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    Home » Cookies

    Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Published: Nov 3, 2020 by Ashley This post may contain affiliate links. 7 Comments

    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    Made with toasty brown butter, crunchy toffee bits, espresso powder, and pools of dark chocolate topped with flaky salt, these chewy brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are full of flavor and truly one of the best (if not THE absolute best) cookies you’ll ever eat.

    baked cookies on a cookie sheet

    If you love brown butter in your baked goods like I do, try my Brown Butter Maple Pecan Cookies, my Pumpkin Brown Butter Snickerdoodles and my Brown Butter Cake.

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love These Cookies
    • Recipe Ingredient Notes
    • Recipe Instructions
    • Baking Tips
    • Storage
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Cookies to Try
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Why You Will Love These Cookies

    • Crisp edges with chewy, gooey centers.
    • Nutty, golden, brown butter, caramel-ly brown sugar and espresso powder goes so well with dark, bittersweet chocolate. Toffee bits add a bit of crunch and sweetness to the deeply flavored cookies. Topped with flaky salt, and all the individual flavors just pop. An absolute perfect cookie.
    • This dough can be made in advance, stored in the fridge for a few days, or frozen and baked off when a craving hits.
    • Easy to follow recipe with step-by-step photo instructions for perfect brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies every time.
    melty chocolate and salt on a cookie

    Recipe Ingredient Notes

    (See recipe card for full list of ingredients and amounts.)

    Brown butter – Brown butter gives baked goods a depth of flavor that just makes a good cookie an incredible cookie. Brown butter provides richness, and a roasted nutty flavor that just can’t be beat.

    Instant espresso powder – Provides a mild coffee flavor and enhances the chocolate. It also cuts through the sweetness of the cookie.

    Brown sugar – Keeps the cookies moist and gives them a caramel-like flavor.

    Chocolate – Bittersweet chocolate is my preference for these cookies, but semi-sweet also works well. You can absolutely use chips, but I recommend coarsely chopped chocolate bars to get those melty chocolate pools.

    Toffee – Crunch, sweetness and a toasty flavor

    Flaky salt – Salt helps to identify and balance flavors. I especially like to use it on baked goods that tend to be pretty sweet to break up the sweetness.

    cookies scattered on cookie sheet

    Recipe Instructions

    (Full recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.)

    1. Brown half of the butter until golden brown.
    2. Whisk together the flour, espresso powder, salt and baking soda.
    3. Beat together the remaining butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
    4. Beat in the vanilla and cooled brown butter, followed by the egg and egg yolk.
    process photos making cookie dough
    1. Beat in the flour mixture.
    2. Fold in the chopped chocolate and toffee bits.
    3. Scoop the dough and top with flaky salt.
    4. Bake for 13-15 minutes.
    Process photos and baking the cookies

    Baking Tips

    • As soon as the cookies come right out of the oven, scoot a large round cookie or biscuit cutter around them in circular motion. This shapes the cookies into a perfect round shape.
    • Don't over bake. The tops of the cookies should be just set and the edges golden brown. Don't be tempted to leave them in the oven longer as they will continue to bake from the residual heat once they're removed. Err on the side of under baking slightly for the best texture.

    Storage

    Baked cookies should be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

    Cookie dough can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store frozen cookie dough balls in a double layer of zip top bags.

    detailed close up of cookies

    Recipe FAQs

    Do these cookies have to be chilled?

    Yes. Without chilling the dough the cookies will spread. Refrigerating dough allows the flavors to meld together and some of the water content to evaporate, concentrating the flavors, as well as re-solidifying the butter for less spread. Less spread=thicker, gooey-er cookies. Even 30 minutes in the refrigerator can make a difference. I have baked these cookies right after mixing and they're still amazing but they bake up flatter and crispier. If you have some time to optimize the flavor and refrigerate, you'll be happy you did so.

    Why did my cookies spread?

    Make sure the butter is room temperature before using. Warm butter can make the mixture too soft and causing them to spread while baking.

    An oven that is holding irregular temperatures, or too low temperatures can also cause spreading. Keeping an oven thermometer in your oven ensures that your oven is hovering at the right temperature.

    Over mixing can also cause spreading. If you notice cookies spreading in the oven, use a spoon or spatula to reshape them, or use the scoot method mentioned under Baking Tips, and then continue baking.

    Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @littlevintagebaking on Instagram and leave a star rating below if you LOVED this recipe. For more baking and decorating ideas follow me on Pinterest.

    More Cookies to Try

    • tiramisu cookie on a cookie sheet
      Tiramisu Cookies
    • baked stuffed red velvet cookie
      Stuffed Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookies
    • cookies on cookie sheet
      Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • peanut butter miso cookies on cookie sheet
      Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

    Recipe

    cookies lined up on cookie sheet

    Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Deeply flavored from brown butter and espresso, these cookies are filled with toffee bits, chocolate chunks and topped with flaky salt.
    4.74 from 38 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings22 -24 cookies
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Chill30 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr

    Equipment

    • Electric Stand Mixer (or handheld electric mixer)
    • Cookie scoop (Medium, 2 tbsp)

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup butter
    • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ cup butter, room temperature
    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • 1½ cups bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped Chocolate chips will also work.
    • ¾ cup toffee bits
    • flaky salt, for sprinkling

    Instructions
     

    • Place ½ of the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter cook while occasionally stirring to ensure the butter is cooking evenly.
      1 cup butter
    • Cook the butter until it is a deep golden brown color and smells nutty and toasted, about 5 -7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Let the butter cool to room temperature.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
      2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining ½ cup of butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
      ½ cup butter, room temperature, 1 cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • Beat in the vanilla and the cooled brown butter until light and creamy about 2 minutes.
      2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • Beat in the egg and the egg yolk and beat for another minute.
      1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk
    • On low speed, add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.
    • Remove the bowl from the mixer. Give the dough one final stir to ensure the flour is incorporated. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate and toffee.
      1½ cups bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, ¾ cup toffee bits
    • Scoop the dough with a medium size/2 tablespoon cookie scoop onto two lined cookie sheets. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes but overnight is better.
    • While the cookie dough chills, preheat the oven to 350F.
    • Sprinkle the cookie dough scoops with a pinch of flaky salt. Bake 14-16 minutes, or until the cookies begin to brown around the edges, and the centers look set. Don't over bake.
      flaky salt, for sprinkling
    • Let the cookies cool 10 minutes on the parchment before placing the cookies on a cooling rack to cool completely.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Comments

    1. Kim says

      February 02, 2025 at 11:57 am

      Question: is the total amount of butter needed 1 cup? Because the ingredients list says 1/2 cup of butter, but the measurements under step 1 and step 4 each say 1/2 cup butter. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Ashley says

        March 02, 2025 at 2:17 pm

        Yes! Thank you for catching that. All fixed.

        Reply
    2. Autumn Jones says

      May 09, 2024 at 1:55 pm

      5 stars
      these are wonderful! my favorite cookie to make by far!

      Reply
      • Charis says

        October 02, 2024 at 6:24 pm

        5 stars
        Best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve made by far. The edge gets perfectly crisp while the inside stays nice and chewy, and the cookie isn’t too tall or too flat when baked. The brown butter and espresso powder add complexity to the toffee and chocolate, making for a much more enjoyable cookie than your run-of-the-mill choc chip cookie recipe. I like to bake a few and freeze the rest for days when I am in need of a sweet treat.

        Reply
      • Sue says

        November 10, 2024 at 10:36 am

        5 stars
        these came out great! I had espresso chocolate chips, so I used those - yum! These are so crunchy, just how I love my cookies!!!

        Reply
        • Malini says

          January 14, 2025 at 8:29 am

          Hi, Ashley!

          Would it work with this recipe to use dairy free butter, which doesn’t re-solidify after it browns? Or does the browned butter need to solidify after it comes to room temperature?

          Reply
          • Ashley says

            January 14, 2025 at 8:53 am

            Hi Malini! The butter doesn't need to be solid when adding it to the dough, it just needs to be room temperature. I think it's definitely worth a shot!

            Reply
    4.74 from 38 votes (35 ratings without comment)

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    Ashley Little Vintage Baking

    Hi, I'm Ashley! Welcome to the Little Vintage Baking blog. I am food photographer and recipe developer of mostly sweet, sometimes savory recipes that are always delicious, and elevated, but always approachable. I hope to inspire you with beautiful, tried and true recipes for all skill levels.

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