Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
You will love these oversized Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies loaded with salty, sweet flavor! A Gideon’s Bakehouse favorite you can make right at home in under an hour using simple ingredients!
These Cookies Are The Perfect Blend Of Sweet And Salty!
You no longer need to plan a trip to Florida to get your hands on these scrumptious sweet and salty cookies. I’ve perfected this copycat recipe so you can make them at home!
These Gideon’s Bakehouse Copycat Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies have mouthwatering, diverse flavor and texture that’s absolutely unforgettable! They’re an oversized, bakery-style cookie that’s perfectly salty and sweet and crunchy yet tender!
Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are actually the first cookies to try at Gideon’s Bakehouse that come highly recommended by Orlando Weekly. And since they’re a fan favorite among the community, you KNOW they’re going to be unforgettable!
To make these the best homemade copycat cookies, I perfected the recipe using brown butter, powdered milk, and just the right mix-ins!
Ingredients For Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour
- Box of instant vanilla pudding mix
- Powdered milk
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Large egg
- Large egg yolks
- Roasted and salted pistachios
- Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heath Bits ‘O Brickle Toffee Bars
- Flaky sea salt
The combination of instant vanilla pudding, powdered milk, and pantry staples sets the stage for these cookies. From there, the addition of brown butter elevates them to a level of mouthwatering flavor that will have you coming back for more!
Brown butter, also known as beurre noisette, has a toasty, slightly caramelized flavor that gives these Pistachio Toffee Chip Cookies a richer flavor. Adding a richer flavor to the cookies takes just butter, a whisk, and a skillet, and then, in about 10 minutes, you’re ready to add the finished brown butter to the cookie dough!
Once the cookie dough is finished, it’s loaded up with crunchy roasted and salted pistachios, Heath Bits ‘O Brickle, and mini chocolate chips!
Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies Substitutions & Variations
- Unsalted Butter – Salted butter can be used in place of unsalted butter. To make the swap, you will need to reduce the amount of salt down to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Powdered Milk – This adds lots of flavor depth to the cookies that really sets them apart. However, it can be omitted if necessary since it doesn’t impact the structure of the cookies.
- Heath Bits O Brickle – Feel free to use either plain or chocolate bits of Brickle.
- Chocolate Chips – Regular-sized chocolate chips can be used in place of mini chocolate chips. However, I do find that the minis work better to distribute the flavor more and allow the dough to bind together easily. I prefer using semi-sweet, but you can also use milk chocolate chips or even dark chocolate chunks.
- Pistachios – Unsalted pistachios can be used when making this cookie recipe. If you choose to use unsalted, I recommend increasing the salt in the recipe to 3/4 teaspoons to balance the flavor of them back out.
- Cookie Size – This recipe does make large, homemade bakery-style cookies, but you can make small cookies too! Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough out and then bake them for 7 to 9 minutes.
How To Make Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Transfer the butter from the fridge to the countertop to allow it to sit at room temperature before working with it.
Step 2: Whisk the all-purpose flour, box of instant vanilla pudding mix, powdered milk, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set this aside.
Step 3: Begin browning the butter by adding only 10 tablespoons of the 14 tablespoons the recipe calls for to a skillet and cook over medium heat until melted.
Continue cooking until brown bits begin to form on the bottom of the pan and the top becomes foamy.
Then, remove it from the heat and stir in the remaining butter until it melts in with the browned butter. Lastly, transfer the butter to a large heat-safe bowl or stand mixer that’s fitted with a whisk attachment.
Step 4: Mix granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract into the browned butter until combined.
Step 5: Add in the large egg and large egg yolks and mix briefly. Allow the mixture to rest and then whisk again, repeating the resting and mixing process for two more rounds.
Step 6: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula, electric mixer, or paddle attachment on a stand mixer to mix the two together.
Step 7: Roughly chop up the roasted and salted pistachios.
Step 8: Use a rubber spatula to fold in the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, Heath Bits ‘O Brickle Toffee Bits, and chopped roasted and salted pistachios.
Step 9: Mix the cookie topping mixture in a small bowl by stirring mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, Heath Toffee Bits, and chopped roasted and salted pistachios together.
Step 10: Portion the cookie dough out and press the tops of each dough ball into the topping mixture. Then, transfer the topped cookies to the baking sheet, giving ample space between each cookie dough ball. Next, sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt if you’d like.
Step 11: Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. Once the cookies look slightly cracked and slightly brown around the edges, remove them from the oven.
Step 12: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling to room temperature.
Recipe Tips To Make The Best Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Two Baking Sheets – When baking this cookie recipe, it’s best to use two baking sheets and for them for the batches. This prevents dropping the second batch of cookie dough onto a hot cookie sheet, which would slightly change the structure of the cookie. If you only have one cookie sheet, that’s totally fine; it will just slow the process down a bit as it will need to cool in between baking batches.
- Correctly Browning The Butter – If you’ve never made brown butter before, check out my easy-to-follow blog post on How To Make Brown Butter, which is complete with pictures and step-by-step instructions. It takes just 6 minutes to do and really brings a ton of flavor to these cookies! The key is to remove the butter from the heat once brown bits have formed on the bottom of the pan. The top is foamy, and it has a nutty aroma. It’s also important to note not to brown all of the butter as that would alter the recipe.
- Accurately Measuring Ingredients – An easy way to ensure perfectly delicious cookies is to accurately measure them! This is best done by measuring the ingredients by grams using a kitchen scale. However, if using a kitchen scale isn’t your preference, then I’d recommend at least learning How To Measure Flour. This way, the cookies don’t turn out dry and crumbly from accidentally adding too much flour, which is easy to do when using measuring cups. I’ve included both grams and cup measurements on the recipe card, so feel free to choose what works best for you!
