Brown Butter Toffee Coffee Cookies

close up view of a large cookie with melted toffee on top next to coffee beans and dark chocolate in front of a mug of coffee.

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With the brown butter and instant espresso powder, this coffee-infused cookie dough is rich, nutty, and deep while dark chocolate and homemade toffee pieces add texture, sweetness, and extra depth of flavor. Basically your favorite latte in cookie form!

Prep Time:15

Cook Time:15

Chilling Time:2

Total Time:2 30

Equipment

dough whisk recommended for hand mixing
medium mixing bowl
kitchen scale handy for getting the exact amount of flour

Ingredients

For the brown butter

3/4 cup melted browned butter (170g); cooled but still liquid
2 tbsp dry milk powder for browning; optional but highly recommended

Wet Ingredients

1 cup light brown sugar (205g); packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar (70g)
1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder can reduce to 1 Tbs for a milder flavor
1 tsp molasses optional, but recommended
1 large egg room temperature
1 egg yolk room temperature
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Dry Ingredients

2 cups bread flour (250g); spoon and level into measuring cup
2 tbsp cornstarch (16g); for extra chewy cookies
1/2 tsp baking soda (4g)
1 tsp kosher salt (5g) or 1/2 tsp regular salt
1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
3/4 cup toffee pieces homemade

For topping

1/4 cup extra toffee pieces optional
1 tsp flaky sea salt optional

Instructions

In a large bowl, add your brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, and espresso powder.
1 cup light brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder, 1 tsp molasses
In a separate container, whisk together your dry ingredients. Measure out the chocolate chunks and toffee pieces and set to the side.
2 cups bread flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp kosher salt, 3/4 cup toffee pieces, 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
In a medium saucepan, place two sticks (one cup) of salted butter and heat over medium low on your stovetop. As the butter melts, add the dry milk powder, if using.
3/4 cup melted browned butter, 2 tbsp dry milk powder
While browning, the butter should be stirred often. The milk powder will make it look much thicker and creamier, but keep going until it is golden brown with that toasty, nutty aroma.
Once the browned butter is ready, pour it into your measuring cup or use a kitchen scale to make sure you have the right amount. Let it cool for about 5-20 minutes or until just slightly warm.
To speed it up, please the measuring cup in a bowl of cold water and stir often.
Pour the butter into the bowl with the sugars, molasses, and espresso powder. Stir in until incorporated as well as you can. Then, add your vanilla extract and the room temperature eggs. Whisk until creamy and noticeably lighter than before.
1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
Then, add the prepared dry ingredients - the bread flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, the chocolate chunks, and the toffee pieces - and mix in until combined. Sometimes it is easier to use your hands! You don't want any dry sections of flour.
Weigh out your dough balls. I like to use a 4 oz scoop and shape it into a conical tower shape to help them turn out extra thick. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and add a couple extra toffee pieces on top of each dough ball.
1/4 cup extra toffee pieces, 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Refrigerate for about 2 hours or until the dough is firm. (You can also store the dough for a few days. Just transfer to an airtight container. The flavors will improve the longer the dough rests.)
When ready to bake, prep your baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375F. When baking big cookies, you can usually bake about 6 on a half sheet pan at a time. Be sure to space them well.
Bake for 11-12 minutes in a fully preheated oven. The cookies may still look slightly soft or a little wet at this point, but that is fine.
Remove from the oven. The toffee will melt in the oven and may ooze out of your cookies. I like to use a metal cake ring to reshape the cookies while they are still hot (just gently swirl the cookie in the cake ring) for keep them nice and round.
Let the cookies set up completely on the baking sheets before removing. Serve warm!

Notes

You can replace the bread flour with all purpose flour.

Please be sure to measure your flour carefully or your cookies may turn out unintentionally dry. When possible, it's best to weigh out your ingredients using a kitchen scale.

I use a Brod & Taylor dough whisk for this recipe every time and it has just the right spacing to help me stir everything evenly by hand without the dough getting stuck in the whisk itself. My favorite kitchen tool!

Nutrition

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown butter, dark chocolate chunks, espresso powder, toffee pieces

Servings: big 4 oz cookies (or 24 smaller cookies)

Calories: 646kcal