Recipe: Cookies!

It's five weeks until Christmas so it's time to start putting out some of my favorite Christmas recipes. We'll start with a really good cookie recipe.

Toffee Crunch Cookie Brittle
In this recipe, one large sheet of cookie dough is baked until almost crisp, then broken into pieces that resemble brittle but taste like a cookie. Use bits of broken chocolate-covered toffee bars for a rich, buttery flavor. (Leave the candy bars in their wrappers when crushing the candy with a hammer to avoid pieces of toffee flying around the kitchen.)

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooked slightly
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (about 7 ounces) coarsely crushed chocolate-covered toffee, such as Skor or Heath bars
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) walnuts, broken into large pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown and granulated sugars and vanilla until smooth, about 30 seconds. Using a large spoon, slowly add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. The dough should appear to be smooth. Stir in the crushed toffee and walnuts. (You may need to use your hands if the dough is thick.)

Spoon the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch of empty space on all sides. Use the palms of your hands to pat the dough into an even layer about 1/2 inch thick and 13x9 inches. The dough should be patted out slightly thinner at the edges.

Bake the brittle until it turns golden and the edges turn light brown, about 19 minutes. The brittle may be fairly soft when warm but will crisp as it cools. Let the brittle cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Using a large metal spatula to guide it, slide the large cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely. Don't worry if the cookie breaks, it will be broken into irregular pieces anyway. Break the cooled cookie into 2-to-3 inch pieces. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature.