These Toasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of my favourites to make. The flavour combination of nutty, salty, sweet and chocolatey goes so well together. The edges are crisp with a chewy centre; my ideal cookie texture.
I love the combination of toasty, salted pecans and chocolate together in a cookie. I first made these cookies last year as a test of sorts. Toasted pecans with sea salt was one of my favourite flavour at a gelato shop I used to work at, so I wanted to recreate the flavours in a cookie!
The pecans are coated with butter and sprinkled with salt, and then baked until toasty, nutty and fragrant. Then, chopped up tiny and mixed into the cookie batter. Paired with dark chocolate chunks also added in the batter and extra pieces on top of each cookie; and generously sprinkled with flakey sea salt! They're perfection!
I wanted to get the perfect balance of sweet, salty and nutty, which took a few tries to nail down. And I can't wait for you to make them!
If you like these pecan chocolate chip cookies, and want to check out some more, try these Vanilla Raspberry cookies, or these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies! These Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies and Fudgy Brownie Cookies are the perfect cookie version of those desserts.
Ingredients
I highly recommend using the best quality pecans and dark chocolate you can get, for this recipe!
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- White granulated sugar
- Egg + extra egg yolk
- Vanilla extract
- Pecans
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda + powder
- Dark chocolate bar
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
- Whisk together the melted butter, white and brown sugar and whisk in the egg and egg yolk until smooth. Mix in the chopped pecans and 100g of the chopped dark chocolate.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix using a spatula. Don’t over mix - stop when combined and you don’t see any streaks of flour.
- Scoop the cookie dough into a large tray using a 1.5 inch cookie scoop. Use the remaining chocolate and press it on the surface of the cookie balls.
- Cover and refrigerate the cookie balls for 30-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350℉ while the cookies are in the fridge.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are set and are golden brown, along with the bottom. The cookies will still be soft in the middle, but will finish cooking from the residual heat. If you want a crisper cookie, bake them near the 13 minute mark, or until end edges and bottom are a bit more deeper golden brown.
- Sprinkle some flakey salt and use a large round cup or cookie cutter to ease them into a smoother circle shape. The diameter should be bigger then the cookie and just move it in a circular motion.
Equipment
- You want to use a wide, light coloured cookie sheet or baking tray for this. This is one I would recommend!
- I highly recommend using a cookie scoop to get even sized cookies and to make cookie scooping easier! There are 3 different sizes in this one
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-7 days and in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
Freeze the cookies: After refrigerating the cookie balls, place them on a tray and freeze them for 30 minutes to an hour. Once partially frozen, place them in a freezer-safe resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen and add a few minutes to the bake time.
Top Tip
- Cool down the butter: Before using, make sure to let the butter sit for a bit to cool down after you melt it. Using too warm butter can lead to greasy cookies
- Don't overmix: Once the dough is just combined and there aren't anymore flour streaks, stop mixing. Too much mixing will make the cookies tough and dense.
- Refrigerate the dough: Letting the cookie dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour helps develop the flavours more. It also helps prevent the cookies spreading too much during the bake. The butter solidifies in the fridge, and doesn't melt as quickly during baking, as it would have had if baked straight away.
- Watch the Baking Time: Bake until the edges are golden, but the centre still looks slightly soft. The cookies will continue to set on the baking sheet after they’re removed from the oven. If you want them crisper, bake for a bit longer or until the cookies firm up a bit more and develop more colour.
FAQ
Yes, you can omit them or substitute them with some other nuts. If they're not toasted and salted, just follow the instructions on how to to just that below!
Absolutely you can! Scoop the cookies into balls and press the chocolate pieces onto the surface. Place them in a container or on a tray and freeze them for 30-60 minutes or until partially frozen. (This helps prevent the cookies from sticking) Then transfer to a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
The brown sugar provides some extra moisture and helps achieve the chew in the cookies. So just using white sugar will change the texture of the cookies a bit, but the taste will be almost the same.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Pecans (if you don't have toasted and salted ones)
- ¾ cup pecans (100g)
- 1 tablespoon butter (14g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cookies
- ½ cup white granulated sugar 100g
- ¾ cup brown sugar 150g
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter melted and cooled 168g
- 1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour 230g
- ¾ cup chopped pecans, toasted & salted (100g)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 150 g chopped dark chocolate or chips 1 ½ bars
Instructions
Salt & Toast Pecans
- Preheat the oven to 350F and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Toss and coat the pecans with the butter and mix in ¼ teaspoon of salt. Evenly spread out in a pan and toast them for 10-15 minutes or until they slightly darken and smell nutty. Make sure to not let them burn! Take out and sprinkle about ⅛ teaspoon salt and mix to coat well. You can add more or less, depending on your taste.¾ cup pecans, 1 tablespoon butter, ¼ teaspoon salt
Make Cookies
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and both sugars, until combined. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk until smooth.½ cup white granulated sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar 150g, 1 large egg, ¾ cup butter, 1 large egg yolk
- Mix in the chopped pecans and 100g of the chopped dark chocolate.¾ cup chopped pecans, toasted & salted, 150 g chopped dark chocolate or chips
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix using a spatula. Don’t over mix - stop when combined and you don’t see any streaks of flour.
- Scoop the cookie dough into a large container or large tray using a 1.5 inch cookie scoop or 1.5 tbsp. Use the remaining chocolate and press it on the surface of the cookie balls.
- Cover and refrigerate the cookie balls for 30-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350℉ while the cookies are in the fridge. Line a large baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the cookie balls 1.5-2 inch apart from each other and bake for 11-13 minutes. Or until the edges are set and are golden brown, along with the bottom. The cookies will still be soft in the middle, but will finish cooking from the residual heat. If you want a crisper cookie, bake them near the 13 minute mark, or until end edges and bottom are a bit more deeper golden brown. (Some ovens may vary so keep an eye on the cookies, they might require more or less time.)
- Immediately hit them with some flakey salt and use a large round cup or cookie cutter to ease them into a smoother circle shape. The diameter should be bigger then the cookie and just move it in a circular motion.
- Let them cool and enjoy!
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