We are big fans of heath bar and toffee in this house. One of our most requested cakes for birthdays is heath bar cake (so good!). I also end up having to buy heath bars everytime I make it, because even though I keep all the ingredients in the pantry, somehow a “little mouse” always ends up eating the heath bars. And our favorite Christmas goody is definitely our dark chocolate pecan bark because it is basically toffee. Today we’re sharing our newest toffee-inspired treat, Heath Bar Toffee Nut Cookies.
Why Toffee Nut Cookies?
Since we are such big fans of toffee, it will come as no surprise that one of our favorite treats at Panera (I’m guessing we’ve mentioned our love of Panera quite a few times as well) is the toffee nut cookie. Did you ever try these? For us, they were a revelation. So delicious! So, we were greatly disappointed when we recently rolled up to the drive-thru and asked for one and found out they were no longer available! Ack! Oh, the humanity! Clearly, this is not a problem that rates in the grand scheme of things, but I do find it sad when you like a particular menu item or store item and get used to being able to have it, and then, poof!, it vanishes from the shelves or the menu. But, this can often be a blessing in disguise as we frequently end up trying to duplicate the recipe at home. Like when we came up with our own versions of Wegman’s red lentil chili and Panera’s peach blueberry almond smoothie. Clearly, we have an obsession with Wegmans and Panera. But coming up with your own recipes for things you love means they never have to go “poof!” again. And there are other advantages as well.
Advantages of Copycat Recipes
- You no longer have to worry about the item disappearing from shelves or the menu
- You might just improve on a recipe and make it even better
- You can amaze and delight your friends with your own version of a mainstream favorite
- Healthy Substitution. If you have dietary restrictions or just want to make something a little healthier, making your own version means you have full control!
- It’s fun! Experimenting with recipes and trying to perfect your own version of things can be a lot of fun. If you have kids, they’ll love being helpers and taste testers.
So, we had to come up with a homemade version of the Panera toffee nut cookies we loved so much so we can enjoy them whenever we want regardless of whether or not they are on the Panera menu. Our Toffee Nut Cookie recipe is basically your everyday chocolate chip cookie recipe found on the back of any bag of chocolate chips. However, we like to switch to whole wheat flour — not so much for health factors (they’re cookies after all), but because we love the taste of cookies made with whole wheat flour. I think there’s often this erroneous assumption that an ingredient that might be slightly healthier isn’t going to tastes as good when often it does and it’s really just a matter of personal taste. So feel free to use white flour if you prefer it or don’t have whole wheat flour, but remember to always experiment with your recipes and find the best solution for you and your family. If you do use white flour remember to add just a little more than in this recipe. And, of course, for our toffee nut cookies we used Heath Bar English Toffee Bits and walnuts instead of chocolate chips. There’s just something about that toffee nut flavor that we love and we know we are not alone.
A Few Other Toffee Inspired Recipe to Try
- Toffee Nut Pancakes – Umm, yes please. I would totally eat these for breakfast on a splurge day.
- 4 Ingredient Homemade Toffee – This looks so good and we might add this to our list of new recipes to try during the holidays.
- English Toffee Coffee – We are loyal to our local brand of Rise Up Coffee, but we do sometimes try different creamers and I think toffee and coffee pair well together…plus they rhyme!
- Pecan Toffee Cake – Yes, yes, and yes! I feel like I should be eating this soon. And since it’s from BBC Food maybe I’ll pair it with a rewatching of Downton Abbey. I suspect the Crawleys would approve if Mrs. Patmore served this cake!
These Heath Bar Toffee Nut Cookies have become an instant favorite in our house! I think we found a winner since the following things were said while gobbling down these cookies: “These are better than Panera’s”, “Never make chocolate chip again, only make these”, and “I love you Mommy and I love these cookies.” 🙂
The easy recipe below. Try them out and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Ingredients
- 1 c . butter , room temperature
- 3/4 c . sugar
- 3/4 c . brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp . vanilla
- 2-2 1/4 c . whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp . baking soda
- 1 tsp . salt
- 1 c . toffee chips (We used Heath Bar English Toffee Bits)
- 1 c . chopped walnut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Cream butter and sugars together.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla.
- Add 1 c. flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined.
- Add remaining flour and mix until all flour is incorporated.
- Mix in toffee chips and nuts.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons, round batter into balls, and place on cookie tray.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes.
- Leave on tray for about a minute then remove with a spatula to a cooling rack or paper towel.
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