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“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.
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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.
Mercedes
These cookies sound so yummy and might have to go on my holiday baking list! I am the opposite of you and I like nuts but my husband doesn’t, so I often do half of a batch of cookies with nuts and the other without nuts! I would have this book because I would love to try the recipes developed by home cooks and it would be a great resource to have!
Heidi @foodiecrush
This looks like a serious keeper recipe. I however would keep the coconut, because I’m crazy for coconut, and the high altitude tips are something I’m in serious need of. My cookies always spread! No more limp, flat cookies! Thanks Barb!
danellesdish
Pecan Sandies are one of my favorite cookies. I cannot wait to make these!! They look so good. Thanks for sharing!
Joy
The sandies look great.
Darla
I love to bake so this cookbook would be perfect!
pamela
These are so cute! I really like the way they look from the mini muffin pan. As far as the cookbook…what foodie doesn’t want another cookbook? 🙂
Beth
Butter, toffee, coconut, pecans, fudge – – – I NEED this cookbook!
Aleida
I’d love to win this cookbook. Why — because I am a cookbook junkie. I already have several TOH cookbooks but not this one and it sure looks like a nice one to have. I make something for my ladies’ group at church every week. I’m sure I could find many things in this cookbook that they would enjoy being guinea pigs for. LOL
Hugs
Aleida
Kathia
I follow you on Twitter
Kathia
I love pecan nuts and all kind of cookies, I would love to win this book to bake some of the yummy treats on it. Thanks for the chance.
laurie
I love coconut so I would add that back! What a great recipe..they look so pretty!
kita
Im stopping by from our 12 Weeks of Cookie swap – but how awesome of you to be hosting a give away too! I wouldn’t mind adding this one to the collection because one can never have too many baking cook books (especially at this time of year)! I love that you made these in your mini muffin pan – that is genius! And I wish I could get my BF to help me by picking out a recipe for me to make from time to time! Lucky you! 😀
Kim of Mo'Betta
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Kim of Mo'Betta
mmmm, I love pecan sandies (& toffee & fudge!) These would be a winner with me! I’d love a copy of this book, for more recipes like this one, and I usually have good luck with Taste of Home recipes.
rosie52NY
I love to bake. I am always getting on kitchen chat and taste of home looking for new recipes.
Akfishergirl
I just drooled over this book today at Costco!!!
Beautiful blog You are now bookmarked!