These chocolate chip pecan cookies are soft and chewy with rich brown butter, toasted pecans, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I love the extra flavor you get from browning the butter because it gives the cookies a nutty, caramelized taste that works so well with the pecans.
They have lightly browned edges and soft centers, with toasted pecans and chocolate in every bite. If you like homemade cookies, you should also try these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Keep reading to see how browning the butter adds so much flavor and how to keep these pecan chocolate chip cookies soft and chewy.
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Video Instructions
Try This Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies Recipe
If you like chocolate chip cookies but want a little more flavor and crunch, these are worth making. The brown butter gives the dough a deep, nutty flavor, while the toasted pecans add a nice contrast to the soft cookie.
The dough does need some chilling, but that also makes these cookies easy to prepare ahead. Once chilled, you just scoop, roll, and bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the centers still look soft.
Why You’ll Love It
- Soft and chewy: The cookies are baked until the edges are lightly browned while the centers still look puffy and underbaked.
- Rich brown butter flavor: Browning the butter caramelizes the milk solids and gives the cookies a nutty, buttery flavor.
- Toasted pecans: Toasting the pecans brings out their flavor and gives the cookies extra crunch.
- Chocolate in every bite: Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars add plenty of chocolate throughout.
- Make-ahead friendly: The dough can be chilled for up to 2 days, and unbaked dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: This is the ingredient that makes these cookies special. Browning unsalted butter gives you toasted milk solids and a nutty flavor. I wouldn’t use salted butter here because the salt becomes concentrated in the toasted milk solids and can make the flavor unbalanced.
- Dark brown sugar: I like dark brown sugar because it gives the cookies a deeper flavor and soft texture. Light brown sugar can also be used, but the flavor will be lighter and the cookies will spread a little more.
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring so you don’t accidentally add too much. If needed, the original recipe notes that Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour can be used.
- Cornstarch: This helps give the cookies their soft, tender texture without making the dough too heavy.
- Pecans: I like using toasted pecans because they add extra flavor and a little crunch. You can also change the add-ins, but the recipe recommends a total of 1½ cups of add-ins for the dough.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: These balance the buttery, nutty flavor of the dough nicely. You can also use chopped chocolate bars for a slightly different texture.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies With Brown Butter
1. Before you start browning the butter, remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking it. If the butter is too cold, it will splatter when cooking. Use a thick-bottomed light-colored pan for browning the butter and place it over medium heat. Add the butter and melt it. Stir all the time.
2. Once the butter is completely melted, you will notice bright milk solids forming on the surface.
3. Then the majority of the milk solids sink to the bottom, and the butter starts bubbling.
4. After a few minutes, it will start foaming, and the milk solids turn brown.
5. When the milk solids are toasty brown and a buttery and nutty aroma is developing, you know that it's done.
Note: The butter can burn very quickly at this stage. Sadly, if it burns, all you can do is toss it and start again. The cup should be wide enough to easily pour the butter from the pan into the cup. It's important to transfer not just the liquid butter but also the toasted milk solids to the cup because there is all the flavor in it.
6. Immediately transfer the butter to a heat-proof cup to stop the cooking process.
7. You need 1 cup (240ml) of liquid. Pour the liquid butter, including the milk solids, into a 1 cup measuring cup and fill up with milk until full. You will need between 1 - 2 tablespoon (15-30ml) of milk, depending on the fat/water content of the butter used and how long you cooked it.
8. Transfer to a heat-proof container and chill until firm. You can prepare the butter up to 2 days in advance. Before using it, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften.
9. Once the butter is firm, it has an intense yellow color with lots of brown specks.
10. Prepare the butter as described in the previous chapter. Then, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until soft and creamy.
11. Add the brown sugar or brown sugar substitute and sugar and cream for 2-3 minutes.
12. Then add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined and creamy.
13. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.
14. Then stir in the toasted pecans and chocolate chips to incorporate, if used. Cover and chill for 2 hours or up to 2 days.
15. Allow the dough to come to room temperature for 15-30 minutes until it is a soft and spoonable dough. Then scoop balls of cookie dough.
16. Roll the scooped cookie dough into balls, and bake in the oven.
17. Let cool on a wire rack and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Let the butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before browning it.
- Use a light-colored, heavy-bottomed pan so you can see the milk solids change color as the butter browns.
- Keep the butter over medium heat so it doesn’t brown too quickly and burn.
- Transfer the browned butter immediately once the milk solids are toasty brown and you smell the nutty aroma.
