3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon butter-rum flavor (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups Mellow Pastry Blend or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup toffee-flavored bits
1 cup caramel-flavored bits OR the chip of your choice: chocolate, macadamia, cinnamon, or white chocolate
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, flavors, salt and baking soda. Add the egg and beat until fluffy. Add the flour and stir until well-blended. Stir in bits and/or chips, and the nuts, if you're using them.

Drop the dough by generous tablespoonfuls onto ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets (our tablespoon cookie scoop, works well here), leaving about 2 inches between cookies.

Bake the cookies in a preheated 375°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes; 10 minutes will give you chewier cookies, 12 minutes crisper. Note: For chewy, "bendable" cookies, remove them from the oven while they still look "under-cooked" in the center; for crisp, crunchy cookies, bake until evenly golden brown. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to racks to cool completely. Yield: about 3 dozen 2 1/2- to 3-inch cookies

Copyright 2002, The King Arthur Flour Company. All rights reserved.