This Heath Bar Cookies recipe combines crunchy, buttery toffee with a classic cookie base, offering the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Simple to make, impossible to resist!
One day, I was snacking on a Heath Bar—one of my all-time favorite candy bars—when I had a lightbulb moment: “This toffee would be amazing in a cookie!” A quick Google search showed I wasn’t the first to think of it, but that didn’t stop me. I swapped out the chocolate chips in my go-to cookie recipe for chopped Heath Bars, and let me tell you, it was a game-changer. The toffee melts just enough during baking to spread through the cookie, adding that perfect sweet and salty crunch.
These cookies are a little crispy, a little chewy, and completely irresistible. Give them a try—I bet you’ll love them as much as I do!
What other candy bars could I substitute in place of the Heath Bars?
You can easily swap out Heath Bars for other delicious candy bars in this recipe. Here are a few tasty alternatives:
- Butterfinger Bars: For a sweet, crispy, and peanut buttery twist.
- Snickers Bars: Add some caramel, nougat, and peanuts for extra texture and flavor.
- Twix Bars: The combination of chocolate, caramel, and cookie crunch makes a perfect substitute.
- Milky Way Bars: If you love soft caramel and nougat, these will give your cookies a rich, gooey texture.
- Toffee Bits: If you want to stick with the toffee flavor but want an easier option, go for pre-chopped toffee bits from the baking aisle!
Can I use a bag of English toffee bits instead of the chopped candy bars?
You can definitely swap out the chopped Heath Bars for an 8-ounce bag of toffee bits. In fact, using toffee bits might make things even easier, since you won’t have to chop up the candy bars yourself. The toffee bits will still give you that amazing buttery crunch, and they’ll melt nicely into the cookie just like the chopped bars. Just be sure to choose the ones that have the milk chocolate if you still want that classic Heath Bar flavor in every bite!
To Chill or Not to Chill
The decision to chill your dough really is all about the kind of cookies you want to make.
Chilling the dough allows the ingredients to rest, helping the flavors develop and keeping the cookies from spreading too much while baking. This results in thicker, chewier cookies with a more pronounced texture.
If you bake the dough right away, the cookies will spread a little more, resulting in thinner, crispier cookies.
In the end, it’s all about your preference. If you want soft and chewy, go for the chill. If you like them crispy, skip it. Either way, you’ll still end up with something delicious.
Can I freeze the cookie dough or baked cookies?
Yes, you can do both! To freeze the dough, scoop it into individual balls, place them on a baking sheet, and put in the freezer until frozen solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. You can bake them directly from frozen—just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
Baked cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container. When you’re ready to enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature or give them a quick zap in the microwave.
How do I keep Heath bars from melting too much or sticking to the pan?
Heath Bars can melt and ooze out a bit, but using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat will prevent any sticky situations on your pan. Chilling the dough before baking also helps the cookies keep their shape and prevents too much candy bar goo from spreading out.
Recipe Card
Sweet and Salty Heath Bar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 (1.4-ounce) Heath Bars (or other toffee bar of your choice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition.
- Coarsely chop Heath Bars and stir them into the dough.
- For thicker, chewy cookies, refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before scooping. For thinner, crispier cookies, bake immediately.) Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet in heaping 1 tablespoonfuls.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Allow to rest on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container on the counter
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Eva Dedenbach
I made this this afternoon, and I used 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 packed brown sugar instead of the 1 1/2 sugar the recipe calls for. I used a bag of pre-chopped toffee bits, and I didn’t realize that it would be sticky. Next time, I’m adding in a bag of chocolate chips with a bag of toffee bits.
Marlene Rusinko
Why are you using actual Heath Bars? You can buy Heath Bar pieces next to the chocolate chips in the baking isle.
Because I like the size and texture of chopped Heath bars over the bagged bits. Plus, some of the bits are solid without chocolate and I think you need the chocolate in these cookies.
