Break Out the Heath Bars for This Toffee Cookie Recipe (2024)

  • Cookies

Calling all toffee lovers! Heath Bar cookies are a delicious toffee cookie recipe accented with chocolate and walnuts. In about an hour, you’ll have ooey, gooey chocolate toffee cookies made from a classic candy bar.

By

Elise Bauer

Break Out the Heath Bars for This Toffee Cookie Recipe (1)

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated February 06, 2022

Break Out the Heath Bars for This Toffee Cookie Recipe (2)

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"OMG, these are the best cookies I've ever eaten in my life," I mumbled to mom the other day, mouth full of cookie, one hand reaching for another. "Would you please get the recipe from Claire? Puhleeezzzz?"

Claire is my mother's friend, a lovely woman in her 80s, recently widowed, who brought my mom these fabulous cookies for a book club gathering.

I couldn't figure out what was in them that made them taste so good. I recognized some chocolate and a few nuts, but what was the rest?

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For the Best Toffee Cookies, Use Heath Bars

Praise be to mom who delivered Claire's recipe a few days later.

Heath Bars. The secret ingredient was Heath Bars.

Well no wonder! If you like toffee as much as I do, you'll love these cookies.

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What Are Heath Bars?

Heath Bars are popular American chocolate-covered-toffee candy bars. They contain toffee, almonds and milk chocolate.

They were originally made by L.S. Heath (hence the name) in 1914. A former school teacher, Mr. Heath bought a candy store for his sons, who expanded it to an ice cream parlor and a factory.

In the 1980s, after years of family squabbling, the Heath Bar was sold to Leaf, Inc., a Finnish company. That company and the Heath Bar was later bought by The Hershey Company in 1996. Hershey, who made the Skor bar as competition to the Heath Bar, now owns both.

The Heath Bar is perfect for this recipe, because it contains toffee and nuts, resulting in delicious toffee cookies. You can also find Heath Bar bits in the baking aisle of your grocery store.

Tips for Storing Leftover Cookies

You can store leftover Heath Bar toffee cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to week (if they last that long!).

It's best not to refrigerate the baked cookies since the toffee can absorb moisture and lose its crunch.

How to Freeze Heath Bar Cookie Dough for Later

You can freeze the dough before baking. The best way to do so is to shape the cookie dough balls in advance and freeze them on a baking sheet. Then, transfer the frozen cookie balls into a freezer-safe, zip-top bag. They'll keep for about a month or so, as long as they are kept airtight.

You can place them directly from the freezer to your lined cookie sheets. You'll need to bake them a couple of minutes longer.

Alternately, you can defrost the dough the fridge the day before you plan on baking them. Then, bake as directed.

How to Freeze Cookie DoughREAD MORE:

More Toffee Recipes to Try!

  • English Toffee
  • Banoffee Cheesecake
  • Coffee Heath Bar Ice Cream
  • Carmelitas
  • Homemade Almond Roca

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Heath Bar Cookies

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time12 mins

Dough chilling30 mins

Total Time62 mins

Servings72 servings

Heath Bar toffee bits are often available in the baking section of grocery stores. Either chopped up candy bars or the bits can be used for this recipe. The bars have chocolate, the bits don't.

Note these cookies are supposed to be small and rather flat. The plate in the photo is a teacup saucer, if that helps give a sense of perspective on what to expect.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped Heath Bar pieces (8 [1.4-ounce] bars)

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients:

    In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

    In a separate bowl, combine the Heath Bar pieces and chopped walnuts. Set aside.

  2. Beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla, then add eggs:

    In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown and white sugars, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

  3. Make and chill the dough:

    Add the flour mixture a third at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the Heath bar walnut mixture. Chill cookie dough for at least 30 minutes (better to chill for an hour or longer).

    Break Out the Heath Bars for This Toffee Cookie Recipe (6)

  4. Spoon the dough onto the cookie sheet:

    Preheat oven to 350°F. On cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat, like Silpat, spoon out the cookie dough in small 1-inch diameter balls (the size of a large marble).

    Place dough balls 3 inches away from each other on the cookie sheets. (Make sure there is plenty of room between the cookie balls, and that the cookie balls aren't too big. These cookies spread!)

    Break Out the Heath Bars for This Toffee Cookie Recipe (7)

  5. Bake:

    Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

    Break Out the Heath Bars for This Toffee Cookie Recipe (8)

    Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

    Break Out the Heath Bars for This Toffee Cookie Recipe (9)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
61Calories
3g Fat
7g Carbs
1g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 72
Amount per serving
Calories61
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g4%
Saturated Fat 2g8%
Cholesterol 12mg4%
Sodium 50mg2%
Total Carbohydrate 7g3%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 5mg0%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 14mg0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Break Out the Heath Bars for This Toffee Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can I substitute butterscotch chips for toffee bits? ›

Yes, if you can't find toffee bits, you could substitute them with chopped caramel, butterscotch chips or even Butterfinger baking bits. Keep in mind, however, that these will give a slightly different flavor than toffee.

What is Heath toffee made of? ›

Current ingredients are milk chocolate, sugar, vegetable oil, dairy butter (milk), almonds, salt, and soy lecithin. The wrapper's vintage brown color scheme has a small seal proclaiming Heath the "Finest Quality English Toffee".

What are English toffee bits? ›

What are Toffee Bits? Just what it sounds like! Bits of crunchy sweet toffee, chopped or broken into pieces about the same size as chocolate chips.

When did Heath bars come out? ›

HEATH Bars were first made in 1928 by two brothers, Bayard and Everett Heath, and the family's confectionery business in Robinson, Illinois, called L.S. Heath & Sons, Inc.

What is a substitute for toffee bits in cookies? ›

Chopped Chocolate Chips

Opting for a versatile and delectable alternative, consider finely slicing chocolate chips—whether it's dark, milk, or white chocolate—to introduce a luscious and dense texture to your desserts.

What's the difference between butterscotch and toffee bits? ›

Toffee vs Butterscotch

While butterscotch is cooked to a soft-crack stage, toffee is produced by allowing that same butter and brown sugar mixture to reach the hard-crack stage. Butterscotch tends to be chewy and pliable; toffee is brittle and more breakable.

What candy bar is similar to a Heath bar? ›

Are HEATH Bars and SKOR Bars the same? No, HEATH Bars and SKOR Bars are two similarly flavored but different candies. SKOR Bars feature crisp butter toffee in chocolate candy, while HEATH Bars have crunchy English toffee in chocolate candy.

What is the difference between British toffee and American toffee? ›

Americanized toffee may include nuts, while a completely traditional British toffee will not. On the other hand, English toffee uses pure cane sugar, brown sugar, or molasses as its sweet base and always involves chocolate.

What is the oldest candy bar? ›

Launched in 1866—nineteen years after Fry's created the first moulded, solid chocolate eating bar (in 1847)— Fry's Chocolate Cream is the first mass-produced chocolate bar and is the world's oldest chocolate bar brand.

Do toffee bits go bad? ›

While toffee bits don't spoil in the same way some foods do, they can become stale or lose their quality over time. One of the main indicators that your toffee bits have gone bad are changes in their texture - they may become too hard, sticky or even start to dissolve.

What is the difference between toffee and brickle? ›

Brittle: a sugar/water mix cooked to the hard-crack state. Then nuts, corn-syrup, and butter added and brittle is cooled. It is hard and brittle, thus the name. Toffee: starts with a combined sugar/butter/ nut mix cooked together, reaching a slightly lower temperature hard ball state, and then the toffee is poured out.

Why is my toffee grainy? ›

As the toffee cools and the molten sugar crystals become solid again, they are attracted to the 'seed' forming new lumps of tiny crystals – hence the grainy texture. This can also happen if the toffee is stirred, or agitated, after it has begun to boil or on cooling (as happened with this pink-tinted toffee).

Are HEATH Bars and Skor bars the same? ›

The only difference is one is made with English toffee. and the other is made with butter toffee. And the only difference between the 2 of them, English toffee uses brown sugar. Butter toffee uses white sugar.

What is the oldest chocolate bar in America? ›

The Fry's Chocolate Cream, produced by J. S. Fry & Sons since 1866, consisted of a plain fondant centre enrobed in plain chocolate. It is the first mass-produced chocolate bar and predates the invention of milk chocolate.

What is a good substitute for butterscotch chips? ›

Caramel chips would be a swell substitute for the butterscotch chips in the aforementioned seven-layer bars. Naturally, they would also be right at home in nearly any kind of drop cookie or blondie.

Do butterscotch and toffee taste the same? ›

Yes, butterscotch and toffee are made up of the exact same ingredients: Butter and sugar. However, butter toffee contains the addition of cream (Yes, this is confusing). The only remarkable difference between butterscotch and toffee is their texture and sugar content.

Can you substitute butterscotch chips for caramel chips? ›

Caramel and butterscotch are made differently; caramel is a “ mix of white granulated sugar, heavy whipping cream, butter and a small amount of vanilla.” Butterscotch ingredients are “ brown sugar" ( originally butterscotch was a hard candy). I don't think you are able to interchange the two flavours in recipes.

Can butterscotch chips be melted? ›

Melt butterscotch chips in a double boiler

We recommend using a double boiler over medium-low heat to melt your butterscotch chips. Melt them slowly, stir frequently, and pull the butterscotch off the heat as soon as it's fully melted.

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