Soft sugar dough cookies, baked with flavorful almond paste mixture that is combined with crunchy toffee bits and caramel extract. Once baked, these Deluxe Toffee Thumbprint Cookies get their name from the deluxe amount of extra toffee bits sprinkled over the chocolate drizzle.
Where Do I Buy Almond Paste?
Many grocery retailers carry almond paste. There are different companies that make it and sell it in different sizes. The almond paste I found was from Solo Foods and was in the baking isle. It comes in a box and is ready to use.
The ingredients are simple: Blanched almonds, sugar, water, natural flavor and potassium sorbate (preservative).
You certainly can make your own almond paste. There are many recipes available online.
This recipe calls for adding caramel extract to the almond paste filling. I found it in the cake decorating section of Walmart. Unfortunately I did not find it readily at other retailers so I made them with all vanilla extract and they turned out delicious as well. I do however feel the caramel extract goes well with the toffee bits.
What if My Store Does Not Sell Toffee Bits?
You must try toffee bits that are sold next to the chocolate chips. You might already know how yummy they are straight from the bag. 🙂 If you can not find them, go to the candy bar isle and consider picking up a toffee bar. Break up the toffee bar with a rolling pin or pulse it in a food processor. If you are really ambitious, you could make homemade toffee and then break it up.
I will note that once the store bought bag is opened the toffee does begin to get tacky and sticky like. Most likely from the air it comes in contact with. So knowing this, I made sure to store the cookies in an air tight container to keep the toffee bits as crunchy as possible. It really wasn’t that difficult to do because they didn’t last long. No cookie last long around here. LOL
Below you will find my recipe entry, Deluxe Toffee Thumbprint Cookies, but first take a look at the winner of the contest.
My talented award winning home cook and fabulous food competitor and friend, Merry Graham, (A Merry Recipe blog), was the $5000.00 Grand Prize 2020 Go Bold with Butter Holiday Cookie winner. This was not her first win with this contest. Her Rye Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Orange Mascarpone Buttercream stole the show. Visit Go Bold With Butter for more Award Winning Holiday Cookie Recipes.
Deluxe Toffee Thumbprint Cookies
Soft sugar dough thumbprint cookies that are filled with a flavorful almond paste mixture that is blended with toffee bits and caramel extract. Once baked, they are drizzled with chocolate and topped with more toffee bits, crowning them the Deluxe Toffee Thumbprints Cookies.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. almond paste
- 2/3 cup toffee bits (found in the baking isle)
- 2 tbs. heavy cream
- 4 sticks butter, (2 cups) room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbs. caramel flavored extract (if unable to find, use vanilla extract)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cups finely crushed almonds
- 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
- 1 tbs. shortening
- 1/2 cup toffee bits
Instructions
- In a standing mixer using the paddle attachment, whip together the almond paste, 2/3 cup of toffee bits and the heavy cream until well blended. Remove from the mixer and set aside in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.
- In the standing mixer using the paddle attachment, whip together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add in the extracts and salt and blend a few minutes to incorporate. Then slowly add in the flour and mix until well blended. Remove the paddle and cover the cookie dough.
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Measure the almond paste toffee mixture in 1 teaspoon scoops and roll into balls. Set aside.
- Place the finely crushed almonds in a small bowl.
- Measure the cookie dough in 1 tablespoon scoops, roll into a ball and then roll into the finely crushed almonds. Make an indentation into the cookie dough with your thumb or the end of a large wooden spoon. Place the shaped cookie dough on the baking sheet and add in a ball of the almond paste toffee mixture.
- Continue rolling and filling the cookies and arranging on the baking sheets. The first baking sheet full of cookies can be place in the oven and baked for 23-25 minutes. When done, remove and place on a cooling rack.
- When all of the thumbprints are baked and cooled melt the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwavable bowl. Microwave at 30 second increments and stir in-between. It may take about 1 minute 30 seconds to completely melt.
- Transfer the melted chocolate into a disposable pastry bag (or regular pastry bag with small tip). Snip a small bit of the tip of the disposable pastry bag and drizzle the thumbprints with the melted chocolate and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup toffee bits.
Another cookie recipe from my blog: Vanilla Almond Sesame Cookie Truffle
