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’ve been wanting to make these cookies for the longest time, but somehow I never quite had all the ingredients together.
The toffee bits are are somewhat difficult to obtain, but when I found them, I bought two bags.
Just took my first batch out of the oven, and they are very delicious.
I baked them on the shorter side of the time recommended and they are indeed sandy on the edges, but chewy on the interior. Both textures come together in your mouth wonderfully.
They’re light and flavorful.
Definitely on the team!
I used blanched almonds, chopped them and then toasted them in the oven before adding to the batter and it was a nice touch.
Cheers:)
Thanks, Jenn.
I definitely want to make these cookies but have 2 questions. Is English toffee either chopped heath bar or almond roca? Also what measured amount is one inch scoop? Thanks
Hi Chris, English toffee is like chopped Heath bar. And a #60 scoop will give you a 1 tablespoon ball. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Delicious cookies! I used raw almonds and toasted them. I baked them for 13 minutes and they were perfect. Thank you for another fabulous recipe.
I am making your Toffee Almond Sandies tomorrow. Can I use Safflower oil instead of Vegetable oil? Also I am wondering why oil is used in this recipe instead of all butter. Thank you. Enjoy your recipes.
Hi Linda, Yes, you can use safflower oil in place of vegetable oil. And this recipe came from a reader, so I can’t tell you the rationale behind using both butter and oil — I’m sorry!
This is truly one of the best cookie recipes ever, and I’ve made many many different ones over the years, in fact I have a huge cookie recipe collection!!
I make my own almond roca in place of the purchased toffee bars because it is easy and economical, which works really well.
If your looking for a cookie that surprises people (as these are not the fanciest looking), try these out… boy oh boy are they ever Delish!! as well as hard to stop eating!
Bravo on this one Jenn
Chef Segal,
Happy Holidays
RE: Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crack
Just a quick question can you share with me the size of the pan in your picture? I have a quarter and full sheet pan so I want to be sure to adjust the recipe accordingly.
Thank you so very much and I love love the cookbook and continue to appreciate the website. My family demand the carrot ginger soufflé be present at the table every holiday.
Monica
Hi Monica, So glad you like the cookbook and blog! The baking sheet I use in the Matzo Toffee is 13 x 18-inches. 🙂
I must say I was disappointed with these cookies! Not to your usual standard! They certainly didn’t look anything close to what the picture in your book is!! I used a scale to measure my ingredients so I know they were accurate. It needs more butter or something. They were dry, little nuggets and did not spread out!
I made lots of your soups, salads, lemon bars and your ginger bread and ALL were excellent! Your caesar salad dressing is to dye for! Can’t wait for your new cookbook!
These cookies are delicious! Able to share and freeze to share later. So far, everyone loved them. Thanks Jenn!!!
Kim
I made the full recipe and they were delicious and hard to stop eating! It made way too many cookies for our family, so I just refrigerated the other half of the dough and made another batch the following week. They keep nicely for at least a week. I baked for 13-14 min and prefer that just slightly crisp, melt in your mouth batch better than the 12 minute batch that was softer. But I am not into soft cookies. I used a tablespoon scoop and scraped the side of the bowl and that kept all the cookies a uniform shape. The only thing to note is they are slightly oily (meaning there is a bit of oiliness on your fingers when you pick one up and you can taste that a bit more than a butter cookie but to be expected). I gave some as gifts and someone went out of their way to tell me they were delicious and never had a cookie like that. I believe it is the lovely “sandie’ texture. I will definitely make again and add a bit more toffee next time and use my homemade toffee recipe.
These cookies are super delicious! Great for gift-giving, too, since they pack well in bags or tins without crumbling or falling apart. Freezing the dough for baking later works great: roll the dough into balls, depress them slightly with a fork, freeze on cookie sheet, put in freezer bags, then store in freezer until ready to bake. Easy-peasy! Tip: Slivered or sliced almonds are much easier to chop than whole ones; toast before chopping for additional flavor.
I made the toffee almond sandies for a family gathering and they were a huge hit. The texture and balance of flavors was perfect.
I consult the site for recipes all the time.
Everything has been a success. Thank you.