Heath Bar Cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream! Inspired by “Better Than Anything” cakes, these gooey, caramel-filled cookies are topped with whipped cream frosting and toffee bits.

Image of the heath bar cookies stacked on top of each other

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Heath Bar Cookies are “Better Than Anything”!

“Better Than Anything” cake is a rich chocolate cake soaked with sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce, then topped with whipped cream and crushed Heath® bars for the ultimate dessert. If you’ve tried this cake, you know it’s nothing short of incredible—rich, gooey, and completely indulgent.

So, what could be better than that? “Better Than Anything” COOKIES, of course!

This recipe starts with rich, thick, chewy chocolate cookies filled with soft, sweet caramel and topped with whipped cream frosting and crushed Heath bars. Just like the cake, but in cookie form—and even better, in my opinion!

Process shots-- images of the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla being creamed together

Heath Bar Cookies: Special Ingredients

This cookie recipe uses two special ingredients that you might not see often: cake flour and Dutch-process cocoa powder. If you bake a lot, you might already have them at home. If not, you can easily find both in most grocery stores.

Special Ingredient #1: Dutch-process Cocoa Powder

  • Dutch-process cocoa powder gives cookies a rich, dark, and moist texture. Regular cocoa powder makes them less flavorful and drier.
  • Hershey’s® “Special Dark” cocoa powder is a Dutch-process cocoa powder that is also delicious in these cookies and is readily found at most grocery stores. 
  • Local grocery stores often have Ghirardelli® Dutch-process cocoa powder. Look for “Dutch process” or “Dutched” on the container.

Special Ingredient #2: Cake Flour

  • Another special ingredient in Heath Bar Cookies is cake flour. It’s not usually found in cookies, but it’s important for the cookies’ texture and taste in this recipe.
  • Cake flour is ground to be very fine and has less protein, which means it makes less gluten when you mix the cookie batter. Less gluten results in a softer, gooier cookie. 
Process shots of heath bar cookies-- images of the baking agents, cocoa powder, flours, and chocolate chips being mixed together

Now that the chocolate cookie dough is whipped together, it’s time to stuff it with caramel!

My favorite (affordable) caramels are Werther’s® soft (not original) caramels (not sponsored). These caramels have a great flavor, hold their shape well, and we think they’re perfect in these cookies.

These cookies are BIG (bakery style!), so we like to add two full caramels. A good substitute for caramels in this recipe would be Rolo® candies. Try using 2-3 per cookie.

Quick Tip

Make sure the dough fully covers the caramels to prevent leaks. Some caramel might still seep out, so bake the cookies on parchment paper or a liner to catch any drips. The caramel will harden and be easy to remove. 

Process shots-- images of the caramels being added to the center of the dough and the dough being rolled into a ball and baked

Top Cookies With Whipped Cream Frosting

Once the cookies are cool, top them with whipped cream frosting. It’s simple to make with just three ingredients.

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, then add heavy cream and whip until light and fluffy. A stand mixer makes it even easier.

Process shots-- images of the frosting being made

Finish Off Heath Bar Cookies With Toffee Bits

Last, but not least, we add Heath milk chocolate English Toffee Baking bits on top of the whipped cream frosting.

These baking bits make the perfect topping for these Heath Bar Cookies!

Process shots of heath bar cookies-- images of the frosting being pipped onto the cookies and the heath toffee bits being sprinkled on top
  • Don’t substitute ingredients. I’ve tried out this cookie recipe a bunch of times! To get the best cookies, make sure to follow the recipe closely and use the specific ingredients listed. There are some unusual ingredients, but it’s best to stick with them instead of swapping them for others. Baking can be tricky, so it’s hard to know if substitutes will work as well.
  • Don’t skip or shorten the chilling time. The longer the dough sits, the tastier it gets, and chilling it helps with the texture and shape of these Heath Bar Cookies. Chilling makes sure the cookies bake thick and don’t spread out too much.
Up-close overhead image of Heath Bar Cookies
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5 from 3 votes

Heath Bar Cookies

By Chelsea Lords
Heath Bar Cookies are a chocolate lover's dream! Inspired by "Better Than Anything" cakes, these gooey, caramel-filled cookies are topped with whipped cream frosting and toffee bits.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 6 large (4-ounce) cookies

Equipment

  • 1M Open Star Piping Tip & Piping Bags
  • Large Sheet Pan & Silicone Liner

Ingredients 
 

Cookies

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon each: cornstarch, baking soda, fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder Note 1
  • 1/2 cup cake flour Note 2
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour Note 3
  • 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 12 Werther’s soft caramels unwrapped

