soft and chewy on the inside, crispy just around the edges, and loaded with toffee…
the fact that they’re gluten free is a bonus!
meet my new favorite cookie. of all time. yes, i said it.
you have no idea how crazy-hard it has been to not share these babies with you since i first made them a few weeks ago.
this recipe was created especially for the 2013 food blogger cookie swap. gluten-free division. :) the only problem was that i had never before used gluten free flour… i’ve certainly made gluten free cookies before; these paleo chocolate chip cookies, my all-time favorite (until now) chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and these hemp heart cookies are all gluten free. but this was my cookie swap cookie… and it had to be different. it had to be special.
(check out the links to the cookies i received in the swap immediately following the recipe below!)
oatmeal toffee is undoubtedly my all-time favorite cookie combo. the fact that it’s far more rare than oatmeal raisin or even oatmeal cranberry walnut, gives the oatmeal toffee cookie a certain mystique about it. (this may or may not be the same “mystique” that makes this cookie near impossible for me to resist when we do encounter each other.)
this just so happens to be my favorite frozen yogurt combination too (cookie dough & heath bar on vanilla cake batter yogurt). add that to the best cookie i’ve ever eaten (martha stewart’s oatmeal toffee cookie) and you now have the inspiration behind today’s recipe.
so… about martha. despite the recent trash talk concerning her (less than appetizing) food tweets, the lady can cook amean cookie. ’mean’ as in good. really good. good in every way… except for your waist line… during the holidays. (insert debbie downer sad trombone… wah wah.) but seriously, have you ever felt guilty listing off the ingredients in a recipe?? the oatmeal toffee cookie was kinda like that. i’ll just say that sometimes ignorance is bliss when it comes to the calories or ingredients in dessert!
however, that won’t be needed for this cookie recipe!
it’s made with coconut sugar which gives it a hint of caramel taste. coconut sugar is an unrefined sugar which means it still has vitamins & nutrients available in it (unlike bleached/white sugar). it’s also extremely low glycemic, so it wont spike your blood sugar… an excellent choice for people with diabetes.
this recipe also contains organic, grass-fed butter. i am (as of recently, and after much research) a grass-fed butter snob. i am not ashamed to say that. the difference between organic, grass-fed butter and regular (corn-fed/antibiotic-filled) butter is found in all the fat soluble vitamins grass-fed butter contains. it is also a good source of anti-oxidants and omega 6 fatty acids that play a large role in brain function! regular butter is wasted calories in my opinion, but you may still use it if you’d like. your cookies will taste the same. :)
if you’re interested in learning more about grass-fed, organic butter, check this out.
this cookie dough should be chilled before baking. i tried to skip this step in one of my trials (or errors), trust me… it’s necessary (that is, unless you’re attempting a jankity looking cookie cake). it’s also super easy to make and freeze in advance! scoop and shape the cookie dough, then set it in the freezer to harden. i recommend freezing before baking to prevent the cookies from spreading too much. it’s not necessary (like chilling the dough is necessary!) but highly recommended. this is actually the perfect recipe to help you fake a “susie homemaker” moment for any surprise guests that may pop in over the holidays… toss the frozen cookies in the oven and your home will be filled with the smell of fresh baked goods in 5 minutes flat! (and they’re healthy!?! whaaat!!)
♥ ♥ ♥
they say, “nothing worth having comes easy,” and that couldn’t be more true about the creation of this recipe. it required many hours of research. yes, i research things for you… because i love you. i actually felt like i was back in college studying while creating this recipe. i even made you printable spread sheets. (no lie). i got down into the science of what makes a cookie flat, puffy, crispy, chewy, etc. i had no idea about all the factors (like pH level!) that go into making the perfect cookie…
…and after about 5 trial & error batches, they were perfect.
i love the rich sweetness of the coconut sugar paired with the nutty undertones of the english toffee. it’s the perfect combination, really.
they spread to the perfect size (thanks to the organic butter), density/thickness (due to using baking soda), and chewiness (for the love of coconut sugar)!
okay… there’s one more little trick into getting them to look so pretty. i used sally’s “tall” cookie trick. mine looked more like haystacks, don’t laugh!! :) i actually found using my mini cookie scooper and stacking 2 scoops (weighing 16 grams each) on top of each other worked best. so each cookie weighed approximately 32 grams before going into the oven. then, once i removed them and placed the cookie sheet on a cooking rack, i took my little cookie spatula and gently pushed in the edges of any cookies trying to rebel and form oval shapes instead of round. if you do this quick little trick while the cookies are still warm, every single cookie will be perfectly shaped once cooled.
(okay, you can laugh at the haystacks.)
aaaannnd, moving on! i used gluten free “perfect flour blend” by namaste foods. i found it at costco for cheap… and buying it pre-mixed allowed me to skip over the whole xanthan gum thing… which, if i’m completely honest, i find quite intimidating. so if you’re anything like me in your gluten free baking (in)experience, you are going to love this simple, straight forward recipe! if you’re a gluten free baking pro, you can use gluten free on a shoestring’s “mock better batter”flour recipe in place of the perfect flour blend.
i won’t bore you with all the scientific stuff, although i found it extremely interesting.
below is a rundown on how i made these cookies so soft and chewy.
these are tips and tricks you can easily apply to any recipe!
ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cup (145g) gluten free "perfect flour blend"
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 stick grass-fed, organic butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1 cup organic coconut sugar
- 1 egg (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup heath milk chocolate toffee baking bits
- 1 cup gluten free extra thick rolled oats
instructions
- in a large bowl, sift together gluten free flour, baking soda, salt, and corn starch. set aside.
- in a separate bowl, cream together butter and coconut sugar. add in egg and vanilla and mix until smooth and creamy.
- add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- next, stir in your heath bits until evenly distributed, followed by the oats. cookie dough should be thick and sticky.
- don't skip this step! cover and refrigerate dough for 1-2 hours (or up to 4 days). your dough it will be firmer, less sticky, and easier to manage when chilled.
- preheat oven to 350 degrees. line your baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- scoop 2 mini cookie dough balls (~16g each = 32g total) and stack on top of each other so cookie is much taller than it is wide (i know you didn't forget about those 'haystacks').
- bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are slightly browned at the edges, but still appear soft in the center. i cooked these for exactly 11 minutes.
- make sure to keep dough chilled when working in batches. tip: i will usually scoop all the dough out while my first batch is baking and set the pre-made haystacks into the freezer for future batches! once frozen, you can toss them all together in a freezer bag. easy!
- remove cookies from oven and place entire cookie sheet on top of a cooling rack to allow them to finish baking. *use that spatula trick i taught you now to make sure they all come out pretty and round! * :) after about 5-10 min, transfer cookies from cookie sheet onto wire cooling rack.
Notes
store these in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or freeze!
i shared these cookies with amy, sara, and jackie.
want more gluten free goodness??
check out the (gluten free) cookies i received in the swap!
rachel’s flourless peanut butter blossoms
ari’s soft & fluffy sugar cookies
heather’s spicy gingerbread cookies
(sorry, no link available)
…or…
check out these fun {gluten free} holiday treats!
research sources: cookie chemistry, baker bettie, the food lab, good eats
[…] be posted next week!} they turned out amazing!! almost as good as last year’s cookie swap recipe… which is still my favorite cookie of all […]
[…] year, the cookies i made were epic. still considered my fave cookie. of. all. time. (seriously!) soft, chewy, […]
[…] Those on gluten-free diets can enjoy the new Toffee-Tastic Girl Scout Cookies. If you didn’t nab a box, try this oatmeal toffee cookie recipe. It’s also gluten-free, and makes cookies that are soft, chewy, and loaded with melty toffee bits. Find this delicious recipe at DELICIOUS BY DRE. […]
I’ve made it twice, these are delicious! My family couldn’t tell it was gluten free :)
Thank you!
[…] | Healthier Version (their gluten-free, so get creative to make yours […]
Can you use coconut oil instead of butter?
Do you use regular heath toffee bits or does the bag specifically say milk chocolate?