I recently received Kathleen King's Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook as a gift from my parents and have been inspired to bake. If you're not familiar with Tate's cookies, you can buy them in most grocery stores. Kathleen King transformed her small bake shop into a multi-million dollar cookie empire. If you prefer thin and crispy cookies, you'll enjoy Tate's.
So far, the toffee pecan cookies have been my favorite. The addition of oatmeal gives them a satisfyingly chewy texture. King's recipe calls for salted butter, which I don't keep on hand. Instead, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to every 1/2 cup of unsalted butter used.
Toffee Pecan Cookies
From Kathleen King's Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook
Yields: 37-42 cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 extra-large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups instant quick oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
2 cups toffee bits (such as Heath)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg and vanilla and mix until well-combined.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the oats. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Don't over-mix. Stir in the toffee bits and pecans by hand.
Using a small ice cream scoop (or two tablespoons), drop mounds of dough 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets (9 cookies per sheet). Bake for 12-15 minutes for chewy cookies and 18-20 minutes for crunchy, rotating the trays halfway through. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Bake the second half of the dough or save it for another day.
While this recipe calls for toffee bits and pecans, you could substitute chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or different nuts to make it to your taste. Really play around with it. I made one batch with a sprinkle of fleur de sel on top, which was excellent. It's great to have one standard cookie recipe that you can make multiple ways.
My favorite kind of snack!
Thanks for reading!
- Sam