Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Halloween approaches and I have carved the pumpkin (same face, forty years, no innovation) and purchased the candy and put both on the porch, and the grandchildren's costumes are as follows: Ethan is a wizard (he has read the first three Harry Potter books and considers himself an authority), Sophie is a chef again (I made the costume again, with improvements — a better hat, a real apron this time), Noah is a firefighter (plastic hat, suspenders, very convincing), and Hannah, at twenty months, is a ladybug (she did not choose this; Jennifer chose it; Hannah lacks the vocabulary to object, which is the strategic advantage of costuming the very young). I will photograph all of them. I will keep the photographs in the vault.

Marvin does not understand Halloween anymore. He understands that children are in costumes and that I am giving them candy, and the understanding is sufficient — he smiles at the children, he waves at the door, he is present to the occasion without understanding the occasion, and the presence without understanding is, I am learning, a form of participation that has its own integrity. You do not need to understand a holiday to enjoy the candy. You do not need to know why the children are dressed as firefighters to smile at them. Marvin smiles. The smiling is real. The occasion is irrelevant.

I made caramel popcorn — a fall treat, stovetop caramelized sugar poured over popcorn and mixed with peanuts, the whole thing sticky and sweet and the kind of food that sticks to your teeth in a way that dentists object to and grandmothers encourage. The caramel popcorn is for the trick-or-treaters and for the grandchildren and for Marvin, who ate a handful and said, "Crunchy," which is a sensory observation, not a compliment, but which I am taking as a compliment because it is accurate and accuracy is, for an English teacher, the highest form of praise.

Marvin called the caramel popcorn “crunchy,” and I wrote it in the win column — accuracy is the highest form of praise from an English teacher, and that is final. But caramel popcorn disappears fast when four grandchildren and a porch full of trick-or-treaters are involved, so in the days that follow Halloween I turn to these Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, which carry the same buttery, caramelized-sugar warmth in a form that travels in a tin, survives the week, and can be pressed into the hands of a wizard, a chef, a firefighter, or a ladybug without any loss of dignity for anyone involved. Toffee is just caramel that decided to be a cookie, and that is a decision I fully support.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 27 minutes | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits (such as Heath brand baking bits)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated.
Combine wet and dry. Reduce the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
Fold in the mix-ins. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips, toffee bits, and nuts if using. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Portion the dough. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
Bake. Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look just set. They will firm up as they cool — do not overbake.
Cool on the pan. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The toffee bits will be molten-hot straight from the oven, so patience is rewarded here.

Nutrition (per serving)

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies — The Crunchy Complement to a Halloween Night Full of Smiles