Toffee Brown Butter Cookies
These Toffee Brown Butter Cookies are rich, chewy, and full of nutty caramel flavor. Browning the butter brings a deep, toasty note that pairs perfectly with sweet, crunchy toffee bits, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt makes them completely irresistible. With crisp edges and soft, gooey centers, these cookies are the kind you’ll want to bake in big batches—perfect for freezing and baking off whenever the craving hits.
Best Toffee Brown Butter Cookies Recipe
The key to these cookies is the brown butter. Slowly melting and toasting the butter until it turns golden and fragrant adds a layer of complexity you just can’t get from regular softened butter. Paired with toffee bits (and optional pecans or walnuts for extra crunch), the result is a cookie that’s sweet, nutty, and perfectly balanced.
Brown Butter Base
Start by making the brown butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. It will foam, then crackle, and soon brown bits will form on the bottom. Once it smells nutty and turns golden, remove from heat immediately and transfer to a mixing bowl. Let it cool for about 30 minutes so it doesn’t scramble the eggs later.
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Cookie Dough
Add both sugars to the cooled brown butter and whisk until combined. Mix in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mixing just until combined.
Fold in the toffee bits, and if you like, chopped pecans or walnuts for an extra crunch.
Rest the Dough
Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least one hour. For the best flavor and structure, refrigerate overnight. If you want to freeze, scoop the cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined tray, freeze until firm, then store in freezer bags to bake later.
Bake the Cookies
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place them 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. You can use a large cookie scoop. Use a rubber spatula to get every last bit. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underbaked. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storage
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days. The dough freezes well for up to 3 months, making it easy to bake fresh cookies anytime.
Tips & Tricks for Toffee Brown Butter Cookies
- Use light-colored pans when browning butter so you can see the color change easily.
- Don’t skip the chill—it keeps the cookies from spreading too much and deepens the flavor.
- Underdone centers are key—they’ll finish baking as they cool, keeping the texture chewy.
- Add a sprinkle of sea salt right out of the oven for a bakery-style finish.
Variations
- Chocolate Toffee Cookies: Fold in 1 cup of chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips along with the toffee bits.
- Heath Bar Additions: Fold in 1 cup of heath bar bits to really up the toffee!
- Espresso Toffee Cookies: Add 1 teaspoon espresso powder to the dry ingredients for a mocha kick.
- Nut-Free Option: Skip the nuts and just use toffee for a chewy, crunchy cookie.
- Salted Caramel Twist: Drizzle baked cookies with melted caramel sauce and a touch of sea salt.
Toffee Brown Butter Cookies – FAQ
1. Why is browning the butter so important in this recipe?
Browning the butter develops a rich, nutty, caramel-like flavor that soft butter can’t match. You melt it in a light-colored pan, stir until foamy and crackling, and once golden with a warm, toasty aroma, remove it from heat immediately.
2. How long should I chill the dough, and why?
The dough must be chilled for at least 1 hour, but overnight chilling is ideal for deeper flavor and better structure. Chilling prevents excessive spreading and enhances both texture and taste.
3. Can I freeze the dough, and how do I bake from frozen?
Yes! Scoop the dough into balls, freeze on a tray until firm, then transfer to freezer bags. You can bake them straight from frozen—no need to thaw—and simply extend the baking time by a few minutes.
4. How do I get that perfect texture—crispy edges and gooey centers?
Bake at 350 °F (175 °C) for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are golden while the centers still look slightly underbaked. They’ll finish setting on the baking sheet, giving that ideal chewy center with crisp edges.
5. Is sprinkling sea salt optional, and what’s the effect?
Sprinkling flaky sea salt on the cookies right after they come out of the oven is optional but highly recommended. It adds a savory contrast that highlights the sweet toffee and enhances the overall flavor profile.
Similar Recipes to Toffee Brown Butter Cookies
Jumbo Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
I hope you enjoy baking (and eating!) these Toffee Brown Butter Cookies as much as I do. If you make them, I’d love to see your creations—share your photos with me on Instagram and tag me so I can cheer you on!
Toffee Brown Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226 grams
- 1 cup brown sugar 220 grams
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 287 grams
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp kosher salt or ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 cup toffee bits (Heath Bits o’ Brickle or chopped toffee bars) 150 grams
- Optional: ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- In a light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir constantly. After it foams and crackles, brown bits will start forming at the bottom and it’ll smell nutty. Stay around because the butter will start browning fast. Once golden brown (not burned), remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Cool for about 30 minutes.
- Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the browned butter. Beat with a mixer. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Once the sugar and butter are incorporated, add the eggs one at a time, beating until completely incorporated before adding the next one. Then add the vanilla. Beat until the mixture looks smooth
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Mix just until combined.
- Fold in toffee bits and nuts, if using.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour for the dough to firm up.
- Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place on a parchment-paper lined tray. They can be placed right next to each other because they will be chilled before baking. I usually place the tray with the scooped cookies in the freezer, and once the cookies are frozen, I place them in ziplock bags to be baked whenever I feel like it.
- If you don’t want to freeze them, simply scoop the cookies and keep them in the fridge (covered) for at least another hour before baking, ideally overnight. The longer the chill, the richer the flavor and also better the texture and structure of the cookies.
- You can bake some right away, but they might spread without the proper chilling time.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the chilled cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, space them 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until edges are golden and centers still look slightly underbaked. They’ll finish setting on the tray.
- You can sprinkle a touch of sea salt, such as Maldon, once the cookies come out of the oven.
- Let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
Video
Hi Camila!
I tried the recipe and although they taste great, they are no where near as thin and chewy as in your photos. This is definitely user error on my part, they look more cakey and thicker. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Chloe, if the cookies came out thicker maybe it could be to too much flour. Did you measure by weight or by cups? Sometimes if we use cups, the measurement can be inaccurate.
It could also be due to their shape, next time, flatten them out a bit before baking. But if you used cups to measure them, I’m almost certain the flour thing was the issue, not the shaping.
Question – It says to let the batter rest, ideally overnight. What about making into balls and freezing – do I have to rest overnight BEFORE I freeze? Also if I want to bake after freezing, do you let them defrost completely first? Thanks!
No, you can just freeze them, no need to rest overnight. And no defrosting is needed, bake frozen. They should take just a couple more minutes to bake.