“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.
Amy
Liked your facebook Page. 🙂
amy [at] utry [dot] it
Amy
Following you on Twitter now. 🙂
amy [at] utry [dot] it
Joan
Love Taste of Home and have been getting the magazine for years!
Amy
Wow, these fudge filled toffee pecan cookies look and sound super delicious! I would love to try it soon. Good you eliminate the coconut extract and coconut flakes in the batter (I would do that same here!). But I’m in a nuts loving family, so I’ll definitely keep the nuts in the recipe. I love to bake and always look for new inspirations in different recipe books. This Taste Of Home Baking recipe book sounds perfect to have in my kitchen. 🙂
amy [at] utry [dot] it
BreAna {Sugar & Spice & All Things Iced}
These cookies sounds delicious. I’m not a big fan of nuts in cookies, but these look tasty!! And I love your idea of leaving out the nuts for a stronger toffee flavor!!
Becky at Vintage Mixer
I can now testify…these are amazing! The cookies are perfectly chewy with a rich chocolate cente!
sandie
and on twitter..
sandie
I also follow you on google reader
sandie
I bet these were good; they almost sound like a candy bar! Thanks for the Taste oh Home giveaway Barbara
Debbie
Just started following TOH on FB!!!!
Debbie
I would love that book Barbara because I love to bake….and love Taste of Home. I have two of their other books. They are great!
Kristin
These look amazing! Stopping by from 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies 🙂
Sherry Winchester
I’d love to win a Taste of Home Cookbook! I spend 80% of my time home, so why not be cooking much of that time? Perfect pairing!!
NanaBread (Jeanne)
I’m following Barbara Bakes on Twitter now. Wahoo! @HeyNanaBread
NanaBread (Jeanne)
This is my kind of cookbook. Baking is my therapy, and nothing makes me happier than baking for my family and friends!
Carmen
tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/cmouse01/status/130009467667492864
Carmen
I now follow @BarbaraBakes on twitter (cmouse01)
Susan
I love baking! It’s one of the few things I can do. My boss is always wanting me to bring goodies to work, so this book would give me new fun treats to bake.
Carmen
I am a huge fan of the Taste of Home family of magazines. I would love to add to my recipe collection with this book. I love that it has an index – so much easier than flipping through several magazines.
Janelle Belka
I would love this new cookbook, I love to bake and I’m always looking for new wonderful recipes.