- Interval Mixing – This cookie dough is mixed in intervals, allowing the dough to rest in between mixing. This allows the heat of the brown butter to melt the sugar, creating an emulsion with the eggs. Therefore, don’t skip this step, as it’s a crucial step to delivering tender and chewy cookies.
- Portioning The Cookie Dough – To easily portion out the dough, you can measure the cookie dough into 2.9 ounces using a kitchen scale. A large #16 cookie scoop or a heaping 1/4 measuring cup will also work to portion the cookie dough out just right.
- Perfectly Round Cookies – I like to take a large round cookie cutter or large biscuit cutter and swirl the cookies around right after they come out of the oven. This will make them perfectly round as well as thickening them up a bit.
The Best Way To Enjoy Gideon’s Bakehouse Copycat Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
First, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet and then completely cool on the wire rack. This will allow the cookies to firm up nicely! Afterward, you can pop one cookie at a time into the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds to enjoy a warm, melty cookie!
How To Store Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days! If you’re using a deep storage container to layer the cookies in, I’d suggest using parchment paper to separate the layers; this way, the cookies won’t stick together.
For longer storage, you can freeze the cookie dough to bake off and enjoy later, allowing you a bakery-level treat without the kitchen mess! To freeze cookie dough, transfer the baking sheet of finished, portioned-out cookie dough to the freezer instead of the oven.
Then, flash freeze them for an hour to prevent the balls of cookie dough from freezing into one giant ball. Afterward, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into a Ziploc bag with the excess air squeezed out of it or into a freezer-safe container.
Store the cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Salted Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQs
Why Are My Chocolate Chip Cookies Hard And Not Chewy?
If your cookies turned out hard and not chewy, then they could have been overbaked, or the interval mixing process was skipped.
How Long Should I Bake My Cookies?
Bake the cookies for about 9 to 11 minutes. The cookies should be removed from the oven once they look slightly cracked and only slightly brown around their edges.
Can I Put Chocolate Chip Cookies In The Freezer?
Yes, you can freeze cookie dough or freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Can I Bake Cookies On A Silicone Baking Mat?
Yes, you can, but I don’t recommend it. Parchment paper is the best choice for baking cookies. Silicone mats conduct heat differently and can cause more spread and a quicker bake to the bottom of the cookies. So, if you do use them, you will need to keep a close eye on them as they bake so they don’t burn.
More Sugar & Soul Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Salted Pistachio Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour 230g, spooned and leveled
- 1 (3.4oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix 96g, unprepared
- 2 tablespoons powdered milk 12g
- ½ teaspoon salt 4g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 6g
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced into tablespoons and divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar 110g
- ¾ cup light brown sugar 165g, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios 70g, chopped, I use Wonderful brand, plus more for topping
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chip 112g
- ½ cup Heath Bits 'o Brickle Toffee Bits 70g
Topping
- ¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 56g
- ¼ cup Heath Toffee Bits 35g
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pistachios 35g, finely chopped
- flaky sea salt optional topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. It is best if you use two baking sheets and rotate them for the batches. Dropping the second batch of dough on the hot cookie sheet will slightly change the structure of the cookie.
- Pull the butter out of the refrigerator to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before using.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 (3.4oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix, 2 tablespoons powdered milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon baking soda, and set aside.
- Add 10 tablespoons of the 14 tablespoons unsalted butter to a skillet and cook over medium heat until melted. Continue cooking and stirring frequently for 2 to 3 minutes until brown bits start to form in the bottom of the pan, the top is foamy, and it has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter until melted. Transfer the butter to a large heat-safe bowl or stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Add ½ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup light brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the butter and mix to combine.
- Add 1 large egg and 2 large egg yolks and mix for 30 seconds. Let rest for 3 minutes, then whisk again for 30 seconds. Repeat the resting and whisking for 2 more rounds (a total of 2 minutes of whisking). The batter should be smooth, thick, and shiny when done – almost like caramel sauce.
- Use a rubber spatula or paddle attachment to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients for 1 minute. The dough may seem very soft, this is normal and you do not need to chill it.
- Give the ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios a rough chop.
- Fold in ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chip, ½ cup Heath Bits 'o Brickle Toffee Bits, and ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios.
- Make the topping mixture by adding ¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, ¼ cup Heath Toffee Bits, and ¼ cup roasted and salted pistachios (chopped) to a small bowl and stir to mix.
- Portion the dough with a large #16 2-ounce cookie scoop (each ball of dough will weigh about 2.9 ounces) and press the tops of each ball of dough into the topping mixture. Place dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating halfway through. The cookies should look slightly cracked and only slightly brown around the edge.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Right after they come out of the oven, I like to take a large round cookie cutter and swirl it around the cookies to make them perfectly round and thicken them up a bit.
Notes
- Do not brown all of the butter; it will alter the recipe. It’s important that the 4 tablespoons are only melted and not cooked to the point of clarifying or browning.
- Slicing the butter before melting will give it a fast and more even melt.
- This recipe makes large cookies, about 4 to 5 inches. If you want to make small cookies, use a medium cookie scoop and bake for 7 to 9 minutes.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy them for up to 3 days!
- Heath “bits of brickle” toffee bits can be either plain or chocolate ones.
- If using unsalted pistachios, I would recommend increasing the salt in the recipe to 3/4 teaspoons.
- Regular chocolate chips can be used, but mini work better and distribute the flavor more and let the dough bind together more easily with all the mix-ins.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Wow. My first thought was that this cookie had too much going on. But I made it and while it was a few steps, worth every single one! Sweet, salty (subtle) and chewy. I will definitely make again!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Amy!