Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies with Toffee
These Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies with Toffee are rich, chewy, and full of buttery caramel flavor. Browned butter adds nutty depth, while chunks of homemade toffee melt into gooey pockets throughout each bite. Perfect for cookie swaps, holiday trays, or whenever you’re craving a bakery-style treat with a twist.
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
*If the toffee separates at any point, remove from the heat and stir continuously until the mixture comes back together. You can tell it has separated because a thin layer of butter will sit on top of the sugar.
*Cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven, allow them to set on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
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
Serving: 1cookiesCalories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 205mgPotassium: 72mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 499IUCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg