Heath Toffee Bar Cookies (Or Almond Brittle Cookies)... Sweet #9

Heath Toffee Bar Cookies( or Almond Brittle Cookies)....  with toasted almonds and a touch of coconut. I've always wanted to bake some toffee brittle cookies....I guess because I've seen plenty of recipes for cookies that add toffee bits to make them extra special.  The thing is... I hardly ever buy Heath Toffee bars, or toffee bits for that matter. Actually, I don't remember when I last bought toffee brittle bits... But since I was baking quite a few cookies for the youth group, I thought I'd take the opportunity to finally buy the Heath bars ... and also some brittle bits. I managed to bake my  version of a chocolate chip cookie with plenty of toffee... and well, a few other additions:).   

I ended up looking at a chocolate chip recipe from allrecipes, and decided to add my own personal touch. My version of a Heath toffee cookie, or as I like to call them, almond brittle cookies, involved me adding a touch of coconut and some toasted almonds... "healthy" additions, I say:).  These cookies were chewy... with plenty of toffee bits. A bit on the sweet side, but worth making again:). So here's "sweet "# 9 in a series of cookies. Hope you enjoy...    

You will need: inspired by a chocolate chip cookie recipe from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 ex-large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cream of tartar,( if you don't have it, you can skip it.)

1 teaspoon baking soda

 2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

10(.5 oz) miniature heath bars, chopped (about 1 cup)

2/3 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Extra: I suppose you can omit this, is you like.  

1 cup (or as needed) toffee/brittle bits... just toffee, no chocolate

Directions:

1. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. 

2. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extract.

3. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. 

4. Whisk the cream of tartar into the flour and add it to the butter sugar mixture. Add the almonds, chopped heath bars, and coconut. Mix until  thoroughly combined. 

5. Refrigerate until dough is firm... 30 minutes to overnight... or freeze. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F .

1. Place about 1 cup toffee/brittle bits in a bowl. 

2. Form cookie dough into 1 inch balls and press each ball into some of the brittle chips... making sure to press just enough so that the balls pick up some of the toffee bits. 

3. Place cookie balls( with toffee/brittle bits on top) on a parchment lined pan. 

4. Bake for about 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.