This Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Toffee recipe makes golden cookies with crisp edges, pools of melted dark chocolate and toffee, and chewy centers. Freeze the dough to bake whenever you’re ready.

Is there anything better than the smell of homemade cookies baking? And these oatmeal cookies may be the most delicious smelling cookies I’ve ever baked. The combination of dark chocolate and toffee in the batter gives them this rich caramel aroma and flavor that is truly unique. And truly hard to resist. These have been a favorite at our house since I started testing them. In the Inquiring Chef Test Kitchen, my testers called these “fabulous,” “delicious,” and “a new favorite.” I’m sure you’re going to love them too!

And if you’re debating between cookies, I have a few others for your consideration – chocolate chip cookies (one of my most popular recipes), peanut butter cookies, or if you’re baking around the holidays be sure to check out the 50 best cookies to take to a cookie exchange or 15 Freezer-Friendly Christmas Cookies. 

How to Make Them

1. Soften butter. Be sure the butter is very soft before using it so that it will properly cream with the sugars. 
2. Whisk together dry ingredients. Carefully measure dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, and salt. (Use a kitchen scale for the flour if you have one or gently scoop it out of the bag into a measuring cup so that it doesn’t compress.)
3. Cream butter and sugars. Don’t skimp on this step. It should take about 3 minutes for the butter and sugars to be light, fluffy, and very pale in color. 
4. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix egg and vanilla into butter-sugar mixture. Keep the mixer on low so that you don’t beat any air into the eggs (this can cause the cookies to be cakey).
5. Add dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until fully combined. Don’t overmix.
6. Add mix-ins. Add in the oats, chopped chocolate, and toffee bits just until combined. 
7. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes. Use a heaping tablespoon to scoop out the cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet. You can press some extra mix-ins on top of each cookie dough ball if you’d like.
8. Deflate cookies. Firmly tap the baking sheet on the kitchen counter. This deflates the cookies so the centers are chewy and soft.
9. Let cool on the pan for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 
10. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Old Fashioned Oats – Use “old fashioned oats” or “rolled oats” for that classic chewy oatmeal cookie texture.
• Dark Chocolate – I love the irregular pools of melty chocolate that comes from using 70% cacao chocolate bars that I chop up myself, but if you want to save time, these work well with dark chocolate chips. 
• Toffee Bits – Heath Toffee Bits add little crunchy bites of sweet and salty toffee to every bite. Look for these in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips!
• All-Purpose Flour – I tested this recipe with Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour. It gives me reliable results every time. 
• Baking Soda – These provide the dough with just a bit of lift, giving the cookies that soft and tender texture. Be sure to replace your baking soda every few months (yes – every few months!). Old baking soda won’t give you the same results as a fresh box. 
• Light Brown Sugar and White Sugar – These cookies use a combination of light brown sugar and white sugar. The brown sugar gives the cookies a caramel flavor and color while the white sugar helps give them crispy edges. 
• Unsalted Butter – It is important to use unsalted butter to get the measurement for salt (see below) right. If using salted butter, it’s a good idea to skip the added kosher salt in the dough so that the cookies don’t become too salty. Don’t forget to take the butter out of the fridge in advance. It needs to be softened while still feeling slightly cool to the touch. 
• Egg and Pure Vanilla Extract – Standard cookie ingredients. The eggs add texture, the vanilla extract adds flavor. 
• Kosher Salt and Flaked Sea Salt – Salt in the chocolate oatmeal cookies balances and enhances the sweet flavors of the cookies. Be sure to use kosher salt which comes in larger grains than traditional table salt in the cookie dough. (If you only have table salt, reduce the amount listed in the recipe by half to avoid your cookies being too salty.) At our house, we also all love a light sprinkle of flaked sea salt (I use Maldon) on top of the warm cookies. It’s totally optional but gives the cookies a hint of extra salt and a tiny bit of crunch. 

Freeze the Cookie Dough

This cookie dough freezes well and can be baked directly from frozen.

To freeze the cookie dough:

1. Form cookie dough into balls and line up in a single layer on a sheet pan
2. Transfer sheet pan to freezer until the dough is frozen solid, 2 to 3 hours.
3. Transfer the dough to a freezer-safe bag and seal, removing as much air from the bag as possible.
4. Freeze for up to 6 months.

To bake: Bake the cookie dough directly from the freezer at 325°F / 163°C for 14 to 16 minutes.

FAQs

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