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
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
- 1 cup (2 sticks) 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 oz (or 1 heaping cup) English toffee bits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set two oven racks near the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the 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 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a 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-in (2.5-cm) balls, roll in sugar, then place about 2 in (5-cm) apart on prepared baking sheets and flatten with a fork. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through cooking, for 14 to 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 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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 made these to have something sweet (but not too sweet) for house guests we had over the Thanksgiving holiday. The first sheet pan-full, I rolled in regular, granulated sugar, then remembered that it was supposed to be turbinado, and rolled the rest in that. Big difference! Huge! The satisfying crunch you get from the raw sugar is – ahem – somewhat addictive. I will say, I was not terribly impressed with these the first day, but they improve – greatly – with age. They are so short that they shatter in your mouth when you bite into them. Delicious! Thanks for another great recipe.
can coconut oil be substituted for vegetable oil in recipes?
Hi Colleen, I don’t really use coconut oil, so I don’t know a ton about it. According to this article, it looks like it can often be substituted (but please keep in mind that I can’t guarantee the results as I’ve not used it in baking).
in the toffee almond sandies recipe is 1 cup oil correct? with a cup of butter and the amount of flour, it calls for it seems like too much. thanks
Hi Julie, I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s accurate. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Hi Jenn! Is there a particular brand of toffee bits you use? Thanks
Farah
Hi Farah, I use Heath toffee bits. Enjoy!
Sorry, very disappointed after the rave reviews I found these oily flavored, though crisp and sweet cookies. I made half batch. Used canola oil. If I knew the oil taste would override the butter, I would have used flax oil, at least it tastes walnut-like. I gave them to the birds.
Buttery, crisp, and delicious! With such a big batch we kept some in the freezer so we could just pop one out every now and then to go with a cup of tea. My first batch was a little too sweet for my taste becuase I was heavy handed rolling the dough balls in sugar. Now I use just enough to add a little extra crunch.
Fabulous delicious cookies keep for 2 weeks wrapped in a tin! I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat for the whole wheat flour and readily available Heath Toffee Bits. The marvelous sandy texture and delightful flavor makes these special.
Thanks Jenn 😊
Highly recommend this cookie recipe. It’s a hit in this household.
This cookie is guaranteed to please – I’ve been asked for this recipe numerous times! The comments about them being hard leads me to believe that they were left in the oven too long, or the oven runs hot. I only let them stay in till they are slightly darker than when I put them in. I also process sliced almonds and keep them in the freezer for later use.
These are my new favorite shortbread-style cookie. Toasted nuts add to the flavor.