This week, these cookies once again play on my obsession with British baking. (Funnily enough, the measurements are wholly American.)
More importantly, these cookies stem from my obsession with the Great British Bake Off (& the SortedFood YouTube channel–every time they make or mention sticky toffee pudding I just want to hit the kitchen and make some).
After watching all of the GBBO & waiting for another series to air, I decided to start watching the Masterclass episodes. From there, I watched a few episodes of Mary Berry Everyday, including this one where she makes her sticky toffee pudding.
Honestly, it just felt like this was the perfect dessert to recreate in cookie form. It seems like something you wouldn’t necessarily be excited about–what is essentially a date and walnut cookie–but then you add the toffee sauce and realize just how brilliant the British were in creating this combination.
You replace half of the sugar normally used with a date puree and manage to get a cookie that is almost cake-like. You finish it all off by pouring a decent amount of toffee sauce on top.
The toffee sauce is what makes these really live up to their name. It’s slightly sticky–although, if you let the cookies sit for a while after pouring it on, it’s a bit tacky rather than sticky and less messy, but where’s the fun in that? It just means waiting longer to eat one!
The combination of the toffee sauce with the walnuts and the dates is almost impossible to beat. It’s no wonder Sticky Toffee Pudding is a British classic!
| Cook Time | 12-15 minutes |
| Servings |
cookies
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- 150 grams pitted Medjool dates
- 150 mL water
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp molasses
Ingredients
Date Puree
Toffee Sauce
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- Make the date puree: In a medium saucepan, boil the water and the dates until the dates begin to soften and almost fall apart. Stir in the baking soda, then transfer the mix to a food processor or blender. Blend until it begins to turn into a paste/puree (it doesn't need to be perfectly smooth for these cookies).
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, instant espresso, and cocoa powder; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand-mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and date puree until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses one at a time, mixing until combined between each addition.
- Half at a time, add the dry ingredients. Mix until the flour is just incorporated and the dough begins to come together. Fold in the chopped dates and walnuts. Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the prepared sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Make the Toffee Sauce: Put all of the ingredients for the toffee sauce into a medium saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. This should only take about 5 minutes or so. Allow the sauce to cool and thicken a bit before pouring on top of the cooled cookies.