sweetness and helps with caramelization.
  • Unsalted Butter: Creates a nutty, brown butter base with deep, complex flavor.
  • Vanilla Extract: Adds depth and warmth to the cookie's overall taste profile.

Bake Toffee Cookies in Minutes

Step 1: Create The Toffee Base

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange saltine crackers in a single layer. In a saucepan, combine:
  • Butter
  • Brown sugar

Pour toffee mixture evenly over crackers. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips, let melt, then add sea salt. Freeze until solid.

Step 2: Brown The Butter

Place butter in a light-colored saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly until butter turns golden brown and develops a nutty aroma. Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature.

Step 3: Mix Cookie Dough

In a bowl, whisk together:
  • Flour
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
In another bowl, combine browned butter with:
  • White sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract

Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Freeze dough for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Incorporate Toffee Pieces

Remove frozen toffee from freezer. Chop into small chunks. Fold most toffee pieces into cookie dough, reserving some for topping. Chill dough for additional 15 minutes.

Step 5: Bake Cookies

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough into rounded balls. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Immediately press reserved toffee pieces on top. Cool on wire rack.

  • Brown Butter Brilliance: Let browned butter cool completely to enhance deep, nutty flavors and prevent egg scrambling.
  • Toffee Technique: Freeze toffee before chopping to prevent sticky, messy cutting and create cleaner, more precise pieces.
  • Chill for Success: Refrigerate cookie dough for at least 2 hours to prevent spreading and develop richer, more complex taste.
  • Sea Salt Sparkle: Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top just before baking to create a delightful sweet-and-salty contrast.
  • Strategic Toffee Placement: Reserve some toffee bits for topping cookies after baking to ensure maximum crunch and visual appeal.
Print
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Christmas Toffee Delight Cookies Recipe

Christmas Toffee Delight Cookies Recipe


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4.7 from 17 reviews

  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 24 1x

Description

Homemade Christmas Toffee Delight Cookies sparkle with festive cheer and rich chocolate-toffee flavor. Sweet memories mingle with buttery crunch, inviting holiday joy into kitchens where deliciousness becomes tradition you’ll savor.


Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
  • 20 saltine crackers

Sugars and Sweeteners:

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Baking and Flavoring Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Sea salt for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Craft the foundational toffee layer by heating the oven to 350°F (175°C), spreading saltine crackers evenly across a lined baking sheet, and thoroughly coating with a rich caramel-like butter mixture.
  2. Allow the toffee base to transform in the oven until golden and bubbling, approximately 8-10 minutes, creating a crisp, glossy surface.
  3. Sprinkle high-quality chocolate chips across the hot toffee, letting them melt into a smooth coating, then dust with flaky sea salt for a contrasting flavor profile.
  4. Rapidly chill the toffee sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to solidify the layers and create a crisp texture.
  5. Meanwhile, develop a complex brown butter by gently heating unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan until it reaches a deep amber color and releases a nutty aroma.
  6. Transfer the browned butter to a cooling vessel, allowing it to reach room temperature while maintaining its rich, caramelized essence.
  7. Combine all-purpose flour and baking soda in a separate bowl, whisking to eliminate potential lumps and ensure even distribution.
  8. In a large mixing bowl, blend the cooled brown butter with granulated and brown sugars, incorporating eggs and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes smooth and homogeneous.
  9. Gradually fold the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients, creating a cohesive cookie dough with a velvety consistency.
  10. Freeze the developing dough for 30 minutes to enhance its structural integrity and flavor concentration.
  11. Extract the previously prepared toffee from the freezer, carefully fracturing it into small, irregular fragments using a sharp knife or kitchen mallet.
  12. Gently fold approximately 75% of the toffee pieces into the chilled cookie dough, reserving the remaining fragments for decorative topping.
  13. Refrigerate the enhanced dough for an additional 15-20 minutes to stabilize its structure.
  14. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  15. Portion the dough into uniform 2-tablespoon (30 milliliters) spheres, strategically spacing them to allow proper expansion during baking.
  16. Bake for 10-12 minutes, monitoring until the edges turn a delicate golden brown while maintaining a soft center.
  17. Immediately after removing from the oven, garnish each cookie with the reserved toffee fragments, pressing them gently into the warm surface.
  18. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack, allowing them to reach ambient temperature and achieve optimal texture.

Notes

  • Prepare the toffee ahead of time to ensure a rich, caramelized base that adds depth and crunch to these festive cookies.
  • Browning the butter creates a nutty, complex flavor that elevates the entire cookie, transforming an ordinary recipe into something extraordinary.
  • Chilling the dough helps prevent spreading and intensifies the flavors, allowing the ingredients to meld together perfectly.
  • Chopping the frozen toffee into varied sizes creates interesting texture pockets throughout each cookie, delivering surprise bursts of sweet crackle.
  • Sea salt sprinkle provides a sophisticated contrast to the sweet toffee, balancing the overall flavor profile and adding a gourmet touch.
  • Freezing the toffee before incorporating it into the dough helps maintain distinct pieces and prevents complete melting during baking.
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Desserts, Snacks
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 24
  • Calories: 210 cal
  • Sugar: 12 g
  • Sodium: 90 mg
  • Fat: 13 g
  • Saturated Fat: 8 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 22 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 2 g
  • Cholesterol: 35 mg
Lucas Bennett

Lucas Bennett

Founder & Recipe Creator

Expertise

Simple Everyday Recipes, Sustainable Cooking Practices, Creative Meal Planning, Recipe Testing and Improvement

Education

Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wisconsin

  • Degree: Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts
  • Focus: Practical culinary training, fundamental cooking techniques, meal planning, and using fresh, local ingredients.

Lake Superior College, Duluth, Minnesota

  • Program: Certificate in Sustainable Food Systems
  • Focus: Cooking methods that promote sustainability, farm-to-table practices, and eco-friendly meal creation.

Lucas Bennett’s cooking journey started in his parents’ kitchen, where he learned to prepare tasty, no-fuss meals from scratch. His culinary passion led him to Fox Valley Technical College, where he gained practical cooking skills.
He then expanded his focus on sustainability at Lake Superior College. Today, Lucas shares easy, approachable recipes designed to make cooking enjoyable and stress-free for everyone.

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