Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Overhead view of pecan chocolate chip cookies on a black wire rack, close up.

Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Chilling Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 293kcal

Author: Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju

These pecan chocolate chip cookies are delicious, with an extra layer that's golden and crispy while the inside still stays soft and gooey!

Print Recipe Add to Collection

US Customary - Metric

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