Small-Batch Baking: Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I have done a terrible job of taking pictures this week. I think the heat has affected my brain, and as much as I want to try new recipes, I just don't want to spend a lot of time in the hot kitchen! I tried a second recipe from Small-Batch Baking. I wanted to make cookies, so I went through the recipes to see what I could make without a trip to the store. I wanted to make oatmeal cookies, and there are a few types in the book, but when I went to the pantry - no dice. So back to the book. We did have toffee chips, and part of a giant bar of dark chocolate that was a gift from one of my students, so I picked the chocolate toffee cookies.

These cookies came together fast, but they did take two bowls - one for melting the chocolate, and one for mixing up the cookies. I skipped the pre-mixing of the dry ingredients, as that would have involved a third bowl.

4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used 72% dark from Trader Joe's)
2 t. butter
2 T. AP flour
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 c. + 3 T. sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract (I also added a drop of almond emulsion)
1 1/2 chocolate covered toffee bars (I used ~4 T. of the plain Heath Bits o' Brickle)

Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Let the chocolate cool. Beat the egg well with a hand mixer and add the sugar, beating on high until the mixture is thick and pale and has increased in volume. Mix in the chocolate mixture until well blended. Sprinkle the flour and baking powder over the chocolate-egg mixture and stir until blended. Fold in the toffee bits. Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm. Divide the dough into 6 cookies, and place them on a parchment or sil-pat covered cookie sheet. Use a spatula to flatten them to ~3/4 in. Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes until the tops begin to crack. Remove from the oven and transfer the parchment or sil-pat to a cooking rack.

The dough for these cookies resembles brownie batter. The baked cookies have a "shell" with a chewy middle, slightly reminiscent of French macarons. I would recommend them with a cold glass of milk.