Toffee Almond Sandies
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Buttery, sweet toffee almond sandies — humble in appearance but wonderfully good.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
These toffee almond sandies were sent to me by Kelly Pittman, along with hundreds of others, for a holiday cookie contest I ran on my blog many years ago. The cookies not only won my contest, they also became a much-loved Segal family favorite. While the cookies may look plain, when you bite into them, you discover a buttery, sweet shortbread studded with melted toffee bits and crunchy almonds. They’re wonderfully good, easy to make, and long lasting. In other words, the perfect holiday cookie.
Heads up: This recipe makes a ton! It is ideal for a bake sale or gift giving, but if you’d like to make less, the recipe can easily be halved.
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Toffee Almond Sandies
Buttery, sweet toffee almond sandies — humble in appearance but wonderfully good.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies
- 1 cup Confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
- 6 ounces (or 1 heaping cup) English toffee bits
Instructions
- Set racks in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a medium bowl; mix well.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, granulated sugar and Confectioners’ sugar until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula, then add oil, eggs and almond extract; mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix slowly to combine. Stir in almonds and toffee bits.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls, roll in sugar, then place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets and flatten with a fork. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through cooking, for 14-17 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. These keep nicely for 4 to 5 ays stored in airtight container at room temperature.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Cookie Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (45 servings)
- Serving size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 201
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 89 mg
- Cholesterol: 23 g
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Hi,
I only have a hand mixer and was wondering if you have an alternative technique to the suggested paddle attachment of the electric mixer?
Thanks.
Hi Joel, A hand mixer is fine. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn. I love this recipe. I’ve made it before, but only put one baking sheet in at a time. I don’t quite understand what you mean by rotating baking sheets. Do I put one on the bottom shelf and middle shelf and then rotate them halfway through? I would like to try this if this is correct, as it would speed up the baking process. Thanks!
Hi Minnie, Yes, you’re correct that you would switch the baking sheets between the two racks. When you do that, I’d also recommend turning it 180 degrees so that the back side of the pans are now facing you. Hope that clarifies!
can dough be refrigerated overnight and then cookies baked the next morning? i love everything i have tried of yours. Seriously.. you are amazing. Thank you!
Glad you like the recipes! 🙂
Yes, you can refrigerate the cookie dough overnight. Enjoy!
Help! I’m not a baker. 1″ balls. What would that be in teaspoons? Thanks!
Every recipe, non treat, I have used from your website is 5 stars. Some of the best dishes to ever come out of my kitchen!
So glad you like the recipes, Renee! 🙂 I’d estimate that you’d need about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough to create 1 inch balls. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Perfection! It’s a keeper recipe. Using the food processor to chop the slivered almonds I had purchased made it easy. I followed the recipe exactly as written. They were easy to make and will be a great addition to my Christmas cookie and candy trays I give this Christmas. What is there not to love with a combination of almonds, toffee and butter?
Do you need to use wheat flour? Could more white be substituted? What exactly does the wheat flour do? Flavor? Consistency?
Hi Ruby, the whole wheat flour impacts the consistency of the cookies a bit, but you can definitely use all all-purpose flour if you’d prefer. Hope you enjoy!
What advice would you give about freezing cookies that are baked? We just did a bake sale and 2 days of being on your feet 8am to midnight is just too hard on me anymore. Can all cookies be frozen? For how long?
Hi Barbara, while it really depends on the cookie recipe (as one size doesn’t fit all), here are some general guidelines: Cookie dough can often be frozen for up to 3 months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze them after baking, let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature. Hope that helps!
Yum! Everyone thought they were pecan sandies at first but then loved the almond brittle twist. Another great recipe Jenn!
Delicious!!
Jenn- have you ever tried any of the variations mentioned in many of the reviews, ie: substituting pecans and vanilla extract, dipping in chocolate, rolling in nuts, etc.? Just trying to see if the original recipe was made even better for a cookie contest I’m attending next week.
I can’t say that I have, Beth – sorry! Good luck with the cookie contest. 🙂