Frosting

  • 2 ounces brick-style full-fat cream cheese (not cream cheese from a tub)
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 + 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
  • Heath milk chocolate English Toffee Baking bits

Instructions 

  • CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR: Cut butter straight from the fridge into small cubes. Add the cubed butter and brown sugar to a large bowl (or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment). Beat until completely combined and ultra creamy, about 3-4 minutes.
  • ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS: Add in the egg and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add in the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Beat until just combined, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Add in the cake flour (Read Note 4 first) and regular flour and again beat until combined. Don't over-beat the mixture. Add in the miniature and regular-sized chocolate chips. Fold the chips and cookies the dough with a spatula. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 45 minutes up to 2 hours.
  • FORM COOKIE BALLS: After chilling, remove the bowl from the fridge and form cookie dough balls. Each ball should be just over 4 ounces (117 grams each). You should get 6 equal-sized balls from the dough. Roll into large balls and then split each ball in half and press 2 unwrapped caramels in the center. Roll the balls back up again, being careful to fully cover the caramels. Place cookie dough balls on a parchment-paper-lined sheet pan or plate and return to the fridge or freezer to chill for 15 more minutes.
  • BAKE: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an extra-large sheet pan with a Silpat liner (parchment paper works, but the cookies bake better on a Silpat liner). Add 3 cookie dough balls to the pan, leaving plenty of space in between each cookie. Bake for 13-18 minutes, erring on the side of slightly under-baking (we think they're perfect at 15 minutes). They're slightly under-baked but will firm up to a nice and fudgy/chewy cookie as they set. Remove from the oven and immediately press the edges of the cookie inwards with the back of a metal spatula to get the perfect round bakery-style cookie. Let cookies stand on the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool and finish firming up here. Repeat process with the last 3 cookies.
  • FROSTING: Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl (fitted to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or use a hand mixer) and beat on medium speed until completely smooth. While beating on low speed, slowly add in the heavy cream and beat until just combined. Stop mixer and scrape sides with a spatula as needed. Once all the cream has been added in, increase the speed of the mixers to medium-high and beat until the frosting holds stiff peaks. Watch carefully to avoid over-beating. Gently fold in the vanilla with a spatula if adding.
  • DECORATE: Transfer whipped cream frosting to a piping bag fitted with an open star piping tip. Generously frost each cookie, equally dividing the frosting up by the 6 cookies.
    (We use all the frosting between the 6 cookies — these are supposed to be indulgent bakery-style cookies after all. 🙂 If you don't want to use all the frosting on the cookies, frost as much as you'd like on cookies and save the rest to use as a fruit dip or addition to other desserts. Immediately top with crushed Heath bits (just sprinkle on top to desired preference). Cookies are best enjoyed within a couple of hours of making them; otherwise, the frosting will begin to soften or weep. (See Instruction #7 if you won't be eating these all at once).
  • STORAGE: Because of the frosting, these cookies don’t store or freeze well. If you’re going to have extra cookies that won’t be enjoyed the same day, I recommend storing the frosting and cookies separately and frosting right before serving. The frosting needs to be refrigerated in an airtight container, while the cookies do best when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The frosting will store nicely for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge, but you'll need to whip it up again for a couple of minutes before adding to the cookies.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Cocoa powder: The cocoa powder really sets these cookies apart; Dutch-process cocoa powder offers a more robust and intensely deep chocolate flavor — I don’t recommend using plain cocoa powder. Hershey’s® “Special Dark” cocoa powder is a Dutch-process cocoa powder that is readily found at most grocery stores. 
Note 2: Cake flour: This flour is responsible for giving the cookies a fluffier, more delicate, tender crumb. It helps keep these cookies soft and chewy. We combine cake flour with all-purpose flour to get the perfect texture. Cake flour is typically found on the baking supplies aisle in the grocery store near other types of flour. I don’t recommend a different flour substitute or making “homemade” cake flour — it doesn’t work the same in this recipe.
Note 3: Measuring: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of cake or regular flour and scoop, you will pack in way too much flour which affects the texture of these cookies. To properly measure your flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it’s overfilled. Then use the back of a table knife to level the measuring cup at the top. (Video visual here)

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 905kcal | Carbohydrates: 136g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 145mg | Potassium: 322mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 88g | Vitamin A: 882IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Meet Chelsea

Hello, and welcome to Chelsea’s Messy Apron! I’m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. I’m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping by—I hope you find something delicious to make!

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2 Comments

  1. callie says:

    5 stars
    As your sister I have to say the BEST cookies ever! and super easy to make! would recommend to everyone!

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy you enjoyed these! Thanks for the comment 🙂

      Reply