My brown butter pecan chocolate chip cookies taste like someone took a regular chocolate chip cookie and made every part better. The butter is nutty and caramelized, pecans are toasted and crunchy, and the centers stay soft while the edges get crispy!
You’ll love these nutty butter pecan cookies
Most brown butter cookie recipes require chilling the dough for hours or overnight. This version skips that step because the dough is thick enough to scoop and bake immediately once the brown butter cools to room temperature.
Browning the butter takes 10 minutes but transforms the entire cookie. The milk solids caramelize and create a deep, toasty flavor you can’t get from regular melted butter. The cinnamon amplifies the nuttiness without tasting like cinnamon cookies. Using half crushed and half whole pecans means you get pecan flavor throughout plus visual appeal on top.
The cookies bake for 10 minutes, then you press extra pecans and chocolate chips on top and bake 4 more minutes. This two-step method keeps the toppings from burning while the cookies finish baking.
Want more decadent but easy cookies? Try my cowboy cookies or white chocolate peppermint cookies.
Key ingredients and why they matter
To make these pecan chocolate chip cookies, you’ll need all-purpose flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, brown sugar, brown butter, granulated sugar, egg, pecans, and chocolate chips.
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
- Butter: You need 1 cup (2 sticks) to brown because some moisture evaporates during cooking. You’ll end up with about ¾ cup of brown butter, which is exactly what the recipe needs.
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives structure. Measure by weight (220g) if possible—scooped flour can make cookies dry.
- Cinnamon: Enhances the nutty flavor of brown butter without making cookies taste spiced.
- Leavening: Baking soda creates spread and crispy edges. No baking powder needed.
- Sugars: Brown sugar adds moisture and chew. Granulated sugar creates crispness. The ratio here leans toward brown sugar for softer centers.
- Egg: Room temperature egg incorporates smoothly into cooled brown butter. Cold eggs can seize the fat.
- Vanilla: Use pure extract, not imitation. You’ll taste the difference.
- Pecans: Half crushed for flavor throughout, half whole for topping. Walnuts or hazelnuts work too.
- Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet is standard. Dark chocolate is less sweet. Milk chocolate is sweeter and creamier. Use what you like.
TIPS & TRICKS
Shruthi’s top tips
- Cool brown butter completely. I know, that’s annoying when you just want to be biting into gooey cookies. But sadly, the butter needs to be at room temperature and pourable, not warm. Warm butter makes greasy, flat cookies. Thirty minutes at room temperature works. You can speed this up by setting the bowl over an ice bath for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Use a light-colored skillet to brown butter. Dark pans make it hard to see when milk solids turn brown. You want toasty golden specks, not black burned bits.
- Don’t skip the browned bits. Those dark specks stuck to the pan are concentrated flavor. Scrape them into the bowl with the butter.
- Use room temperature egg. Cold eggs don’t incorporate smoothly into brown butter and can cause the fat to seize or separate.
- Don’t overbake. Centers should look slightly underdone when you pull them. They firm up as they cool. Overbaked cookies turn dry and hard.
- Press toppings gently. Push pecans and chocolate chips into the surface just enough that they stick. Don’t flatten the cookies.
- Optional chill for thicker cookies. Brown butter cookies don’t require chilling, but 30 minutes to 2 hours in the fridge makes them slightly thicker. Don’t chill longer than 2 hours—the fat can crystallize and make dough crumbly.
- Space cookies 2–3 inches apart. They spread during baking. Crowded cookies merge together.
- Cool on the pan before moving. Cookies are too soft to transfer immediately. Ten minutes on the hot pan finishes cooking the centers without drying out the edges.
- Measure flour by weight if possible. 1¾ cups flour should weigh 220g. Scooped flour can be 20–30g heavier and make cookies dry.
How to make pecan chocolate chip cookies!
- Brown the butter and let it cool. Preheat the oven and line baking sheets, then whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined and slightly fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Some streaks of flour are fine — don’t overmix.
- Roughly chop or crush half the pecans. Fold in crushed pecans and chocolate chips by hand with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion dough into 15 balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2–3 inches apart. Optional: Chill the dough for 30 minutes to minimize spreading.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and gently press whole pecans and extra chocolate chips onto the tops. Return to the oven and bake for another 4 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers are still slightly underdone.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to wire rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
How to serve pecan chocolate chip cookies
Let the cookies cool for 10–15 minutes so the centers finish setting while staying gooey. Serve warm with a glass of cold milk or alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a bakery-style treat. For extra flair, drizzle melted chocolate over the top and sprinkle crushed pecans or flaky sea salt. Enjoy as a dessert, snack, or party platter favorite!
Variations
- Change the nuts: Swap pecans for walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds. Toast them first for deeper flavor.
- Use different chocolate: All dark chocolate chips make cookies less sweet. Mix dark and milk chocolate for contrast. White chocolate works but is very sweet.
- Add espresso powder: Stir ½ teaspoon into dry ingredients for deeper flavor without tasting like coffee.
- Add sea salt: Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top right after baking for sweet-salty contrast.
Storage and reheating suggestions
You can store baked pecan chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days, or freeze them in a container or freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month. To enjoy, thaw the cookies at room temperature for 30–60 minutes, or warm them in the oven at 300°F for 4–5 minutes.
You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 1 month. Portion it into balls, flash-freeze them on a baking sheet in a single layer until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag. When ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake as usual.
More cookie recipes
If you liked this, check out these other easy and delicious cookie recipes:
Holiday Butter Cookies
Yellow Cake Mix Cookies
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Danish Butter Cookies
Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- 1 cookie scoop 2 tablespoon size
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, yields ¾ cups of brown butter
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans, half crushed, half left whole (for topping)
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips , plus more for topping
Instructions
- Make brown butter: Heat butter in a light-colored, thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Whisk frequently as butter melts, foams, and turns golden. Watch for brown specks and a nutty aroma, about 8–10 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl (including browned bits) and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. You should have about ¾ cup.
- While butter cools, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until well combined and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla. Mix on low speed until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Add flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed until just incorporated—some flour streaks are fine.
- Roughly chop or crush half the pecans. Fold in crushed pecans and chocolate chips by hand with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion dough into 15 balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2–3 inches apart.Optional: You can chill the cookies for 30 minutes if you want to minimize spread.
- Bake chilled cookies for 10 minutes.
- Remove sheet from oven. Gently press whole pecans and extra chocolate chips onto tops of cookies. Return to oven and bake 4 more minutes until edges are golden and crispy but centers still look slightly underdone.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes (they'll continue setting). Transfer to wire rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
Notes
- Cool brown butter completely. It should be room temperature and pourable, not warm. Warm butter makes greasy, flat cookies.
- Use room temperature egg. Cold eggs don’t incorporate smoothly into brown butter.
- Don’t overbake. Centers should look underdone when you pull them—they firm up as they cool.
- Adjust sizing: Use 1 tablespoon scoop, bake 8–10 minutes total.
- Chill dough 30 minutes to 2 hours for thicker cookies. Brown butter cookies don’t require chilling like traditional cookies, but a short chill can make them slightly thicker. Don’t chill longer than 2 hours as the fat can crystallize and make dough crumbly.
- You can store these cookies at room temperature for 5 days in an airtight container. You can freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months, or dough balls for up to 2 months (when baking from frozen, add 2-3 minutes)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I hadn’t heard of brown butter cookies until very recently when I saw it on the label of a cookie at a local bakery and got curious. I searched around online and gave this recipe a try. Oh my goodness, so good. I’ll only be making brown butter cookies from now on. I never thought pecan chocolate chip cookies could get any better, but wow was I wrong.