Chocolate Chip Butter Pecan Cookies
The most perfect cookie ever created! These warm, chewy, gooey Chocolate Chip Butter Pecan Cookies will literally melt in your mouth!
Decadent, delicious Chocolate Chip Butter Pecan Cookies are the best cookie recipe EVER – I’m SO not exaggerating! Rich, melty chocolate chips and easy-to-make homemade buttery caramelized pecans combine with classic baking staples for the ultimate sweet treat indulgence!
What Makes These Cookies Extra Special
You’ll taste the difference with every marvelous, mouthwatering bite of these Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies! Two elements contribute to their perfection: 1) Using a higher brown sugar content, softer, finer bread flour and an additional egg yolk give these decadent cookies that perfect tantalizing texture with chewy edges and a soft center; and 2) Caramelizing the pecans in browned butter results in a rich, savory depth of flavor – SO worth every second of the extra 4 or 5 minutes it adds to this recipe!
Other Yummy Caramelized Butter Pecan Recipes
- Simple, easy, homemade Baked Pecan Praline Doughnuts are topped with the same buttery, caramelized pecans! One of the most deliciously decadent desserts ever!
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake is pure perfection (with another yummy caramelized pecan topping!)
Ingredients
Add-Ins: Semi-sweet chocolate chips make the BEST chocolate chip cookies! Chopped pecans and unsalted butter combine in the skillet for caramelized nut perfection!
Dry Ingredients: Bread flour, baking soda, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt make this cookie dough soft and chewy, resulting in a fantastic cookie texture once baked!
Wet Ingredients: Softened unsalted butter, a large egg plus another large yolk, buttermilk (or whole milk), and vanilla. Finish these brilliant baked bites of goodness!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Butter Pecan Cookies
STEP ONE: Melt two tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup of chopped pecans to the butter and cook for 5 minutes until the pecans are toasted and fragrant. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside the butter pecans.
STEP TWO: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to a medium mixing bowl and whisk everything together. Set aside the dry ingredients. Add two sticks of melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer (or your stand mixer) for 1 minute until slightly lighter in color. Add the egg, egg yolk, buttermilk, and vanilla, and mix until just combined.
STEP THREE: Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until combined. Do not overmix! Fold the chocolate chips and buttered pecans with a rubber spatula until evenly mixed. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (overnight is best!). Don’t skip this important step!
STEP FOUR: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies are golden brown.
STEP FIVE: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for Success
- This dough is kept in the fridge for 2-3 days, so you can make a small daily batch. Nothing is better than a warm cookie right out of the oven!
- Wait until the oven is fully preheated before popping the cookies in to prevent them from spreading too much.
- Cool the cookie sheet between batches (or use two baking sheets) to ensure each batch bakes evenly.
- A layer of parchment paper on the baking sheet prevents the cookies from sticking and helps prevent the bottoms from browning too quickly. If you prefer, you can also use a silicone baking mat instead of parchment paper.
Do You Have to Chill Cookie Dough?
It depends on your cookie style preference! NOT chilling the dough before baking results in thin, spread-out, crispy cookies. If you love a flat, crunchy cookie, then no need to chill.
However, chilling the dough for an hour or longer allows the flavors to meld and the ingredients to absorb all the moisture evenly. When you bake the cookies, they will retain their shape, resulting in a thicker, chewier cookie with a softer texture.
Can You Freeze Cookie Dough?
You absolutely CAN freeze cookie dough, but there’s a trick! Scoop raw cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined pan and slide into the freezer. After 20-30 minutes, when the cookies are firm, remove them from the freezer, store them in plastic baggies, and freeze them immediately while the dough is still firm. When ready to bake, remove the exact amount you want. Place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and allow them to thaw slightly. Bake at 375 until golden brown. Voila! The perfect number of warm, fresh-baked cookies with no additional clean up!
Other Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes!
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Grand Floridian Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cake Mix Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
*This post originally posted on 12/14/2015.
Chocolate Chip Butter Pecan Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Butter Pecans
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Cookies
- 2 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 4 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk (or whole milk)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup chopped pecans. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pecans are toasted and fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until lighter in color, about 1 minute. Add in the egg, egg yolk, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing after each addition until just combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the butter pecans and chocolate chips by hand until evenly incorporated into the cookie dough.
- Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. (I recommend chilling overnight for best results.)
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- You can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour if desired. It’s a 1:1 ratio. The cookies will have a slightly less dense and chewy texture, but they’re still delicious!
- Freezing Steps: Scoop the cookie dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and place them in the freezer. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Then transfer the dough balls to a freezer food storage bag and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to make cookies, place the cookie dough balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 11-14 minutes until golden brown.
