This recipe takes buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread and packs it with crunchy toffee bits. These cookies are packed with flavor and texture, making it impossible to eat just one.
What sets this recipe part
Toffee bits: The addition of toffee bits (inside and on top) makes these cookies stand out from a plain shortbread variety.
Big batch: This recipe is perfect for sharing, it’s especially great during the holidays.
Sweet and salty: Just enough salt in the cookie dough and an added sprinkling of flaky sea salt gives these cookies the perfect salty-sweet balance.
My recipe testing tips and notes
Chill time: A 30 minute to one hour chill time helps the dough hold its shape.
Cutting: I use a fluted round cookie cutter for this recipe. I prefer cookie cutters that are not too intricate for this dough. A simple circle or rectangle cookie cutter is just fine.
Almond extract: Adding a bit of almond extract to the dough is a nice complement to the nutty toffee bits.
Toffee bits: Store bought toffee bits work well for this recipe. I use Heath Bits O’Brickle. Choose toffee bits that are not coated in chocolate.
Recipe
Toffee Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (1½) cups unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 3½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup toffee bits, I used Heath’s Bits O’Brickle
- ¾ cup additional toffee bits for topping the cookies, optional
- powdered sugar or flour, for rolling
- flaky sea salt, optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Beat butter and sugar for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and almond extracts.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add flour to butter mixture, beating on low, until the dough comes together (it might be a little crumbly). Add ⅔ cup toffee bits and stir in by hand until evenly distributed.
- Dump the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press the dough into a disk. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
- Lightly sprinkle a flat surface with powdered sugar or flour and roll out the dough until ½ inch thick. Using the cookie cutter of your choice, cut the dough into desired shapes and place on a baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between the cookies for spreading.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are light brown. If you’d like to sprinkle additional toffee bits on top of the cookies, pull the baking sheets out a couple minutes shy of being done and sprinkle about a teaspoon of toffee bits on top of each cookie. Return to the oven for several more minutes. This will allow the toffee bits on top of the cookies to melt just slightly but still retain a crunchy texture.
- Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool completely. If desired, sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Allow cookie sheets to cool completely between batches, storing leftover dough in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Amanda Coers says
Those look fabulous! 🙂 I’m so glad the Andes Mint Swirled Cake Mix Cookies made it to you in one piece.
bake.love.give. says
These look amazing! I definitely need to make a batch for my afternoon tea breaks.
Harvey Morris says
Love that these little delights are packed with lots of butter! Yum.
I made Soft-Baked Gingersnap Molasses Cookies, 3 Ways for my Cookie Swap recipe. First timer, but I can’t wait to do it again next year. Happy baking!
Celebrating Sweets says
Everything is better with butter! 😉 I was a first timer too, it was so fun to participate.
nostephens says
Oh I got these cookies and they were so great. Thanks so much for an amazing cookie experience. I’ll be pinning and making these for the holidays. They were heavenly for real. My family loved them.
Celebrating Sweets says
Thank you. I am so glad that you enjoyed them! Happy Holidays! 🙂
Teri says
Shortbread cookies are my favorite.
Janet says
Does the baking sheet need to be lined with parchment paper or sprayed with Pam? Just worried about the cookies sticking to the sheet. Thanks!