Giant Bittersweet Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Submitted by Sweet Baboo

"This recipe (from Bon Appetit) appeared in the cooking section of our paper last Wednesday, and after reading the description, I knew I must make them. They live up to the hype... "there are times when too much of a good thing is never enough, when the entire bag of chocolate chips you have stuffed in the cupboard, ostensibly for baking, only serves to intensify your craving and ratchet up your crazy factor. I'd demand one of these cookies for my last supper. Let's be clear: you don't waste these cookies on your kids. You make them for a dinner party for a bunch of foodie friends"... I even loved the BATTER of these cookies, and the cookies were as delicious, as promised. However, a friend made a batch, substituting some ingredients and they were too cloyingly sweet....using premium dark chocolate is key! The original recipe did not include chocolate chips, and the food writer made the addition of walnuts optional. I added both, but instead of chips, I used chunks of the same quality chocolate that I used in the batter. This was my favourite new recipe this season..chocolate nirvana!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 18 cookies
• Serves: 18

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) or 1 lb semisweet chocolate, chopped (not unsweetened)
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 3⁄4 cups brown sugar, packed
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 7 ounces chocolate-covered english toffee bars, coarsely chopped (such as 5 Heath Bars)
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

directions

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.
2. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then toffee and nuts (and optional chips). Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes. (I spread the batter in a 11"x7" glass pan, and when firm divided the batter into 18 squares and fashioned balls by hand and then flattened them -- this made even sized cookies without using a scoop).
3. Preheat oven to 350°F Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.).

Reviews

[ritaculous]

These are so delicious! They taste just like a candy bar, only better because they're a decadent, chewy cookie. I think my baking powder was old, so they turned out a little flat, but they still were incredibly chewy. I will definitely be making these again.

 

[Katzen]

These are like chocolate mountains, with toffee-lava spilling out of them! Simple to make (really!), and super decadent, they'll please any chocolate lover out there - I had one lady swoon and moan (Yes, really!). Mine look quite different than the other pictures, and the only thing different about mine, are that I used Skor bars, instead of Heath, as Heath are not readily available in Canada. Oh, then there was the walnut incident. Can you believe I burned the walnuts? I swear, my oven is not well lately! In any case, I had a look around and found I had roasted chopped hazelnuts which I knew would pair well with chocolate, so I used those. These cookies are BIG (yes, I know they say giant!) and I found the batter almost too stiff after a couple of hours in the fridge. (Seems my fridge is working well...) I'm headed to the US at in a few days, and I plan to pick up some Heath Bars, and give this another try to see how they differ. Great recipe, Sweet Baboo - thanks for posting this gem! Made for PRMR Tag.

 

[Acerast]

Made for the Best of 2008 Cookbook. (Originally reviewed 3/6/09). Chocolate Nirvana indeed! These are the perfect cookie for when you're feeling self-indulgent or really want to pamper someone else. Because the dough is so sticky, your tip for putting them into a baking dish to chill and measure worked like a charm. I will confess that I thought I had walnuts in the house but had used them all so substitued toasted slivered almonds. They worked well with the toffee and chocolate! Thanks Sweet Baboo for a new decadent treat to share with other adults!

 

[LilPinkieJ]

Wow. These are so very chocolaty and good. They remind me a bit of a brownie I think, but not really. I guess it's something totally different. At first I thought the flour measurements were a mistake, but after reading reviews, I went forward as is. I'm glad I did. While I wouldn't make these cookies everyday, they are a great decadent treat to share. Made and Reviewed for PRMR - Thanks! :)

 

[CookingONTheSide]

Decadent and delicious! These are so good and easy to make. I will be making this again and again! Thanks for sharing!