Chocolate Toffee Cookies

If you're a woman, a normal woman, you get chocolate cravings that just can't be fixed with a low-fat, low-sugar chocolate cookie!  I am definitely one of those women and lately, I have had a hankering for some good, homemade chocolate cookies!  Now I know that eating cookies doesn't exactly help you stay on track with being healthy, but you gotta live a little, right?!  Right.  Plus, making homemade goodies as opposed to what you buy in the store is MUCH better for you because you are making them and can control the ingredients that go into your body.  Now, I'm by no means a "sweet" person; I prefer savory foods much more.  But one thing I have found as I've gotten older is that after every savory meal, I always crave a little something sweet (usually something chocolatey).  So, to assist in these after-meal cravings, I am going to start baking more...a lot more....like, on a regular/weekly basis!  I figured whatever I make, I can freeze half or send them along with Chris to work!  I'm also thinking that I may make some things smaller and in more bite-size pieces so we don't feel so bad about eating them, but still kill that craving!

These cookies, were not bite-size...not at all!  In fact, the first batch that came out, were the size of monster cookies!  No kidding.  They were huge, so we've been picking at them and not eating the whole thing at once.  I made the other batch much smaller and they're pretty close to a normal cookie size.  Oh geez, these things are good...I mean, really, really good.  They're like a Heath bar inside a chocolate cookie!  I'm not a super big fan of Heath bars (I'll eat them them, but they're certainly not the candy bar I pick out while in the checkout line at the grocery store...I'm more of a Butterfinger Crisp, Snickers, Baby Ruth or Peanut M&M's girl), but I love the way the toffee pieces melt inside the cookie, but don't melt all the way so that they're still crunchy too...mmmm.  And I put milk chocolate chips in there for an added double-chocolate goodness.  These things could almost be considered sinful.  The best part about these cookies (my favorite part) is that they're like the perfect cookie - crispy and crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  The only thing I think wasn't perfect about them is that they needed more heath pieces...maybe next time.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies
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Ingredients
16 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Butter
1 3/4 cups Brown Sugar, packed
4 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt
16 oz. Toffee Bits
8 oz. Milk Chocolate Chocolate Chips

Directions
Combine the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water; stir periodically until well blended.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat for 5 minutes.  Add in the in the vanilla and chocolate mixture; mix well.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir into the chocolate mixture.  Add in the toffee pieces and chocolate chips; mix well.  Chill, covered, for 1 hour or until the dough is firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  On a parchment lined cookie sheet, drop the dough by teaspoon fulls, 2 1/2 inches apart from each other.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are dry and cracked, but the cookies are soft.  Let cool.  Store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Source: Adapted from Grand Temptations