We’re back again with a brand new fall-inspired cookie! This time we have a brown butter cookie with caramel balls, toffee bits, and white chocolate chips. All these flavors are beautiful on their own in a cookie, but combining them all together was a home run! Each brings something super tasty to the table, and getting a bit of each flavor in every bite is a triple-win in my book.

All the fall, all the time

I feel like there’s so many cookie flavors to try on my list, that there’s not enough time to fit them all into one season of baking! Thankfully, fall extends beyond Halloween, so we can all enjoy these cookies clear until that first snowfall of the season (and beyond, am I right?).

For these cookies, I used three of my favorite fall flavors: Browned Butter, Toffee, and lots and lots of caramel.

CARAMEL BALLS

I found the caramel balls, or caramel bits, at my local grocery store in the baking section next to the chocolate chips. You can use chopped caramel if you’d like, but you’ll need to chop the caramel the size of a pea for it to be comparable. You will see these get a little toasty in the oven, but the toasted caramel actually adds to the awesome warm flavors we already have going on here, so I’ll allow it.

Photo Source: Walmart.com

know that there are salted caramel melts available, but I don’t like the way melts look or behave in cookies. The flavor is great, yes, but I think they aren’t really intended for cookies.

Toffee bits vs toffee pieces

There’s a couple different toffee options in the baking section, I noticed. There’s toffee bits, which is just pieces of toffee, and then there’s toffee pieces, which are basically chopped pieces of a Heath candy bar. Grab the toffee bits! The chopped bars have chocolate in them, which isn’t a problem, but we already have white chocolate chips in here and it’s there turn to be a flavor profile in the cookies.

Photo source: Walmart.com

Browned butter success

Trust me, you’re not going to want to skip this step. But you’ll need to plan ahead! The browned butter takes an extra step, and also needs to be able to cool down enough before using it in your cookies.

I’ve included the steps for browned butter (or brown butter, however you want to call it), in the directions below. Give yourself an extra 5 minutes to make the browned butter, then another half hour or so in the fridge to cool back into a solid. If you use the browned butter as a liquid, ti will mess up your cookies.

The toasty nutty flavor browned butter gives to the cookies is DIVINE! You will seriously want to use browned butter in all the things. I’m right there with you, friend.

Tips for success:

Here’s a few tips for making sure these cookies come out perfectly every time (which isn’t that hard because these are basically fool proof!)

  • Yes, 410 degrees on traditional (not convection bake) oven setting is perfect. Seems high, but trust me, it’s essential to nailing the toasted outside & gooey inside texture.
  • No need to mix together your dry ingredients beforehand. Just toss them right in and mix them together.
  • Eggs need to be cold, and same with your butter.
  • Make sure to completely cream together the butter and sugar before adding in the eggs and vanilla.
  • Press the add-ins below the cookie dough line. That way they don’t burn in the oven.
  • Reserve a few off the add-ins (chips, candy, cups) to press onto the outside of the cookie for a better cookie-look. Although, they will taste exactly the same either way 
  • I make mine the size of a baseball. They should flatten out slightly. If they flatten out all the way, your baking soda isn’t fresh enough. I’ve also noticed they flatten slightly as they cool, too. If you notice your first batch doesn’t flatten enough, then slightly press down on the next batch that’s headed into the oven.
  • If you decide to make these cookies smaller, just make sure to bake them a little less time and keep a close eye on them in the oven. They should still have the gooey center and golden outside texture.
  • No need to chill the cookies! That’s the best part!

That’s it! I can’t wait to see all the cookies you guys continue to make weekend after weekend. You are my people, and I love that we have something tasty to share whenever we feel a need to bake up something sweet together in the kitchen.

I’d love to see what you bake! Make sure to tag @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie on Instagram so I can join in on all the fun.

As always, Happy Baking!

xo,

Mandy

Get the Recipe: Brown Butter Caramel Toffee Cookies

5 from 1 vote
Tender Brown Butter Cookies Filled with Caramel, Toffee Bits, and White Chocolate Chips
Servings: 8 giant cookies
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup, divided unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 2 large eggs, cold
  • 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour , you may use half cake flour here
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup caramel balls , found in the baking section next to the chocolate chips
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits , found in the baking section next to the chocolate chips. I used the "heath bar" brand

Instructions
 

  • AN HOUR BEFORE YOU START YOUR COOKIES: Make the browned butter below:
    To make the browned butter, add ONE stick (1/2 cup) into a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove. (Leave the other stick alone – you won't be browning it for the cookies. You only need one stick for this part).
    Let the butter warm until it's completely melted, then let it bubble, then let it foam. You'll feel tempted to turn up the heat to speed up the process, but trust me – the butter will go from browned to burned very quickly (within seconds) so stay by the stove and watch the melted butter closely for a couple minutes.
    At this point, stir the melted butter until you see the bottom turn a slight amber/brown color and start to smell nutty/fragrant. Remove from the heat immediately and add to a small bowl. Place in the fridge until it's back to a solid before using in your cookie dough.
  • When you butter is firm again, prep two large aluminum cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 410 degrees (yep, that's right!) traditional not convection bake.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter and browned butter for 1 minute until it's light and fluffy, then add in the sugars to cream together with the butter for 3 minutes on high speed.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add in the vanilla and eggs one at a time, whipping up well between each egg addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and slowly mix together on the very lowest mixer speed until just combined (don't overmix!).
  • Reserve 1/8 cup of the add-ins, then on the lowest speed, add in the caramel balls, white chocolate chips, and toffee. Mix until just barely combined. Split the dough into 8 balls (baseball-sized) and place 4 on each cookie sheet. Hand-press on the reserved caramel balls, white chips, and toffee (below the dough line. Meaning: press them below the line of the cookie dough so that they aren't the first to be exposed to the heat of the oven or they'll get extra toasty).
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes. They should be slightly golden, slightly mounded in the middle, thick/tall, and gooey in the center. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Notes

If your cookies are flat, you may need to check the expiration date on your baking soda. It should be purchased within the last month for max freshness. 
If your cookies aren’t flattening out, then the flour was measured incorrectly or the cookie dough was overmixed. 
These freeze very well – wrap the baked cookies up in plastic wrap individually and bring to room temperature before enjoying.