This rich, chewy Giant Brown Butter Toffee Cookie is made with a rich, brown butter cookie dough and filled with toffee bits. Once baked, it’s topped with homemade chocolate caramel, toasted almonds, more toffee bits and chunks of dark chocolate! Wow!
This Giant Brown Butter Toffee Cookie is everything a cookie should be: rich, delicious and fun! Brown butter, brown sugar, vanilla and toffee bits make for a chewy, flavorful cookie that you just want to sink your teeth into!
Salted chocolate caramel sauce, more toffee, chopped chocolate and toasted almonds add even more sweetness and crunch on top!
THIS GIANT COOKIE IS:
- Fun! These cookies are fun to make, fun to look at, and fun to eat!
- Chewy: The brown sugar in the cookie dough gives these cookies its chewy texture.
- Chocolatey: This giant cookie is topped with both chocolate caramel and chopped chocolate!
- Crunchy: The almonds and toffee bits on top add a bit of crunch and extra deliciousness.
- Simple: The cookie dough is made without a mixer and is no chill!
The difference between individual cookies and giant cookies is how they are baked. The dough for this easy, delicious cookie bakes up in a pan rather than a cookie sheet and gets sliced up like a cake.
WHAT’S IN THIS GIANT COOKIE?
What I love most about this giant toffee cookie is that it’s almost like two desserts in one: the delicious brown butter toffee cookie AND the rich chocolate caramel sauce.
- BROWN BUTTER: Brown butter is just butter that is basically just butter that is toasted. It adds a slightly nutty, caramelized, delicious flavor to desserts!
- TOFFEE BITS: I love the delicious burnt caramel flavor of toffee bits. If you also love the flavor of toffee, you’ll love these delicious Brown Butter Chopped Chocolate Toffee Cookies and/or, for a shortbread recipe, definitely try these buttery Chocolate Almond Toffee Slice and Bake Cookies!
- BROWN SUGAR: The brown sugar gives this cookie a soft, chewy texture and adds lots of flavor.
- VANILLA EXTRACT: Over two teaspoons for lots of flavor!
- SALTED CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SAUCE: What’s not to LOVE about thick, homemade salted caramel sauce with lots of dark chocolate melted in it? If you love caramel sauce AND chocolate (which I’m sure you do), you’re going to love this. Like me, you’ll probably want to put it on everything.
MADE BETTER WITH TOPPINGS!
I know, the cookie and chocolate caramel are already more than enough deliciousness, but why not add more toppings!? These toppings hint at the flavor already inside and on top of the cookie and add even more flavor and texture! Check out these delicious toppings:
- TOFFEE BITS: For two reasons, to hint at the toffee bits in the cookie dough AND because they’re sweet and slightly crunchy to bite into!
- CHOPPED CHOCOLATE: In combination with the chocolate caramel sauce, chopped chocolate definitely increases the chocolate factor! I used dark chocolate since the toffee and brown sugar add enough sweetness.
- TOASTED ALMONDS: Snickers is my favorite candy bar, so no surprise that I love almonds and chocolate together. The almonds add a nice crunch and just make the tops of this giant cookie look more interesting.
HOW TO MAKE A GIANT BROWN BUTTER TOFFEE COOKIE
Start by making the brown butter. Brown butter is butter that gets browned on the stove top before it’s used in a recipe. It adds a rich, slightly nutty flavor to recipes. If you find yourself craving more desserts with brown butter, try my Brown Butter Chocolate Cookies and these Brown Butter Brownies!
While it’s not hard to make, you definitely read through the directions BEFORE making brown butter especially if you’ve never done it. For more of a tutorial, check out this post on How to Brown Butter from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Once you’ve browned the butter, you’ll want to let it cool slightly before using it in the recipe. You can gather and prepare the rest of the ingredients while the butter cools.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set this mixture aside.
Mix the the brown butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then mix in the vanilla followed by the egg and then the egg yolk.
Add the dry ingredients: With the mixer on low speed, slowly beat in the dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits then press the cookie dough evenly into the pan. Bake the cookies for 19-21 or until the sides are golden brown but the center is still soft. While the cookie is cooling, make the chocolate caramel sauce!
