Gluten Free Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

Gluten Free Brown Butter Toffee Cookies - A chewy center with crispy edges, a subtle hint of nuttiness from the browned butter, bits and pieces of Almond Toffee Bark for some texture, clearly plenty of dark chocolate and flaky sea salt. Those cookies have turned into the most popular recipe on my website and I don’t blame you - they are my favorite too.

Most of my recipes start with some random leftovers I have in my fridge or pantry and I am tired of looking at them. This is how the Toffee Cookie came to life. During the cold months in Chicago, I make a lot of Almond Toffee Bark. A buttery, chocolatey treat. And there are always bits and pieces leftover I can’t gift friends. For this recipe though I use heath bars which are widely available and gluten-free. Horray!

If you love candy and cookies, make sure to check out my recipe for Gluten Free Snickers Cookies.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: For this gluten-free toffee cookie recipe, I recommend using a gluten-free flour blend like Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1. If your blend does not include xanthan gum, I recommend adding 2 teaspoons of xanthan to this recipe.

Toffee: Store-bought toffee, like heath bars, works great here. Make sure when you purchase store-bought toffee that it is indeed gluten-free (Heath Bars are gluten-free!)

Brown Butter: This recipe calls for brown butter. This additional step browns the butter before creaming it with the sugars to give it extra nuttiness. Brown butter is just butter that’s been cooked past the melting point. The milk solids separate from the butterfat and sink to the bottom of the pan. It turns a brown color and takes on a deeper, nuttier flavor than regular melted butter. 

Chocolate: I use dark chocolate chunks (60%) in this recipe for Gluten-Free Brown Butter Toffee Cookies but also topped the finished cookies with large chocolate chips to create big puddles. What works great here also are broken-up pieces of chocolate bars.

Why chill cookie dough?

Chilling the cookie dough for gluten-free potato chip toffee cookies (or any cookies) prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they’re in the oven. It allows the fat in your dough to solidify (harden back up).

Also during chilling your dough will develop flavors (kinda like marinating). The liquids in your dough (eggs) get a chance to hydrate the starches found in your flour. This hydration makes the dough less wet, concentrating the flavors and you will be rewarded with an even bake and golden brown cookies.

How to make brown butter

Brown butter (also known as beurre noisette) is just butter that's been cooked past the melting point. The milk solids separate from the butterfat and sink to the bottom of the pan. It turns a brown color and takes on a deeper, nuttier flavor than regular melted butter. The caramelization of the milk solids gives brown butter a nutty, also caramel-like flavor.

If you have never made brown butter before, I recommend doing this at a very low temperature and don’t rush it. Make sure to use a heavy-bottom saucepan (I recommend a light-colored non-stick pan) and a heat-proof spatula. Browned butter can be stored in your fridge for up to two weeks without any issues. It's not only amazing in baked goods but also makes a fabulous "finishing butter" for roasted vegetables.

Step 1: Place your butter, straight from the fridge, in a heavy bottom saucepan. If you happen to have a pan or pot with white enamel, I recommend using that (makes it easier to see the milk solids caramelize)

Step 2: Let the butter melt and allow it to simmer at medium temperature. Once the butter has melted, it will start to get thick and foamy and within seconds can witch to a rapid bubble. Make sure to stir it with a heat-proof spatula and get to the bottom of the pan.

Step 3: Continue cooking and stirring until the butter starts to smell nutty and turns a medium amber color. You will start seeing the brown specs on the bottom of the pan. Brown butter can burn very quickly at this point.

Step 4: Remove the browned butter from the heat and transfer it into the bowl of your stand mixer or a heat-proof bowl (make sure to get all the brown bits) of your stand mixer. Allow cooling for 10-15 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

If you are not planning on using the brown butter right away in a recipe, allow for it to cool completely before placing it in your fridge for up to 14 days. Use as directed in my recipes.

How do you fix dry gluten-free cookies?

There are a few reasons why gluten-free cookies may turn out dry. The recipe has not been made as directed/written on the recipe card. Changing ingredients such as eggs or the amount of sugar used can cause the cookies to be crumbly and fall apart. Sugar not only adds sweetness to the recipe but also moisture. Especially brown sugar which also contains molasses. Another reason may be that the cookies have been overbaked. Cookies will continue to bake on the sheet tray after removing them from the oven for several minutes.