At the beginning of every year, I put together a list of “to make” recipes. This year’s list ranges from appetizers to main meals, sides, cakes and cookies. This year’s list is incredible and I’ll be cooking/baking from Cook’s Country, America’s Test Kitchen, Taste of Home, the new Joy of Cooking, and Southern Living. Not to mention several Pinterest recipes I’ve had pinned for years now, as well as some recipes from the old standby family cookbook. I’m excited to bring these delicious recipes to you and hope you get to make a few of them!
Let’s get going by making these Small Batch Coffee-Toffee Cookies from America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook. I’ve made so, so many recipes from this cookbook and appreciate the smaller portions so we don’t have to eat quite as many leftovers or waste food by throwing it out.
I adapted these cookies just slightly by adding a bit more flour because the batter was a little stickier than I thought it should be. The end result is soft, lightly sweet, definitely coffee-flavored cookies with crunchy, buttery Heath toffee bits. I increased the amount of toffee bits, too, because I love the flavor.
This Small Batch Coffee-Toffee Cookies recipe makes 12 very large cookies, or 15 large cookies. It’s supposed to be for two people, so I guess that’s fair – 6 to 7-ish cookies apiece? OK, you don’t have to eat them all at once and can save some for later. Of course after I tasted two cookies for quality control and then one while I was taking photos, there weren’t that many left for Bret. Poor guy.
I really love these soft, coffee-flavored cookies. They’re also a lovely cappuccino-y color. The original recipe calls for espresso powder, but try finding espresso powder in Grand Prairie, Texas. I substituted about half of what it called for with instant coffee granules. Just be sure and make sure they’re dissolved in the water very well before adding the rest of the ingredients.
These are terrific cookies that I’ll definitely make again. I can’t eat too many, though, or I won’t be able to sleep at night. Wonder if decaffeinated instant coffee will work?
Small Batch Coffee-Toffee Cookies
Quick and easy soft, lightly sweet, coffee-flavored cookies with a hefty helping of toffee bits mixed in.
Ingredients
- 1 C plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tsp instant coffee granules (or espresso powder)
- 2 tsp warm tap water
- 1/2 C plus 2 tbsp sugar
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 C plus 1 tbsp Heath toffee bits (plus another tablespoon for sprinkling on top of dough)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In another medium bowl, whisk the instant coffee and water together until the coffee is dissolved. Whisk in the sugar and melted butter until combined. Then whisk in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the 1/4 C and 1 tbsp of toffee bits.
- Working with 2 tbsp of dough for each cookie, roll the dough into balls and space at least 2 inches apart on the prepared pan. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining toffee bits and slightly press them in without flattening the balls of dough. (If you have cookie dough left in the mixing bowl, put it in the refrigerator while the first pan of cookies is baking.)
- Bake the cookies until the edges are slightly set, but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 13 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet halfway through baking.
- Cool the cookies on the cookie pan for about 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely. These cookies are best completely cooled at room temperature. Store cookies at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Tips and Stuff:
The original recipe calls for 4 teaspoons of espresso powder. I think this would be overwhelming, but if you're reeeeaaaaaallllllllyyyyy into coffee flavor, knock yourself out.
The original recipe also calls for unsalted butter, but I always use salted.
The dough is sticky and will firm up a bit after you blend in the toffee bits. Just roll it up the best you can.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 72Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 124mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