TIPS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE CARAMEL SAUCE
I know caramel sauce can sound intimidating, but it’s super quick and easy especially after you’ve made it a couple of times. If you’ve never made it before, here are a few tips:
- PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. It takes less than ten minutes to make caramel sauce, BUT you do need to WATCH for the sauce to change color so that you know when to add the remaining ingredients.
- BE ORGANIZED. Make sure you have all your ingredients and tools nearby BEFORE you start. You’ll start with the sugar, water and corn syrup, but definitely have the remaining ingredients measured out and next to the stove. I even position my ingredients in the order that I’ll need them so that I don’t have to refer to my recipe to know what to add. Just a little visual clue.
- KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. For this chocolate caramel recipe, we want to heat the sugar, water and corn syrup until it’s medium amber. Since people’s ideas of color is different, it’s definitely helpful to have a clear idea of what color you’re going for. Bon Appetit has this cool post on The Caramel Spectrum complete with pictures. It’s especially helpful since we’re not using a thermometer to tell us what stage our caramel is in.
- USE A POT WITH TALL SIDES AND DON’T BE SURPRISED WHEN YOUR CARAMEL HISSES! The hot caramel will definitely bubble up and sputter when you add the cream and butter, so it’s good to expect that. It’s also good to use a pot with tall sides so that you don’t get burned and it doesn’t bubble over.
Once the cookie has cooled, go ahead and drizzle the chocolate caramel sauce over it. I used between 1/4 and 1/3 cup but you can definitely use more if you like!
Now that we’re approaching fall, I think this cookie would be delicious with my maple caramel drizzled on top! You can really use any caramel you have or like.
To toast the almonds, just put some raw almonds on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake them at 300 F for about ten minutes. Once they’ve cooled slightly, just chop them up.
This Giant Brown Butter Toffee Cookie has perfectly slightly crispy edges and a flavorful, doughy, chewy middle. With their brown butter, brown sugar and toffee cookie dough and super delicious toppings, these cookies are incredibly flavorful! Top them with flaky sea salt to really set them off!
Giant Brown Butter Toffee Cookie
Ingredients
- 15 tablespoons unsalted butter browned (directions below)
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup toffee bits divided
- 1/3 cup almonds toasted, chopped
- 5 ounces dark chocolate chopped
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SAUCE
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup heavy cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ounces chocolate dark or bittersweet, chopped
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Use a light colored pan if possible as this will help you better notice the butter change color. Stir the butter constantly. It will start to foam and will change to a light, amber color then to golden brown in about 5-7 minutes. Once the butter is golden brown, remove from heat and pour into a heat safe bowl. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 13 x 9 inch rectangular pan with parchment paper. Leave some excess parchment paper on two sides. This will make the cookie easy to remove once baked.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the the brown butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then mix in the vanilla and the egg yolks.
- Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits then press the cookie dough evenly into the pan.
- Cook for 19–21 minutes or until the sides are golden brown but the center is still soft. Set the pan on a cooling rack to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- While the cookie is cooling, make the chocolate caramel sauce.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SAUCE
- In a saucepan with tall sides, stir to combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat and allow to cook/bubble without stirring. Gently lift and swirl the pan a few times to help the ingredients cook evenly. Cook until caramel turns light to medium amber (about 8 to 10 minutes) then remove from heat.
- Immediately but carefully add the heavy cream followed by the butter, salt and vanilla and finally the chocolate. The mixture will bubble and hiss with the addition of these ingredients. Stir with a whisk, spatula or wooden spoon until smooth.
- Drizzle about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of the chocolate caramel sauce over the cooled cookie (refrigerate the remainder of the caramel for future use). Top with the remaining toffee bits, chopped chocolate and chopped almonds. Top with flaky sea salt if desired. Pull up on parchment paper to remove from pan. Set bars on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut them. Store leftovers at in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Barbara Briggs Ward
Just the recipe’s name makes me crave these cookies!
Natalie
Thanks! 🙂 Hope you get to try them….It’s hard not to eat the entire giant cookie!