Day 16 with Little Martha on the Prairie
Another fellow Minnesotan today. Sarah, of Little Martha on the Prairie, shares recipes, special family moments, points of gratitude and good literature suggestions on her blog and is kindly sharing a creative twist on a classic cookie with us.
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Got a cookie exchange coming up?
Need a little sustenance to keep your spirits bright while you make the holiday
season merrier for others?
Have I got a cookie for you! Before we get to the recipe, join me on a little trip in the
wayback machine.
I first learned this recipe from my grandmother many years ago. I was spending a
couple of weeks with my grandparents at their lakeside cabin during the summer
when I first tasted this cookie. They brought the idea of cookie decadence to a new
level for my teenaged palate: chocolate and toffee, living in perfect cookie harmony!
What was the secret to this recipe? According to Grandma, she just used the recipe
you’d find on the back of a very popular brand of chocolate chips, and double
everything but the wet ingredients and chips. Why not the wet ingredients? Because
of how the toffee bits melt into the cookie…or at least that’s what Grandma said. And
who am I to question my grandmother about her baking?
Grandma is on my mind a bit more these days, especially as the holidays approach.
She’s not doing well now, and hasn’t been in her kitchen for some months, but
back in the day she gave me lots of inspiration for how to cook and be daring in
the kitchen – or as daring as a Midwesterner could be in those days. She had a lack
of fear when it came to baking and cooking. Sometimes she was successful, others
were simply chalked up to a learning experience.
It’s those memories that bring the holiday spirit to this cookie recipe: of days long
gone when a far-away kitchen filled with delicious aromas, rang with laughter, and
hummed with yummy sounds.
For many years we just called this the “Chocolate Chip Toffee Chip Cookie”
because, well, that’s what it is. As I was preparing a batch for my husband to
bring on a hunting trip a few years back, he was searching for something shorter,
catchier, punchier. And so, “Choffee Chip” was born. I’d like to take credit for the
hybridization of names like popular Hollywood couples, as we did this long before
any Bennifers or Brangelinas occupied the lexicon.
Choffee Chip Cookies
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 ounce bag toffee bits (not the chocolate-covered kind, but the “naked” bits.
Ooh; that sounded a little naughty, didn’t it? Trust me, this is a wholesome
recipe.)
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Line two (four if you’ve got ‘em) baking sheets with
parchment paper and set aside.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar,
brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one
at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in
chocolate chips and toffee bits. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking
sheets.
BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5
minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.
CONVECTION OVEN MODIFICATIONS
And believe me, if you have a convection oven and can bake two sheets of this recipe at a time, by all means do it!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees on the convection setting. Halfway through the
baking time, rotate the cookie sheets and alternate rack positions to ensure more
even browning on the cookies.
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Thanks Sarah!
Follow the link here to see the rest of Sarah’s blog.
Take care.
♥amy c
