Butter Pecan Cookies
Soft and chewy, these delightful Butter Pecan Cookies feature butter pecans and brown butter for a melt-in-your-mouth cookie. Perfect for holiday cookie platters or just enjoy anytime throughout the year with a big glass of milk!
Servings: 18 cookies
Ingredients
For the Butter Pecans
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
For the Brown Butter
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cut into equal pieces)
For the Cookies
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- pecan halves (to decorate, optional)
Instructions
- Make the butter pecans: In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, sauté the chopped pecans and butter until fragrant and toasted, about 3-4 minutes. Stir frequently and keep an eye on the small crumbs, they will brown quicker than the bigger pieces and you don't want anything to burn. Set aside to cool.
- Brown the butter: Bring the butter to a strong bubble in a light colored skillet over medium heat (this is ideal so you can actually see when it browns.) Continue cooking, stirring continuously, until the solid particles at the bottom turn golden brown and smell nutty (about 5-8 minutes.) Keep an eye on it - brown butter can turn to burnt butter within seconds. Immediately pour into a large mixing bowl to stop the browning. Let cool slightly, about 10-15 minutes (you want the butter to be warm, but not at all hot or the cookies will spread way too much while baking.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk the granulated sugar and brown sugar into the cooled brown butter. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and stir until no streaks of flour remain.
- Stir in the chopped butter pecans.
- Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic down on the surface of the dough. Chill for 2 hours. (Don't be impatient - they need to chill or the cookies will not bake properly.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle position. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into balls (2 tablespoons each) and place on the parchment paper, at least 2-inches apart.
- Gently press a pecan half onto the top of the unbaked ball of dough.
- Bake until the edges are set and JUST beginning to turn golden brown, about 9-12 minutes. The tops of the cookies should still be quite soft when you remove them from the oven, and may even appear slightly under-baked in the center. But they will firm up as they cool. This will result in a soft chewy cookie. If you over-bake, they will be dry and crumbly.
- Let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Calories: 293kcal · Carbohydrates: 30g · Protein: 3g · Fat: 18g · Saturated Fat: 8g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g · Monounsaturated Fat: 7g · Trans Fat: 1g · Cholesterol: 50mg · Sodium: 211mg · Potassium: 80mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 18g · Vitamin A: 379IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 25mg · Iron: 1mg