Blue Ribbon Almond Roca Cookies

This tasty treat was a goldmine from The Food Network, a recipe contest won by Lynn Scully. My sister-in-law made these for Christmas and I wanted to eat every cookie on the plate. I put a pretty good dent in them though. This is a Christmas crowd pleaser to be sure.

2 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1/2 t Baking soda
1/4 t Salt
1 c Dark brown sugar
1/2 c Sugar
1 c Butter, room temperature
2 Eggs, room temperature
2 t Pure vanilla extract
1 Package toffee bits
1 c Coarsely ground almonds
4 oz Milk chocolate
1/2 T Vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend sugars together on medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste. Add eggs and vanilla and mix at medium speed until light and fluffy. At low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and then the toffee bits. Mix until just blended; do not over-mix.
Place ground nuts in a small bowl. Using hands, roll balls of dough into 1 to 1 1/2-inch balls, then roll in the ground nuts. Place on cookie sheets several inches apart. Bake approximately 22 minutes and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Melt the chocolate with the vegetable oil in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Drizzle melted chocolate over cooled cookies. Place cookies on a cookie sheet and place in freezer or refrigerator until chocolate is firmly set.

Total Cost: $7.49
Flour - $.50 (Aldi)
Brown Sugar - $.65 (Meijer)
Sugar - $.15 (Aldi)
Butter - $1.00 (Aldi)
Eggs - $.15 (Aldi)
Toffee - $2.49 (Meijer)
Almonds - $2.00 (Trader Joe)
Milk Chocolate - $.50 (Aldi)