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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I followed this recipe exactly and baked them for 14 minutes, rotating once halfway through, and I put them in a airtight container right when they cooled. The cookies came out very hard and crunchy. A disappointment. I think, for some ovens, these need to be slightly under baked, perhaps taken out at 12 minutes. That might do the trick for soft cookies. The taste was pretty good–good enough for me to try again–but I didn’t think they were the yummiest cookies I’ve ever had, like some readers said. The oil is a bit confusing to me. Perhaps it’s needed for the texture but it doesn’t do anything for the flavor.
I agree with Robin. The cookies came out too crumbly at even 12 minutes for me. I wanted to like them, but the flavour was lacking something. Perhaps some of the oil could be switched for some melted butter. Or some of the butter could be browned??
My daughter is a nurse working on the frontlines. I wanted to make some special treat for her and her coworkers. I made these amazing cookies and my daughter proudly shared them with these brave people. These cookies absolutely deserved the first place prize. So much flavor and the texture is so light and crisp. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe which made some special people happy.
💗 Please thank your daughter for everything she and her co-workers do!
Hi Jenn
I’m really looking forward to making this recipe. I was wondering how chopped the almond pieces need to be. Also, would reg score bar toffee bits work or is English toffee a must?
Thanks so much!
Hi Jennifer, do you want to chop the almonds pretty finely but not so much so that they are crumbs. And yes, Skor toffee bits will work just fine. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks Jenn! Just one more question. What type of whole wheat flour did you use? For bread or pastry? Thank you and Happy Holidays!
Hi Jennifer, I use this whole wheat flour. Happy holidays and hope you enjoy the cookies!
Is the metric for the chopped almonds correct? It comes to only one scant measuring cup of chopped almonds per my scale and the non- metric measure is for 2 cups?
No — you’re correct! It’s actually more like 240 g. I apologize for the confusion and appreciate you pointing it out!!
I love all of your recipes! My husband and I have a dairy allergy. Could I substitute unsalted stick margarine for the butter?
I haven’t tried this with margarine, so I can’t say from experience, but I think it should work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Made these today and they are delicious
Wondering if they can be mailed without breaking.
Glad you like them! They’re fairly sturdy, so as long as you pack them very carefully, I think you could get away with it. Hope your recipient enjoys!
These cookies are so delicious! 2nd time making them and everyone loves them. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
I now have a new favorite cookie! Have had a positive experience with other recipes here but this is my favorite.
This is my all time favorite cookie recipe. I make it for special occassions, and when I want to wow the crowd.
I make my own almond roca and use that in place of purchased toffee… thanks for sharing this amazing cookie!!!
Going to freeze the dough for two weeks. So, when should I roll the balls in sugar ( before I freeze, when I take out of freezer)? And if after they are frozen, will the sugar stick to the frozen balls?
Thx!
Hi Kris, You can go either way, but I’d probably roll them in sugar before freezing them. Hope you enjoy!
Another winner! Toffee and almonds you can’t go wrong! It’s almost like a sweet shortbread cookie. Soooo delicious. I can see why it won!
Can I use vegetable oil instead of butter? PS – I really appreciate your quick responses to my questions.
Unfortunately that won’t work here – sorry!