Coffee Toffee Almond Cookies

I'll be honest - coffee's really not my thing. So I can't say from personal experience that these cookies are scrumptious. BUT I've been told that they are – and the recipe's been requested from me more than once. They're pretty much a souped-up, gourmet chocolate chip cookie.

Some notes on ingredients:

The original recipe calls for 1/2 half cup butter and 1/2 half cup shortening. I use 1 cup butter, because I prefer to. But if you want to use the shortening, go right ahead. Your cookie will probably be fluffier than mine and spread less.

The recipe calls for “English toffee candy bars” - you can use Heath bars or Skor bars or any other toffee candy bar you find. Because of expense, I prefer to make my own toffee and use that. (It's not difficult, although it is a bit meticulous. If you want me to do a toffee tutorial, let me know in the comments to this post.)

I find chocolate covered coffee beans in the bulk food section at Winco.

If you're not a fan of almonds, you can substitute any other nut with equally good results.

Coffee Toffee Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c butter, softened

¾ c sugar

¾ c firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 t vanilla extract

2 ¼ c all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

½ t ground cinnamon

1 c chopped almonds

3 (2-oz) packages chocolate-covered coffee beans (1 cup)

4 (1.4 oz) English toffee candy bars, chopped (about 1 cup)

Directions:

Assemble Ingredients. Preheat oven to 350° (unless you're going to chill your dough for a while).

I had a limited amount of time to make these cookies, and I didn't have time to wait for the butter to soften. Instead of using the microwave to soften it (I always end up melting it!), I grated the butter with a cheese grater. All those tiny little pieces soften in no time!

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl; add to the butter mixture, cover your mixer with a towel so the flour doesn't fly everywhere, and beat well.

Stir in chopped almonds, chocolate-covered coffee beans, and chopped toffee.

At this point, if you have time, you can cover and chill the dough. This will allow the flavors to meld more fully, and will lessen the spread of your cookies as they bake. Chilling is not necessary, however.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets (I like to use a stone).

Bake at 350° for 10 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

Happy Baking!