Chocolate Chip Toffee Bit Cookies

Hi Everyone!

Well, it's been a little while hasn't it?! I'm so sorry for the haphazard posting lately. We had a bit of a medical scare with my daughter and my time has been preoccupied with taking care of that situation. I am happy to report though that all is well for the time being. We just need to monitor her closely over the next few months.  I will probably elaborate a bit more in a parent post a little later.

For now though, let's talk about these cookies:

These cookies...OH. MY. WORD....THESE cookies are going to CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE.

They are perfectly crispy on the outside, warm and gooey in the middle. The best part is they are soft and deliciously chewy from the first day to the last. One of my biggest pet peeves about a cookie is when it's perfect on the first day, and then by the third day, they are hard and stiff and just not good....

These cookies though...

These cookies are just well...they're just perfect.  Honestly, I don't know how else to describe them.

Want to know the secret?

*whispers* Cornstarch

Yep! A little cornstarch mixed in with the flour mixture gives you the lasting softness and uber goodnes of these cookies.

A few more tips to share with you for perfect cookies:

1. Chill the dough before you bake it and between batches as well. I chilled mine for about 45 mins

2. When preparing the second batch of cookies, instead of placing the dough directly on the cookie pan, scoop all the cookies out first onto a separate plate and then place them onto the cookie sheet. This is to keep the cookies that you put on the hot cookie sheet from starting to cook while you are still scooping out the remaining cookies.

3. Do NOT over bake!! Honestly, I think people are SO worried about a cookie being raw in the middle that they just over cook them. That moment when you look at cookies and you think, "Gee, I wonder if these are done?" That's the moment you take them out of the oven.  Leave them on the sheet and let the little bit of carry over cooking finish them off for about 3-5 mins.  Make sure to let them cool on a wire rack.

Anyhow, I hope you give these a try and I hope you like them as much as we did!

Have a great day; and I will be back again soon!

Ingredients:

-- 3/4 cup sugar

-- 3/4 cup brown sugar

-- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature

-- 2 eggs

-- 2 tsp vanilla 

-- 2 1/4 cups flour

-- 1 Tsp salt

-- 2 Tsp Cornstarch

-- 1 tsp baking soda
--1 tsp baking powder

-- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (or more or less to taste)

-- 1 cup Heath "Bits of Brickle" toffee bits

Directions:

-- Preheat oven to 375

-- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt,baking soda and cornstarch. Set aside.

-- Put softened butter into stand mixer and mix for a couple of minutes on medium speed to make it fluffy (I know...very technical term) 

-- Add the sugars and continue to cream together over medium speed with butter until soft and fluffy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl

-- Turn the mixer down to low and add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated. 

-- Add the vanilla, turn the mixer back up to medium speed and continue to mix for another 2 minutes.

-- Return the mixer to low and slowly add the flour mixture.

-- Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee bits

-- Chill the dough for about an hour.

-- Bake at 350 for approx 10-14 minutes. Everyone's oven is different...I started checking mine at 10; but they weren't really ready to come out until 14 minutes. (See the notes above)