- Make sure you transfer the toasted milk solids along with the liquid butter because they contain much of the flavor.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before baking.
- Let the chilled dough soften for 15–30 minutes before scooping so it becomes soft and spoonable.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. The edges should be lightly browned while the centers still look puffy, pale, dry, and underbaked.
What Can You Serve With This?
- Coffee
- Milk
- Tea
- Hot chocolate
FAQs
Browning the butter causes some moisture to evaporate. The recipe replaces that lost moisture by filling the browned butter with milk until you have 1 cup of liquid.
The milk solids should be toasty brown, and the butter should have a buttery, nutty aroma. The butter will also look golden brown with brown specks. Transfer it from the pan immediately at this point because it can burn quickly.
Yes. The unbaked dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Prepare and chill the dough, scoop and roll it into balls, and transfer the dough balls to freezer bags before freezing.
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1-2 tablespoon milk
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars
Instructions
- Place a heavy-bottomed, light-colored pan over medium heat and add the butter. Stir continuously and keep the butter moving the entire process. When the butter starts melting, bright milk solids will start forming on the surface. Once the butter is completely melted, the majority of the milk solids sink down to the bottom, and the butter starts bubbling. After a few minutes, the butter will start foaming, and the milk solids browning. It will take a total of 5-7 minutes of cooking time once the butter is melted. You know when it's done when you notice a buttery and nutty aroma, and the color of the butter is golden brown with toasty brown milk solids.
- Immediately remove the butter from the pan and transfer, including the toasted milk solids, to a heat-proof cup that is wide enough that you can easily pour in the butter without wasting some of it. Then pour the butter with the milk solids into a 1 cup (240ml) measuring cup and fill up with the milk until full. Transfer the liquid including the milk solids to a heat-proof container and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 2 days. Before using the browned butter, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until soft and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and sugar and cream for 2 minutes. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated, about 30-60 seconds. Then stir in the toasted pecans and chocolate chips to incorporate, if used. Cover and chill for 2 hours or up to 2 days. After chilling, allow the dough to come to room temperature for 15-30 minutes until it is a soft and spoonable dough.
- Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- Scoop 24 equal-sized balls of cookie dough (2 tablespoon / 45g each) and roll into even balls. Place 6-8 cookies, spaced about 2 inches (5cm) apart, on each baking sheet and bake one sheet at a time for 10-11 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the center looks puffy, pale, dry, and underbaked.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes or until firm enough to transfer them to a wire rack. They will continue baking on the baking sheet. Then let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Cooking Time and Temperature
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–11 minutes, one baking sheet at a time, until the edges are lightly browned and the center looks puffy, pale, dry, and underbaked.Taste & Texture
Soft and chewy with lightly browned edges, a rich nutty brown butter flavor, toasted pecans, and semi-sweet chocolate throughout.Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerator: The dough can be chilled for up to 2 days before baking.
- Freezer: Unbaked cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let frozen dough thaw at room temperature for 1–2 hours, or thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
- Reheat: Reheating instructions are not provided in the original recipe.
Serving Recommendations
- I like these with coffee or a cold glass of milk.
- They also work well as an easy homemade cookie for sharing.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Replace dark brown sugar with light brown sugar if preferred. The flavor will be lighter and the cookies will spread a little more.
- Replace all-purpose flour with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour.
- Use chopped chocolate bars instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- You can adjust the add-ins to your liking, with the recipe recommending a total of 1½ cups of add-ins.
Proper Storage Tips
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Chill the dough for 2 hours or up to 2 days before baking.
- Freeze unbaked cookie dough for up to 3 months.
Pro Tips
- Use unsalted butter when browning the butter.
- Keep the butter moving continuously while it browns.
- Transfer the browned butter immediately once the milk solids are toasty brown.
- Make sure you transfer all of the toasted milk solids because they contain the nutty flavor.
- Chill the browned butter until firm, then soften it for 30 minutes before using.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. The centers should still look puffy, pale, dry, and underbaked when they come out of the oven.
Check out the blog post above and watch the step-by-step tutorial on how to brown the butter.
Video
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Mae
I have tried this recipe and it was delicious. I only use chocolate chips. It was soft and it smells like christmas.
Nadine Velazquez
Love baking these cookies! They come out so delicious! They don’t last long in my house!
Super simple and easy to make and they come out to perfection!!!
Sabine
Thank you so much for your feedback! I'm happy that you love them as much as we do!