Toffee Almond Sandies

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Buttery, sweet toffee almond sandies — humble in appearance but wonderfully good.

toffee almond sandies on board.

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

toffee almond sandies on board.

Buttery, sweet toffee almond sandies — humble in appearance but wonderfully good.

Servings: Makes about 9 dozen (you can easily halve the recipe)
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes

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

  1. Set racks in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a medium bowl; mix well.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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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276 Comments

  • this is basically the Amish sugar cookie recipe with add ins.

  • Would really like to try this recipe, just one question…Is it okay to use almond flour instead of the regular flour Somehow I have this bag of flour and is it okay though.

    Thank you and hope to hear from you soon

    • Hi Lillian, I’m sorry almond flour will not work as a substitute for regular flour.

  • I live in Tasmania, Australia and am unsure what is meant by English toffee bits. Is it crunchy toffee broken into shards? Or small bits of firm caramel, also known as toffee in Britain?
    I would like to try the recipe, but can’t find the product you mention in my local stores. We do, however, have a local sweet shop that sells many traditional British sweets (candies) so I think I could make a reasonable adaptation if I had more of an idea of what I am looking for. Thanks.

    • Hi Marguerite, It is crunchy toffee broken into shards. Hope you are able to find a good substitute…the cookies are delicious!

    • Hi Marguerite, I’m also in Australia – what did you end up using for the toffee bits? Thank you!

  • I have made these cookies a few times and they always turn out great! I accidentally bought the chocolate covered toffee bits and used them anyway, and the cookies were still good!!

  • We added these last year to our annual Christmas cookies to make. They were a hit with everyone who tried them, I wouldn’t change anything!

  • Delicious…I used unbleached flour since I dint have any whole wheat flour & it worked great. I would love to win the cook wear

  • my mouth is watering and I love the Twix bars!

  • These cookies are great. Recipe easy and fast.

  • Great tasting cookies!!

  • These are my husband’s absolute favorite cookie! Seems like I can’t make them fast enough sometimes.