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Genevieve
These turned out very well, thanks for the recipe. I looked up several and yours had the fewest ingredients so that’s why I chose it. I did half the batch with walnuts and half without; the half without were a bit flat and shapeless, but still tasted good. The ones with walnuts looked heartier and I thought tasted better. I used 6 heath bars (actually 3 king size which contain 2 small bars each) then added 1/4 bag of the Heath bar bits. I also sprinkled a bit of course seasalt on top after the cookies were on the parchment — it looked pretty and brought out the sweetness of the toffee and chocolate. The only thing I will comment on is that you say 15 minutes of prep time, and it will probably take twice that.
jean jenkins
Ummm … thanks for making my day! It is pouring rain here this morning (Ft Walton Bch, FL) and I just happen to have all the ingredients on hand for making these baked bites of sunshine!! Since my bag of Heath bits are sans chocolate, I’ll just throw in a few chocolate chips!! There’s nothing like baking on a rainy day!! Thanks!!
Well, I’m just thrilled to have made your day! Now, you’ve made mine! Hope you enjoy them!
LINDA RASER
i LOVE THIS RECIPE, i MADE IT AND IT WAS FABULOUS. I ALWAYS MAKE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS AND ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A RECIPE TO ADD DIFFERENT THINGS TO. MY HUSBAND LOVES BUTTERFINGER CANDY BARS, SO i CHOPPED UP 8 CANDY BARS AND ADDED IT TO THIS RECIPE. hE JUST ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM. i LOVE NUTS IN MY COOKIES, SO i WILL MAKE A BATCH WITH PECANS. tHANKS FOR ANOTHER COOKIE RECIPE IN MY RECIPE BOX.
Linda, I’m just thrilled that you like the recipe. This is a great basic recipe for any type of cookie with “stuff” in it. I have even made them with chopped up Twix bars. Enjoy!
Jillian
My boyfriend LOVES toffee so I want to make these for him for Christmas. I made these last night with the bagged heath bar pieces but the cookies didnt have as much crunch as I was hoping for 🙁 I think because the bags have very small toffee pieces, it all melted into the cookie. Next time I’ll chop my own heath bars; hopefully all of the toffee won’t melt so I can keep some crunch. Maybe even add some walnuts like Winnie suggests.
Jillian, try the chopped up pieces next time. They will still melt some, but hopefully not as much. Happy Cooking!
Paula B.
These look so yummy. For the Fourth, I had made chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chocolate chip, and added in the Heath bits for that extra texture and flavor. The Heath bits are also great in oatmeal cookies.
Cynthia L.
I love the idea of adding Heath bars to oatmeal cookies. My eyebrows went straight up when I read your post.
Love it!
Winnie Mom
Made these over the weekend while it was raining outside. I used the bag of toffee & chocolate chips which is 8 oz. I also added about 2 cups chopped walnuts. Cookies must have nuts at our house. These were absolutely awesome and with a cup of coffee–OH My Goodness!! Thanks for a wonderful simple yet tasty cookie. You can’t eat just one or we couldn’t.
You are ALWAYS so kind to come back and comment and let me know how things turned out! I’m so glad you enjoyed these!!
Erin
If I use the bagged chips how much should I use ?
I’m not sure exactly the weight of a bag of the chips, but I would guess you’d need about 2 to 2.5 cups of chips. Good luck!!
Kae
Just made these! Oh boy! DELICIOUS!! My family and I can’t get enough of them!! So easy and yet so yummy!! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! They went awfully quick at our house!
Brenda (SweetSimpleStuff)
OH MY … I think my name is written all over these cookies! Here is my secret to not eating the bag of Heath bits … I keep them in the freezer.
I wish I could say that keeping them in the freezer would deter me… 🙂
Frannie
Sounds delicious! Isn’t there Heath Bar pieces (including the chocolate, not just the toffee) in the baking aisle with the chocolate chips? I can’t bear the thought of chopping up Heath Bars, but I would. =^..^=
Carmen
Yes they do have the Heath Bar chips in the baking isle I buy them to use in cookies but always eat them from the bag they never make it to the cookies
I didn’t have any luck finding the ones that were chocolate and toffee, only the ones that were just toffee. If you can find them, USE them! I’m all for easy!
Jackie
HaHa, I thought title said “Health” cookies.