These double chocolate toffee cookies take everything you loved about my viral toffee chocolate chip cookies and make them even more chocolatey. Homemade buttery toffee, melty semi-sweet chocolate wafers, and a hint of espresso create a rich cocoa flavor, while crisp edges, fudgy centers, and crunchy toffee bits give these cookies the perfect bakery-style texture in every bite.
My recipe tester Mackenzee summed these cookies up perfectly: “I usually am not a fan of double chocolate cookies because they can get too sweet and too rich. However, my mind changed after this cookie.”
She also gave them a 6/5 rating, saying they’re one of her top three cookie recipes from Cambrea Bakes.
I can’t wait for you to try them!
How to Make Them
1
Making homemade toffee is much easier with an instant-read thermometer.
Rather than clipping it to the side of the pan, tilt the saucepan so the toffee pools to one side and insert the probe into the liquid. It’s the easiest way to get an accurate reading and avoid undercooked or overcooked toffee.
2
When combining the melted butter and sugar for the cookie dough, whisk them vigorously until fully emulsified.
You shouldn’t see any liquid butter when combined properly.
3
Once the egg and vanilla have been whisked in thoroughly, the dough should be thick and glossy.
4
Mix in the dry ingredients until almost combined; you should still see some dry streaks and pockets of flour. This prevents you from overmixing the cookie dough.
5
Mix in the chocolate wafers or chips and toffee pieces until just combined.
I use Guittard Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Wafers for pools of melty chocolate, but regular chocolate chips also work!
6
After a quick chill in the fridge, the dough should be firm enough to scoop cleanly without sticking.
For large, bakery-style cookies, I made them into 3-ounce scoops.
You do have to give the cookie dough an hour or two to chill before baking, so if you’re short on time, my 20-minute fudgy brownie cookies are an easy alternative with the same deep chocolate flavor.
Enjoy!
— Cambrea 🫶🏻
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Double Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Ingredients
For the Homemade Toffee
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or extract
For the Cookie Dough
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, *See notes below for measuring*
- 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, Increase to 1 teaspoon if not using flaky sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large whole egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
- 100 g semi-sweet chocolate baking wafers, or chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup toffee pieces
- Flaky sea salt, for the tops, optional
Instructions
Make the Toffee Pieces
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla, and cook for 6–10 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the mixture reaches 295°F (146°C) and has the consistency of melted peanut butter. If the mixture begins to separate at any point, remove the pan from the heat and whisk vigorously until it comes back together.4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) vanilla bean paste
- Immediately pour the toffee onto the prepared baking sheet and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Once cooled, put it into a ziplock bag and break it into small pieces using a meat mallet or another heavy object.
Make the Cookie Dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder.1 2/3 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup (35 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) espresso powder
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and emulsified.12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (128 g) light brown sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.1 (54 g) large whole egg, 1 (17 g) large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons (4 g) vanilla bean paste or extract
- Fold in the dry ingredients until a few flour streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate wafers and toffee pieces until just combined.100 g semi-sweet chocolate baking wafers, 1/2 cup (75 g) toffee pieces
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Scoop the dough into 2.8-ounce (80 g) portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. If needed, move any chocolate wafers or toffee pieces from the bottoms of the dough balls to the tops.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange 5–6 cookies per baking sheet, leaving 2–3 inches between each one.
- Bake one tray at a time for 10–12 minutes, keeping the remaining dough refrigerated while each tray bakes.
- The cookies are done when the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft.
- Immediately after baking, use a large round cutter or offset spatula to gently scoot the cookies into a more even shape. Press additional toffee pieces into the tops and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.Flaky sea salt
