… she just might also eat cake, pie, and possibly pizza.

really good chocolate chip-toffee chip cookies

As I mentioned in my Whole 30 wrap-up post last month, I anticipated making and eating some baked non-paleo goodies when extended family visited me at the end of the month. I did pretty well continuing to eat paleo for actual meals – I put together a taco bar one night, a pasta bar one night, burgers one night – all highly customizable meals, easy to make vegan, paleo, or whatever you’d like. But I also made some favorite desserts, and, just as I’d planned, I did indulge.

Perhaps too much. With each indulgence, I slid a little more off the paleo path, until by the end of the family visit, I was eating my first piece of pizza since the beginning of the year. And for the last couple of days, I have continued to indulge in a variety of grain-based, sugar-laden foods. And even though some of it has been delicious, I can also tell a HUGE difference in my mood, my energy, and how my body feels. The weirdest part is my eyes – they always feel tired.

Tomorrow I’ll be back on my track, but for tonight I want to share my recipe for Darn Good Chocolate Chip-Toffee-Chip Cookies. I mean, it is Fat Tuesday after all.

I learned so much from this article a couple of months ago – the author explored how a variety of ingredients and techniques affect a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. It was very enlightening to think about what I was looking for in a chocolate chip cookie and how to get it. During the four days my family was visiting, I made three different batches of cookies (for a total of 12 dozen cookies), so I had plenty of opportunity to tweak my recipe. Without further ado, here is our favorite. Fair warning: it is neither paleo nor vegan, it is just delicious – and a bit addictive.

Really Good Chocolate Chip-Toffee Chip Cookies

makes 48 cookies

• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda*
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder*
• 1teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies
• 1 cup toffee bits

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In  a large bowl, combine butter, both sugars, and vanilla. Mix with electric hand mixer, on medium, about 2 minutes, until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee chips.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes on pans before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

*I actually accidentally doubled both the baking powder and baking soda when I made the third batch of these. I was afraid I had ruined them, but they turned out to be our favorite batch – of course, they were also the only batch I added toffee chips to, and those were a big hit. I’m not sure how much of a difference the doubling of these two leavening agents made. All three batches of cookies were delicious, so either way – 1/2 t of both baking soda and baking powder, or 1 t of both baking soda and baking powder – seemed to work. The main thing is that I used both powder and soda, in equal proportions.

Okay, y’all, Fat Tuesday is almost over and I won’t be making these again for a long while. But perhaps you will make them, and if you do, I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!