These Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are so good that friends and family will come running any time you make these. Chunks of homemade hazelnut toffee are mixed into chocolate chip cookie dough and when you bake them the toffee melts creating these delicious puddles of caramel that are so good with the bittersweet chocolate and crunch of the hazelnuts.
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Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
Homemade hazelnut toffee is what makes this cookie extra special. While the cookies bake, the toffee melts and becomes soft and even more delicious. The hazelnut toffee is very easy to make and worth the extra effort. The ingredients for the toffee are:
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Kosher Salt
- Water
- Toasted Hazelnuts
The chocolate chip cookie recipe is one I've been using for years and I absolutely love it. Chocolate chip cookies was one of the first recipes I posted on this blog and when I want something a little sweet this recipe is it. The ingredients for the cookies are:
- Unsalted Butter. Use good quality butter. The quality will make a difference in the taste of the cookie and how much it spreads.
- Dark Brown Sugar. Brown sugar interacts with the baking soda to make the cookies chewy, and soft. The brown sugar also produces a moist cookie with a nice molasses/toffee flavor.
- Granulated Sugar. Granulated sugar helps produce crispy edges.
- Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla is a great flavor booster for this cookie
- Whole Eggs. Eggs are the binder for the cookie dough. The egg yolks contribute moister to the cookie, while the egg whites provide structure.
- Baking Soda. Baking soda is the leavening and helps produce a tender cookie.
- Kosher Salt. Salt helps amplify all the other flavors in the cookie
- All-Purpose Flour. I use unbleached all-purpose flour for this recipe. I haven't made a gluten-free version yet, but I've had success with Bob's Red Mill Glutenn-Free flour in other recipes.
- Bittersweet or Semi-Sweet Chocolate. I use either bittersweet or semi-sweet whenever I make chocolate chip cookies. My preferred brand is Ghirardelli's bittersweet chips or I chop up a large chocolate bar.
Nuts are optional for a good chocolate chip recipe, but when I do add them I always go for pecans.
How to Make the Hazelnut Toffee
The recipe for toffee is a basic candy making recipe. The base recipe has equal amounts of sugar and butter, 1 cup each. A little water is used to help the sugar melt at the beginning without melting it and salt and vanilla for flavoring. The key to success is making sure the toffee mixture gets is between 290 and 300°F when you remove it from the stove and add the nuts.
Tips for Success
Measure out all your ingredients before starting. Once the toffee reaches the right temperature you don't have time to measure the vanilla or nuts.
To ensure that your toffee gets to the right temperature you need to have an accurate candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer. I regularly test my candy thermometer by measuring boiling water. It should read 100°C or 212°F.
Place the sugar, water, butter and salt in the 3-quart saucepan. Attach the candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir the toffee constantly to prevent it from sticking or burning.
Once the toffee reaches the right temperate remove it from the heat, quickly dump in the hazelnuts and stir fast to incorporate the nuts. Scrape the nut-filled mixture onto a Silpat lined baking sheet before the toffee hardens and use the spatula to spread it so all the nuts are in a single layer.
It will take about 90 minutes for the toffee to harden and cool. Once it is cooled, break it into large pieces and then use a knife to cut it into 1/2-inch to 1-inch chunks. Set aside while you make the chocolate chip cookie dough.
How to Make the Chocolate Chip Cookies
Start with room temperature butter and eggs. This step may sound strange when the dough will be refrigerated for 24 hours, but room temperature ensures that all the ingredients incorporate well.
Start by combining all the flour, salt and baking soda and whisking them together for 30 seconds to make sure the baking soda and salt and evenly dispersed throughout the flour.
Place the sugars, butter and vanilla in the bowl of stand mixture and beat on medium speed until the mixture is lighter in cooler and looks fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Dump all the dry ingredients in at one time and mix on low speed until the flour mixture is incorporated. Add the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate), mix on low speed until it is even dispersed throughout the dough. Add the chopped hazelnut toffee, mix in and then refrigerate the cookie dough for 24-48 hours.
Why the Cookie Dough is Refrigerated
Refrigerating the cookie dough is something I learned from Stella Parks at Serious Eats food site. Refrigerating it for at least 24 hours results in a cookie dough that is drier and firmer. When the cookies are baked they will hold their shape better. The flavors also have a chance to meld and the cookies have a deeper toffee-like flavor.
Baking the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator 5 to 10 minutes to allow it to soften and make it easier to scoop.
Cookie Size. If you are making large cookies this recipe makes 24 cookies. If you are making small cookies this recipes makes about 48 cookies. Because of the chunks of toffee and the size of the hazelnuts I recommend making the large cookies.
Tip for Success
Use a cookie scoop to shape the cookies dough. Using a scoop will ensure that the cookies are the same size. Use a large scoop that holds 3 tablespoons.
The cookies will bake for about 12 minutes. The time depends on how dark your like your cookies. If you've made chocolate chip cookies before you know how light or dark you like your cookies
- Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, check them. If they're not mostly flat bake them for another 2 minutes.
- The melting toffee can create odd shapes for the cookies. If the cookies are flat after 10 minutes, remove the cookies from the oven and use an offset palette knife to reshape the cookies into rough shapes. Work quickly.
- Return the cookies to the oven and bake for another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven, cool for 1-2 minutes and then place on a cooling rack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can these be made without nuts?
Yes, these cookies can be made without nuts. If you are allergic or simply don't like nuts leave them out and follow the instructions for the toffee and the cookie dough
Can the cookies be made gluten-free?
I have not tried making a gluten-free version of these cookies. You can try Bob's Red Mill gluten-free baking flour or check out the gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookie at The Loopy Whisk.
If you like chocolate chip cookies you will love this variation with hazelnut toffee and chunks of chocolate. It's a great cookie to share with friends and family and for any social occasion.
If you make this cookie let me know by leaving a comment and if you post a picture on Instagram tag me @bakesbybrownsugar and #bakesbybrownsugar.
Other Cookie Recipes
If you looking for other chocolate cookies recipes check these out on the blog:
- Chocolate Sandwich Shortbread Cookies
- Pecan Chocolate Caramel Bars
- Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Cherry Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
Recommended Equipment
Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Hazelnut Toffee
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (160 grams) roasted whole hazelnuts
Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2-1/2 cups (325 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 grams) dark brown sugar
- 2 large (100 grams) eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (12 oz / 340 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 1/4 cup flaky sea salt
Instructions
- This cookie makes 24 large cookies or 60 small cookies. Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to make the large cookies.
For the Hazelnut Toffee
- This recipe for hazelnut toffee makes 4 cups of chopped hazelnut toffee or 2-1/2 pounds of toffee, if you use this recipe to make toffee to gift for others.
- Line a half baking sheet with Silpat.
- Place the sugar, water, butter and salt in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Boil the mixture until it reaches 300 degrees F. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature.
- Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the vanilla extract and toasted hazelnuts. Stir with a heat-proof silicon spatula and then scrape onto the Silpat. Use the spatula to spread the toffee across the surface. Allow the mixture to cool and harden. When it is completely cool chop it into 1/2-inch pieces.
For the Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Place the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk together.
- Place the butter, the white, brown sugars, and vanilla in the bowl of stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until it is lighter in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition just until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed and mix just until flour is blended in. Add the chopped chocolate and mix on low speed until chocolate appears evenly distributed. Add 2-3 cups of the chopped hazelnut toffee and mix on low speed until incorporated. Place the cookie dough in a bowl and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
- Preheat the oven the 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit a room temperature for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to scoop.
- Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to drop balls of dough unto the cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. If the cookies have spread into odd shapes use an offset palette knife to reshape the cookies into round shapes. Bake for another 1-2 minutes depending on how dark you like your cookies.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven sprinkle the center with flaky sea salt.
- Cool the cookies for about 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Wade says
So so good
Jackie says
Hi
If I don't have a silpat, can I use parchment paper
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Jackie
Yes, you can use parchment paper instead of Silpat. Thank you for asking this question. I will add this information to the recipe.
Rosemary DeSiervo says
Hi Cheryl: All your recipes I've tried so far have been so delicious; they are my go to cookies recipes. This one sounds like a winner and will be making today. I have one question: the hazelnut toffee recipe calls for 1 t. vanilla but the instructions don't say when to add it. I assume it goes in with butter, sugar, water and salt? Thanks for posting such great recipes!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Rosemary
Thank you for point this error out to me. The vanilla is added at the same time as the hazelnuts. I updated the recipe.
Rosemary DeSiervo says
Thank you, Cheryl! I made the cookies and they are delicious. The hazelnut toffee is also good on its own too.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Rosemary
I'm so glad to read that you enjoyed these cookies. And I agree with you about the toffee. When I first tested this recipe I had a lot of leftover toffee and it did not go to waste 😁