Heath Bar Cookies

I have the most unfortunate seat in the office.  A seat located directly opposite the secretary who is the keeper-of-the-candy.  Every morning she refreshes the candy bowl with fresh candy, and the selection varies every couple of weeks.  This isn't the cheap stuff like peppermints and the like.  It's Kit Kats and Snickers bars and Butterfingers.  I can literally see the candy bowl ALL DAY LONG.

A few weeks back the secretary had mini heath bars - something I was happy not knowing existed.  These little suckers were delicious and addictive.  It's a bad sign when everyone in the office learns your candy bar of choice. When you are eating all the Heath bars out of the bowl every day, you know you have a problem.

Right around the time the mini Heath bar stash ran out, I decided to make these incredible cookies.  If you like toffee, you will adore these guys.  They are chocked full of plain toffee pieces and chopped up Heath bars.  Because toffee's perfect compliment is nuts, 1/2 cup of walnuts are tossed in for good measure.

I love toffee and I love cookies, so these morsels rank pretty highly in my list of Best Things on the Planet.  Next to John and Harper.  Behind John and Harper, of course.  It's best if I don't say how far behind.

Heath Bar Cookies

Adapted from Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda* (see note)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 package Heath toffee bits

3 Heath bars, chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.  In a separate bowl combined chopped walnuts, chopped Heath bars, and toffee bits.  

With a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together for two minutes on medium speed.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla.  Alternate between mixing in 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the Heath mixture until just blended. (Adding chunks to a stand mixture will cause it to work a little harder, but it works fine.)

Refrigerate your batter for at least 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and place 1-inch dough balls 3 inches apart to avoid them spreading into one another.

Bake 10-12 minutes until edges begin to brown.  Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 

*Many commentors on the Simply Recipes post complained of flat cookies and suggest substituting baking powder.  Well, I used baking powder and still had flat cookies, so I'm not sure there is a solution.  The depth of the cookies is inconsequential once you taste these beauties, anyway.