If you’re craving a cookie that’s equal parts cozy and indulgent, these Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies with Toffee are it. The nutty richness of browned butter pairs perfectly with chewy brown sugar, the homemade toffee pieces add a crunch while also melting into a caramel like consistency after baking. They’re soft in the center, crispy on the edges, and guaranteed to impress!
These were originally my chewy brown sugar cookies, but they got an elevated makeover! Any cookie that has a brown butter base is automatically a win in my book, it adds a nutty flavor and bonus, no mixer needed. The caramel flavor of the toffee pairs well with the brown sugar cookie base and brings these cookies together fully.
These are golden brown with little puddles of toffee that after baking get soft and caramel-like but set up again to add a nice crunch. Top with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and you have a decadent, chocolate-free cookie!
If you’re a fan of brown butter desserts, try my brown butter Oreo stuffed funfetti cookies. Find all of my cookie recipes here for even more inspiration. Some crowd favorites are the Nutella oatmeal cookies and my snickerdoodle sandwich cookies.
Baking Tip
Just want a classic brown sugar cookie? These can be made without the brown butter, jut use regular melted butter, and you cam omit the homemade toffee bits! The brown sugar cookies base is wonderful on it’s own. Roll in a little granulated sugar before baking for a textured look. Or use the brown butter and omit the toffee for a chewy brown butter sugar cookie!
Key Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar: Melts into caramelized sweetness that hardens into crunchy toffee.
- Unsalted Butter: Browned for a nutty, caramel-like flavor in the dough.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and chewiness with a hint of molasses.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs ensure smooth mixing and structure.
- Molasses: Deepens the flavor and enhances the chewy texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and depth; pure vanilla works best.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure, stick with this for the right texture.
How to Make The Brown Sugar Cookies
Let’s talk a little about how to make the Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies with Toffee (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Make toffee and let set. Break into chunks.
- Make brown butter.
- Combine butter and sugars.
- Add in eggs, molasses, and vanilla.
- Mix in dry ingredients and toffee.
- Chill, scoop, bake, and enjoy.
For the toffee:
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, set aside. Combine butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until butter is melted, then stop stirring and bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer, stirring occasionally, until it turns a dark amber color and the temperature reaches 285-295 degrees F.*1/2 cup Unsalted butter,1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- Pour toffee onto the prepared sheet pan and let cool until hardened. Once set, use your hands or the end of a wooden spoon to break the toffee into little bits.
For the cookie dough:
- While the toffee is cooling you can make the brown butter. Start by adding the butter to a large skillet, heat over medium-high heat stirring constantly for 7-10 minutes until the butter starts to brown. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom. Remove butter from the heat before it burns, you want it to have a dark amber color and nutty smell.
- Allow the brown butter to cool slightly and add to a large mixing bowl. To that add the brown sugar, eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold to combine until thoroughly mixed. Fold in the toffee bits. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Using a measuring spoon or a portion scoop, scoop out even amounts of dough, about 1.5 ounces per cookie. Form into a ball and place onto prepared sheet pan spacing about 2-3″ apart. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft. The toffee may ooze out around the edges, use a round cookie cutter to gently scoot the cookies back into circles. Let the cookies cool slightly on the sheet pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
Video Tutorial
See step-by-step how to make the cookies!
Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies with Toffee
Equipment
Ingredients
For the toffee:
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
For the cookie dough:
- 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups Light brown sugar, packed
- 2 Whole eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp Molasses
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
For the toffee:
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, set aside. Combine butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until butter is melted, then stop stirring and bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer, stirring occasionally, until it turns a dark amber color and the temperature reaches 285-295 degrees F.*1/2 cup Unsalted butter, 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- Pour toffee onto the prepared sheet pan and let cool until hardened. Once set, use your hands or the end of a wooden spoon to break the toffee into little bits.
For the cookie dough:
- While the toffee is cooling you can make the brown butter. Start by adding the butter to a large skillet, heat over medium-high heat stirring constantly for 7-10 minutes until the butter starts to brown. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom. Remove butter from the heat before it burns, you want it to have a dark amber color and nutty smell.1 cup Unsalted butter
- Allow the brown butter to cool slightly and add to a large mixing bowl. To that add the brown sugar, eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Mix to combine.1 1/2 cups Light brown sugar, 2 Whole eggs, 1 tbsp Molasses, 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold to combine until thoroughly mixed. Fold in the toffee bits. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes.2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour, 1 tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp Salt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Using a measuring spoon or a portion scoop, scoop out even amounts of dough, about 1.5 ounces per cookie. Form into a ball and place onto prepared sheet pan spacing about 2-3" apart. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft. The toffee may ooze out around the edges, use a round cookie cutter to gently scoot the cookies back into circles. Let the cookies cool slightly on the sheet pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
Notes
Tips for Success
- Brown butter slowly: Keep the heat on medium-high and stir often. The milk solids should turn golden and smell nutty, not burned. Remove from the heat before you think you need to!
- Chill the dough: A 30-minute chill helps the fat to set up and keeps the cookies from spreading too much.
- Uniform scoops: Use a cookie scoop for even baking.
- Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe, I would appreciate if you left a star rating on the recipe card above or a comment below sharing your experience! I value your feedback, it would also mean a lot if you could share this recipe or my website with friends or loved ones. Cheers!
How To Store Toffee Cookies
These cookies keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days (if they last this long!). For longer storage, freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the dough balls, just bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Recipe FAQs
Browning the butter adds a rich, nutty flavor that makes these cookies extra flavorful. You can use regular melted butter in a pinch.
Yes, chilling cookie dough allows the fat to set up so the cookie doesn’t spread too thin. This dough only needs to chill for a half an hour, if you do not chill this dough – the cookies could spread into each other.
The edges should be lightly golden and the centers still slightly soft. They’ll continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
Yes! Store-bought toffee bits (like Heath) work if you want to save time. Homemade toffee gives a deeper, buttery flavor and melts more seamlessly into the cookies.
Toffee can break if it cooks too quickly or gets too hot/cold too fast. If it starts to separate, take it off the heat and whisk until smooth again before continuing, you can usually get it to come back together simply by stirring.
Yes! You can scoop the dough into balls and freeze them. Bake straight from frozen, just add an extra 1–2 minutes to the baking time.
They bake up soft and chewy with slightly crispy edges. The toffee pieces melt and create little caramel pockets that also have some crunch.
Helpful Tools I Use
- USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to sheet pans, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely.
- Rubber Spatula – a must have! I like these because they don’t come apart so I don’t have to worry about water getting inside the spatula and causing mold.
- Portion Scoops – my go to for getting even sized cookies that bake perfectly each time!
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing your final dish on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Cheers!
-Rachel
The BEST cookie recipe – chewy, delicious, and so easy to make! I’ve made these for years, and am now known by folks from work as the “brown sugar cookie girl” because they made such an impression when I brought a batch in – people loved them so much, multiple asked for the recipe!
Thank you so much, Grace! Glad they are a hit!
The flavor of these cookies are great, but no matter what I did mine did not bake correctly. My first pan they all spread out and were super thin, so then I chilled the dough for even longer but even that did not fix the issue, so then with the very cold dough I upped the oven temperature by 25° knowing that a higher temperature means the sides will set faster with less time to spread but that also didn’t work (I also never baked them on a hot pan). I’ve made lots of cookie recipes and know lots of tricks but still couldn’t get this right…so what’s the magic trick?