Everything Is Better In Cookie Form
These two dear friends have been a part of my life longer than I can remember. It was so much fun to spend some grown up quality time with them, laughing, staying up late, drinking delicious drinks, and eating amazing food! Seriously, the food and drinks were amazing. Thank you Austin for being culinarily amazing! It was like a day hadn't gone by since we graduated high school, almost 8 years ago! (gasp) I love these two more than they'll ever know. My life has been blessed so tremendously having great people (like these two amazing boys men) in it throughout the years.
When I got home I knew I needed to send them something special to thank them for how sweet they were for letting me stay with them for almost a whole week! I know that the best way to thank them was not with anything monetary or tangible, but through something edible. You see, these two were a part of the Friday cookie delivery in high school. (remember my Grown Up Chocolate Chip Cookies I dedicated to all my special high school friends?) I'm not sure how it came up, but while I was there Clayton and Adam both agreed they really love toffee in their older age. So obviously I decided I needed to make them some of my delicious, amazing, wonderful toffee. Sorry I feel like I can brag about this toffee because it's not my recipe, and it is seriously the most amazing thing I've ever put in my mouth. The recipe was past down to me by a very special person, and sorry... I can't share it with you because I've been sworn to secrecy! While I was sitting there making the toffee I thought oh man, these boys love toffee, they love chocolate chip cookies, how can I combine the two?
Well, I decided to make some toffee bits (don't worry it's so easy... don't be lazy and buy them, they're way better if you make them), whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookie base, and then add the toffee bits, pretzel pieces, and chocolate chips and bake them up! To quote Adam "It's heavenly. No lie. One of the best cookies I've every had. Blog it for sure." So... here they are...
A Little Bit Of Sweet, A Little Bit Of Salty, & Oh So Heavenly Cookies
Step-By-Step
Start by making the toffee bits...
Crunch up the pretzels...
Make the cookie base... don't forget alternate your dry ingredients and the eggs...
Mix together the chocolate chips, pretzels, and toffee bits...
fold them into the dough...
and bake them up... be careful... the toffee will burn quickly... open the oven and check them half way through!
TOFFEE BITS
INGREDIENTS
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
melt the butter in a heavy bottom pan
while the butter is melting, line a jelly roll pan with a silicon mat or parchment paper
add the sugar, water, and salt
let the sugar mixture come to a boil
using your candy thermometer let the mixture boil until it reaches 300 degrees
once it reaches 300 degrees pour the hot mixture on to your lined jelly roll pan
put the pan in the freezer and let it get hard
once it's hard, break the toffee into chocolate chip size bits
OH SO HEAVENLY COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
1/2 batch toffee bits
1 cup pretzel pieces
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips - I used Ghirardelli
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
21/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
preheat the oven to 375
cream the butter and sugar
add the vanilla
whisk together the dry ingredients
add the flour and eggs, alternating between the two and mixing well after each addition
mix together the toffee, chocolate chips, and pretzel pieces
add the toffee, chocolate, and pretzels to the dough
scoop the cookies out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes - rotating the pan halfway through - be careful... these cookies will burn very quickly
let them cool on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely