These Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies are the perfect rich and chewy pecan filled cookies. They’re like a classic chocolate chip cookie made even more cozy and bakery worthy thanks to nutty brown butter, lightly toasted pecans and a mix of semi sweet and milk chocolate chips.
Why Should You Make This Recipe
Take a look around my blog and you’ll find lots of chocolate chip cookie recipes. My Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Bourbon Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, Biscoff Butter Cookies, Coffee Cookies and Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies are just a few of my favorites. These quick and easy brown butter chocolate chip pecan cookies are a wonderfully delicious addition to my growing collection of chocolate chip cookies. I know you’ll love this recipe because:
- They are quick and easy. All you need to do is make the brown butter, lightly toast the pecans and bring the butter and eggs to room temperature. Then simply mix everything up in one bowl, chill for half an hour and bake!
- You love cozy variations on classic cookies. These are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies with pecans I have ever eaten. As someone who doesn’t usually love nuts in my chocolate chip cookies, this recipe for chocolate chip pecan cookies makes me question what I was thinking!
- Layers of flavor and texture. These pecan chocolate chip cookies have lightly crisp edges, chewy center with pockets of gooey melted chocolate and crunchy pecans. The brown butter and lightly toasted pecans bring a lovely nuttiness that beautifully balances the mix of milk and semi sweet chocolate chips.
Ingredients
This chocolate chip with pecans cookies recipe requires only a handful of pantry basics to make. Make sure you have these ingredients ready to go!
- Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, ground cinnamon and salt
- Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, dark, semi sweet and/or milk chocolate chip and pecans.
Ingredient Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these wonderfully chewy chocolate pecan cookies:
- All purpose flour: This recipe hasn’t been tested with an alternative flour. However, if you want to make this recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 flour and measure by weight rather than cups.
- Baking Soda: A double acting baking powder is the best substitute for baking soda. The final texture of the cookie will be different, but it will still be a delicious chocolate chip cookie! For this recipe, use 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder in place of the baking soda.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch allows the cookies to have a relatively short chill time and still prevents the cookies from spreading too much. Feel free to omit if needed and chill the cookie dough at least 1-2 hours.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt.
- Light Brown and Granulated Sugars: A blend of both sugars is what creates that classic chocolate chip cookie taste. This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other cookie recipes. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs. If you make this recipe without eggs or using an egg substitute, let me know!
- Chocolate Chips: I love making these pecan chocolate chip cookies even more delicious by baking with a mix of semi sweet, milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips. Feel free to use any combination (or just one) kind of chocolate chip to make these the best chocolate chip pecan cookies for you!
- Pecans: Pecans are an essential ingredient in these brown butter pecan chocolate chip cookies. Walnuts are a good substitute for pecans in this recipe. I recommend lightly toasting the pecans if using raw pecans.
How To Make
Let me show you how to make this quick, easy and wonderfully delicious brown butter chocolate chip pecan cookie recipe.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt together until well combined.
- In another large bowl, whisk the warm brown butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and toasted pecans.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of chocolate chip butter pecan cookie dough onto a small lined baking sheet or large plate. I like to use a medium cookie scoop to get perfectly portioned cookies. Place the cookie dough balls in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 5-6 balls of chilled pecan chocolate chip cookie dough on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Top with more chocolate chips if you like.
- Bake the chocolate pecan cookies for 11-14 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly puffed.
- Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack or stove top. Firmly bang the pan onto the cooling rack (or stove top). This helps to deflate the cookies quickly. Top with a pecan in the center and flaky salt if you like. After 3 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
How To Make Ahead, Freeze, Thaw and Store
Make Ahead
Although these chewy chocolate chip pecan cookies are easy to make and come together rather quickly, they can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions through step 6 for fridge storage or freezing the cookie dough balls.
Freeze And Thaw
To freeze the cookies: Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet, place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until the cookie dough is frozen. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place the frozen cookie balls into a ziplock bag. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To thaw the cookie dough: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookie dough balls onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring the cookie dough balls to room temperature before baking.
Store
To store leftover cookie dough: Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. For the best cookie eating experience, heat the cookies in the microwave for 20 seconds for that “fresh from the oven taste.”
M's Expert Tips
- Lightly toast the pecans: If you are using raw pecans, lightly toasting them will help to enhance the natural nutty flavors of the pecans.
- Brown the butter: I highly recommend taking the time to brown the butter.If you want to use regular melted butter melt ¾ cup (12 tbsp) butter.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the cookies to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing. This results in a soft, chewy and delicious cookie.
- Measure the flour properly: Use a food scale for perfectly measured dry ingredients every time.
- Slightly under-bake the cookies: Bake the cookies until the edges are set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly underbaked, but the cookies will continue to “bake” while on the hot cookie sheet. This is the secret for cookies that are soft and chewy.
FAQ's
Using melted butter is the secret to chewy cookies. Slightly underbaking the cookies also keeps them soft with chewy centers. Storing them in an airtight container also helps them to stay soft and chewy for longer.
Because this recipe uses melted butter, the cookie dough is more likely to spread while baking. To help the cookies spread less while baking, it’s best to chill the cookie dough for 30-60 minutes.
Absolutely! The chocolate chip pecan cookie dough can stay covered and chilled in the fridge for 2 days before baking.
Other Pecan Recipes To Try
If you try this Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 medium sauce pan
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
- 1 medium cookie scooper (optional)
- 1 parchment paper
- 2 large baking sheets
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup (226) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (US), room temperature
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 g) semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup (85 g) milk chocolate chips
- flaky salt for topping optional
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, lightly toast the pecans on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the heat onto a chopping board. Cool the pecans to touch before coarsely chopping.
- In the same sauce pan or pot, melt the butter on low heat. To turn this into brown butter, allow the melted butter to begin to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant. Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom. Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt together until well combined.
- In another large bowl, whisk the warm brown butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and toasted pecans.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of chocolate chip butter pecan cookie dough onto a small lined baking sheet or large plate. I like to use a medium cookie scoop to get perfectly portioned cookies. Place the cookie dough balls in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 5-6 balls of chilled pecan chocolate chip cookie dough on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Top with more chocolate chips if you like.
- Bake the chocolate pecan cookies for 11-14 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly puffed.
- Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack or stove top. Firmly bang the pan onto the cooling rack (or stove top). This helps to deflate the cookies quickly. Top with a pecan in the center and flaky salt if you like. After 3 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
India says
these are hands down the best cookies I’ve ever made. the brown butter is so worth it, 10/10
Megan says
Hi India, I am so happy to read how much you love these cookies! Brown butter is such a game changer in cookies!