“Now that’s a good cookie!,” which coming from my husband is a rave review. I asked him to pick a cookie recipe for me to bake out of the new Taste of Home Baking cookbook. He picked a cookie that I never would have picked because I rarely like nuts in cookies.
He chose a recipe that not only had pecans in the batter and on top, but it’s also loaded with toffee and filled with a rich, creamy fudge. It’s rolled in sugar before baking, and the top is sandy and crisp like a Pecan Sandy, while the bottom is softer and chewy like a chocolate chip cookie.
The cookie recipe, Fudge-Filled Toffee Cookies, was submitted to Taste of Home by Karen Barto of Churchville, Virginia. Her recipe, like all of the Taste of Home recipes in Taste of Home Baking are developed by home bakers across the United States and Canada, then tested and evaluated in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, so you know the results will be fantastic.
Taste of Home sent me a copy of their new Taste of Home Baking cookbook to review. This is a great baking handbook. In addition to the great recipes, I love the food equivalents and ingredient substitutions list on the inside covers, the general index at the back that lists recipes by food category and ingredient, and all the secrets for successful baking in each section.
Whether you are a novice or an experience baker, you’ll find tips and suggestions to help improve your baking. Details on how you can win one of two copies of Taste of Home Baking are listed below the recipe.
I did make a few changes to the recipe. The original recipe includes coconut extract and flaked coconut in the batter. Hubs wanted the toffee to shine, so we decided to eliminate the coconut. If I make the cookie again, I would also eliminate the almond extract and the pecans. Then the toffee flavor would really shine through and make the non-nut lovers in the family happy.
I also made them in my mini muffin pan which makes creating thumbprint cookies so easy. It made 2 dozen cookie cups and eight thumbprint cookies. The thumbprint cookies spread too much, so I would adjust the recipe for high altitude next time I make them.
Fudge-Filled Toffee Pecan Sandies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar powdered sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup English toffee bits
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans
- Additional sugar for rolling
Fudge Filling:
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Combine the flours, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the oil, egg and extracts. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the toffee bits and pecans.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in sugar. Place 2-in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. (I used a #40 cookie scoop, or about 1 ½ tablespoons dough and baked them in a mini muffin tin.)
- Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each.
- In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, milk and vanilla until smooth. (I heated the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in the microwave for 1 minute, then added the vanilla.) Spoon 1 teaspoon into the center of each cookie. Top with a pecan half. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Notes
Disclosure: I received a Taste of Home Baking Cookbook for my review, but the opinions expressed are my own.
Update: The winners of the Taste of Home Baking Cookbooks are Janette Griffin and Ambika. Please contact me within 48 hours with your mailing address to claim your prize. Congratulations!! Thanks to everyone that entered, for your sweet comments, and welcome to all the new followers!
This post is week 5 of my 12 Weeks of Christmas posts. Be sure and check out all of the fabulous cookies the other 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies (and sweets) bakers baked up for this week.
jacquie
what a great concept for cookbook – recipes submitted by home bakers – i would love to win it to see what people are making. i also could use just a good basic baking book including substitutions and equivalents.
Susan
This cookie sounds like one I would love. I love pecan sandies and I think just about any cookie is better with pecans in it. Every year at Christmas I have a baking day with my daughter and daughter in law. We try to come up with a variety of cookies and we also try to use different ones each year. This cookbook would be a great resource for our baking day.
treva
Oh I love to bake…and I love cookbooks. Pick me, pick me!
chaille
I have 3 boys and all of them love sweets! I need some new inspiration, we love trying new things.
Shelby G. S.
I also liked “Taste of Home” on Facebook
Shelby G. S.
and liked “Barbara Bakes” on Facebook
Shelby G. S.
I also subscribed through email
Shelby G. S.
I would love to win this cookbook because I will be hosting a cookie swap in December. I know this cookbook would have a lot of recipes to choose from!
Pat R
I follow and “like” Taste of Home on FB
Pat R
I already subscribe by email
Pat R
I “like” Barbara Bakes on FB
Annalise
Yum! Barbara, these look incredible.
natalie (the sweets life)
I would love a copy of this bc I’m getting ready to start Christmas cookie baking!
And these? WHOA, must makes!
Rosa
What an awesome treat! I love pecan nuts.
Cheers,
Rosa
Jennie
I would love a copy because the pictures show the kinds of baked goods I absolutely love to cook at home!
Andrea D.
I am an email subscriber of yours. Thanks for the chance to enter.
Andrea D.
I am a facebook fan of yours. Thanks for the chance to enter.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
These look great! My stomach just growled. This looks like a great book and giveaway
Andrea D.
I love to bake and I love Taste of Home. I would love this cookbook. Thanks for the chance to enter.
Judy
Hi Barbara, love the thumbprint cookies made in a mini muffin pan. Great idea! And they do look yummy. I would love to win the cookbook because I really don’t have any pastry cookbooks at all. judycastranova@gmail.com