The fact that I have made these cookies four times in the past two weeks would lead you to the inescapable conclusion that I have a humungous sweet tooth and a total lack of willpower. And you would be correct! However, each time I made them I tweaked the recipe slightly until I came up with what I believe to be an outstanding cookie. So you could say that it was all in the name of research.
I made them exactly as the original recipe was written. I had seen these cookies on seriouseats.com, and was intrigued. They are essentially an oatmeal cookie but with some butterscotch chips mixed in. I baked the first batch but found them to be a bit too sweet and one-dimensional. So I baked a second batch and added some Skor bits to amplify the toffee flavour. They were good but not perfect. Something was missing. My daughter suggested I add dried cherries to the dough. Jackpot!
I love the way the Skor bits melt and ooze out of the cookie as they bake. There is a tiny bit of crunchy toffee on the edge of each cookie as they cool. The textural contrast between the crispy edges and the chewy center is what keeps you going back bite after bite. Tart dried cherries temper the sweetness of the butterscotch and toffee. The occasional ping on your tongue, from the Fleur de sel crystals sprinkled on top keep everything in check. These are a perfectly balanced (albeit, not nutritionally balanced) cookie!Using an ice cream scoop to portion the cookies ensures that they will all be the same size and shape and bake evenly. I like the #24 size scoop (about 1.3 ounces). I was able to get 12 cookies on my baking pans (13 x 18 inches). Pour a cold glass of milk and prepare to be enchanted. These are quite addictive.Click here to print recipe for Butterscotch Toffee Salty Oatmeal Cookies.
Ever since I watched Emma Feigenbaum make Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies on the “Best Burgers” episode of Everyday Food, I have been unable to think of anything else. I know that lots of people bash Martha Stewart, but I happen to love this show. There are no bells and whistles, no audiences applauding when the host mentions cheese, garlic or wine. (Sorry, Rachael Ray, I love you, but I just can’t stand that phony applause) There are no “fake friends” coming around for dinner parties (Ina and Giada). It’s just a simply produced show with a gorgeous set and appealing recipes that make you want to cook. I find all the cast members credible and really enjoy Emma, the newest cast member. She has the sweetest smile. I think we could be friends.
I managed to resist baking them for about a week, but then suddenly, all 3 of my children were under my roof for an entire 48 hours. I had to bake! As I was taking the butter out of the fridge to soften, my stack of Lindt fleur de sel chocolate bars caught my eye. I always have at least 8 bars on hand in the fridge. You never know when the craving will hit. I decided to chop them up and use them in the cookies instead of regular chocolate chips.
Over the years I have had favourite chocolate chip cookie recipes. We were hooked on Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookies for a while, but they were just too much trouble. Apparently what makes them so special is the Valrhona feves (giant oval shaped chocolate discs), but seriously, I live in Ottawa, and sourcing them was a pain! They also required 24-72 hours of chilling time for the dough before baking. When you have a craving for chocolate chip cookies you don’t want to wait 3 days!
Before Jacques Torres’, we were into Marcy Goldman’s Better Baking.com Chocolate Chip Cookies (she nicknamed them “Big League” Chocolate Chip Cookies). But they required you to melt half the butter and then cool it and she also recommended chilling the dough for 24 hours. Problem was, everyone ended up sneaking little bits of cookie dough from the fridge and by the time we got around to baking them, there was hardly any dough left. Also, for some reason, I always got inconsistent results with this recipe.
Lately we have been worshipping at the alter of Michael Smith’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. But I just could not stop thinking of these Giant Cookies Emma made. I was not disappointed. They were crisp around the edges and chewy in the center. The addition of the fleur de sel chocolate chunks took these cookies to a whole new level.
When it comes to chocolate chip cookies, people are in one of 3 camps. There are those who love them all warm and gooey from the oven. Then there are those who prefer them once they have totally cooled, and the chocolate has a snap when you bite into them. Finally, there are those who love them best straight from the freezer once they have cured for a few days. Granted, that camp is quite small (BTW, I am firmly in this camp) but they have their followers.
Chop the chocolate, cream butter and both sugars together, add the vanilla and egg.
Using the mixer is ok for incorporating dry ingredients, but mix in chocolate chunks gently with a spatula.
Form cookies using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Don’t overcrowd. 4-5 cookies per sheet is the maximum. Bake for 14-15 minutes.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 100 gram bars of Lindt Fleur de Sel Chocolate. coarsely chopped
Fleur de Sel for sprinkling (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until combined; mix in vanilla.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture; mix until just incorporated. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chunks.
Drop 1/4-cup mounds of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets, at least 4 inches apart and away from edges of pan. (You will fit about 4 cookies to a sheet; bake in two batches, using two baking sheets per batch.) Bake until golden, 14-15 minutes, rotating sheets front to back and from top to bottom of oven halfway through.
As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of fleur de sel. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.
The fact that I have made these cookies four times in the past two weeks would lead you to the inescapable conclusion that I have a humungous sweet tooth and a total lack of willpower. And you would be correct! However, each time I made them I tweaked the recipe slightly until I came up with what I believe to be an outstanding cookie. So you could say that it was all in the name of research.
Using an ice cream scoop to portion the cookies ensures that they will all be the same size and shape and bake evenly. I like the #24 size scoop (about 1.3 ounces). I was able to get 12 cookies on my baking pans (13 x 18 inches). 
Pour a cold glass of milk and prepare to be enchanted. These are quite addictive.
Click here to print recipe for Butterscotch Toffee Salty Oatmeal Cookies.
