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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These cookies are absolutely delicious! I could only find heath bits with chocolate so I used those and I also had some turbinado sugar so I rolled them balls in that instead of regular sugar. My entire family loves these cookies and they may now be #1 in the cookie list! Thank you!
Hi Jen,
I made these cookies last night and the batter was delicious, but the bottom of the cookies burned in the oven every time. I tried with and without parchment paper, I tried reducing the cook time to 12 minutes and I even tried reducing the oven temperature to 325, but they were still burning. Do you know what I did wrong?
Thanks,
Ellen
Hi Ellen, Are you by chance using very dark pans?
Did you use white whole wheat flour in this recipe?
I put my cookies on the middle rack in the oven. If just the bottoms are dark, maybe move your rack up one notch.
Lovely and delicious. Deceptively simple…the flavor is layered and complex, but these are so easy to make! Instead of using a fork to press into them (such a peanut butter cookie signature, I wanted to distinguish these from those), I took out my mom’s vintage potato masher. It makes a waffle-shape indentation, unusual and pretty!
Great idea!
There are no words to describe how delicious these cookies are. I made them at Christmas for family, friends and business associates and needless to say they were a big hit. The recipe makes 9 dozen and I followed it exactly. I used a 1” scoop which worked out perfect and I was done in no time at all. This is my new go to cookie.
These cookies were the hit of my 2019 Christmas cookie tray, they were the first ones to go everywhere I took them! They are addictive!
Awesome recipe received with lots of “yums and oooohs”! Thank god the recipe makes a lot so now I have plenty of scooped balls in my freezer, ready to bake at a moments notice. I did, however, switch out the almonds for pecans and vanilla extract for the almond extract with excellent results( my bad for not checking my nut inventory before starting to bake….)As a former professional recipe developer/tester, I truly appreciate Jenn’s well- written and thorough recipes….I’ve yet to encounter a dud on her website!! Hurray for Jenn!!
Melt in your mouth wonderful! This is a keeper! So happy to find a good large-batch, easy, cookie recipe!
I made these yesterday for a cookie exchange, and they turned out great! Unlike a couple other reviews I read, I didn’t find them greasy or oily at all. Thank you for another great recipe, Jenn!
Delicious! This recipe will be part of my annual Christmas baking from now on.
I didn’t love this cookie despite really wanting to! I found it too greasy. The flavor was ok, but texture just a bit too “sandy” for my taste.
You think you could substitute macadamia nuts for almonds and vanilla flavoring instead of almond flavor? I’m not crazy about almonds and saw what I had here at the house!
Sure, Staci. I would use 2.5 teaspoons extract if using vanilla (almond extract is very strong).