Thick and chewy Butter Pecan Cookies! These have caramelized pecans, brown butter, and come together in one bowl. Seriously the cookies of your dreams. Made with loads of butter, brown sugar, and caramelized pecans.
These are super buttery, soft, and chewy cookies! They are exploding in pecan flavour.
Before adding the pecans into the bowl, I gently toasted the pecans in a pan with butter and brown sugar for a couple minutes. This elevated the flavours soo much!
This recipe makes 6 cookies total, and is perfect when you just want a couple cookies and not a whole dozen. There's also an option on the recipe card to 2x or 3x the recipe!
This is a classic cookie recipe you’ll find yourself making all seasons of the year.
For more cookie recipes, try Salted Pistachio Toffee Cookies, Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Why this recipe works
Butter pecan – I think the butter pecan flavour is such an underrated flavour! Whether it’s in ice cream, or cookies, it is soo good.
Easy to make – This recipe uses melted butter for easy baking and everything comes together in one bowl with a spatula and whisk.
Brown butter – Using melted butter helps create a chewier, denser texture. I decided to elevate a step further and brown the butter! It adds to the delicious nutty flavours in the cookie and is so good!
Ingredients Notes
Here are a list of a couple key ingredients in these butter pecan cookies. Full measurements are available in the recipe card below!
Butter – I always use unsalted. This will be melted and browned.
Brown sugar – I used Dark brown sugar. Light brown sugar works as well.
Pecans – These will be chopped up and toasted with the butter and brown sugar.
White sugar – Using granulated sugar adds to the crisp edges and sweetness to the cookies.
Vanilla – Using a good quality vanilla is key to adding flavour to the cookies!
Step by step instructions
Here is how to make and bake these brown butter pecan cookies. You will need one tray lined with parchment paper, a large mixing bowl, a spatula, a whisk, and a standard ice cream scoop.
Step 1 – Brown the butter. Check the recipe card for details on how to brown the butter. Allow it to cool as you prep the rest of your ingredients.
Step 2 – Caramelize pecans. In a large saucepan, add butter and brown sugar and melt. Then turn the temperature up to medium-high and add pecans. Mix for 3-4 minutes until caramelized (You can tell they’re done by the smell of toasted pecans). Allow to cool as we make the dough.
Step 3 – Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Step 4 – Mix butter and sugars. Whisk the cooled brown butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl.
Step 5 – Add in wet ingredients. Whisk in vanilla and egg.
Step 6 – Add in dry ingredients. Fold in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Step 7 – Add in pecans. Next, add in the pecans. Use a rubber spatula to fold them in.
Step 8 – Scoop the dough. I used a large cookie scoop. Scoop 6 cookie dough balls onto a prepared baking tray.
Step 9 – Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies for 10-14 minutes. Mine took 13 minutes exactly.
TIP: If your cookies are not perfectly circular and you would like them to be, take a large circular glass (bigger than the cookie) and swirl around each cookie a few times to get it back into shape!
Step 10 – Enjoy. Top the cookies with a sprinkle of sea salt and cool slightly. Enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
Here are a few expert baking tips from my kitchen to yours
- Don’t over mix the dough. Once the dry ingredients are added. If you over mix, the dough will appear more dry and tough.
- Room temperature. Make sure the caramelized pecans and brown butter come back down to room temperature before beginning. Also make sure the egg is at room temperature.
- Use a gram scale. I cannot emphasize this enough! It is the most accurate way of measuring your ingredients in the kitchen. This is one of my favourites.
- Caramelize the pecans. It’s a super simple step, but so effective and really elevates these cookies!
- If your cookies are spreading out unevenly, quickly remove them from the oven, take a large circular glass (bigger than the cookie), and swirl around each cookie a few times to get it back into shape and continue baking!
FAQ
My cookies spread way to much?
Was your butter warm? This is most often the reason. You also may of inaccurately measured the flour.
Do I have to brown the butter?
No! But if you’re already melting it on the stovetop, you may as well brown it! Browning the butter really elevates these cookies and brings them SO much flavour.
Check out more pecan recipes
Brown Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter melted and browned
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cups pecans
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium sized pan over medium heat. Once it melts, it will crackle, then become foamy – continue mixing the butter while this happens to prevent burning. The butter will go from melted to golden brown quickly, and you’ll know it’s almost done when the aroma of browned butter arrives. The whole process should take about 5 minutes! Once golden, remove from heat and transfer to a glass bowl to cool as you measure out the rest of your ingredients. (Cool at least 15 minutes).1/2 cup butter
- Caramelize the pecans. In a medium pot, add the butter and brown sugar and melt. Then add in chopped pecans and mix for 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat until toasted.3/4 cups pecans, 1 1/2 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp brown sugar
- In a large bowl, whisk cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add in vanilla and egg. Whisk until smooth.1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 egg, 1 tbsp vanilla
- Add in flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Use a rubber spatula and fold the dough until just combined. Do not over mix! Add in caramelized pecans and fold into dough until just combined1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp baking powder
- Scoop 6 cookie dough balls and place on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes. Mine took 13 minutes. The cookies will be ready when the edges are a golden brown, but the inside will look soft. Remove from oven. Let the cookies cool on the hot pan for a few minutes before serving warm or cool completely and enjoy!
Angie says
I made these using the ingredients listed, however in the notes you have written (cornstarch, baking powder and salt). I’m glad that I stuck to the ingredients in the recipe and didn’t get confused from the notes. They were good by following the recipe to a “t.”