Sticky toffee pudding is an age old British dessert. It consists of a cake made with dates, covered in a toffee sauce. It bakes in the oven for almost an hour and comes out piping hot. It is one of the simple joys in my life and every time I am in England visiting my family, I go out of my way to eat at least one.
With dates being one of the fruits that we eat on Tu B'Shvat, sticky toffee pudding makes the perfect dessert for the holiday, but it can be quite messy and if you have small children, may be unapproachable.
These cookies have all of the deliciousness of sticky toffee pudding, without any of the mess or hassle! You can make these days in advance and store them in an airtight container until you are ready to eat them.
I hope you enjoy!
Sticky Toffee Cookie
1/2 Cup salted butter, melted
3/4 Cup brown sugar, tightly packed
2 Cups medjool dates, roughly chopped
1/2 Cup water
1 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Egg, large
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1) Add the chopped dates and water to a pot. bring to boil.
2) Once a rolling boil has been reached, stir in the baking soda. Keep warm over a low flame until ready to incorporate with the batter.
3) Melt the butter. Add to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add brown sugar and mix until smooth. This step may take a couple of minutes, be patient!
4) Pour in the dates mixture and mix until incorporated.
5) Add egg, vanilla extract, and baking powder. Mix until combined.
6) Using a spatula, fold in the flour until just incorporated. Do not overmix or the cookies will be tough.
7) Chill the batter for 2-24 hours. The bowl will need to be covered with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge.
8) When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
9) Using a cookie scoop, scoop cookies onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place the cookies 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet.
10) Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the middle of the cookies is firm.
11) Let cool completely while you make the toffee frosting.
Toffee Frosting
1 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup salted butter, cubed
1/4 Cup 2% milk
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 Cups powdered sugar
1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt
1) In a saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla.
2) Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the brown sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.
3) Increase the heat to medium. DO NOT STIR.
4) Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, or until a rolling boil reaches the center of the pan.
5) Remove the mixture from the heat. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
6) Whisk on high speed for 2 minutes to cool the toffee mixture.
7) Slowly whisk in the powdered sugar. Remember that the frosting will stiffen as it cools.
8) Quickly frost the cookies before the frosting hardens!
