Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies with Brown Butter
These thick and chewy chocolate chunk pecan cookies have layers of texture and flavor to make them the kind of cookie you can't stop thinking about. The brown butter is enhanced with milk powder for maximum toastiness, plus we're using brown sugar, molasses, a teensy bit of cinnamon, and a hint of almond extract for so much flavor. The pecans and dark chocolate chunks sing together, especially under a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Equipment
- dough whisk recommended for hand mixing
- medium mixing bowl
- kitchen scale highly recommended
Ingredients
For the brown butter
- 3/4 cup melted browned butter (170g); cooled but still liquid
- 2 tbsp dry milk powder for browning; optional but highly recommended
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar (205g); packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (70g)
- 1 tsp molasses adds extra depth of flavor, but can be skipped
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1/4 tsp almond extract less is more
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour (250g); spoon and level into measuring cup
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp cornstarch (16g); for extra chewy cookies
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (4g)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (5g) or 1/2 tsp regular salt
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks (124g); or a dark chocolate bar cut into pieces
- 1 cup chopped pecans (100g); reserve a little bit for topping the cookies
For topping
- 2 tbs chocolate chunks (~21g); optional
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt optional
- 2 tbs chopped pecans (~15g); for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, and molasses and set aside. In another bowl, measure out the dry ingredients to have them ready.1 cup light brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 cups bread flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Start browning your butter. To do so, place 2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter in a light-colored pan and heat over medium low. If using milk powder, sprinkle over the melted butter and whisk in.3/4 cup melted browned butter, 2 tbsp dry milk powder
- Whisk the butter often to help it cook evenly. The milk powder will make it noticeably thicker and creamier than if you make it without. Just keep stirring like normal. Continue until the toasted butter bits are deeply tan and golden.
- While still melted, measure out the brown butter. It is much more precise to use the kitchen scale to get precisely 170g. Otherwise, you can use a liquid measuring cup and measure out just slightly more than 3/4 cup.Let the butter cool until still melted, but mostly room temperature. If you're in a hurry, you can place the measuring cup into a bowl of cold water and stir to help reduce the temperature.
- Use a dough whisk or large spoon to mix the butter with the sugars and molasses. It will not be smooth at this point, but that is okay.1 tsp molasses
- Whisk in your vanilla extract, almond extract, and the room temperature eggs until glossy and creamy. Continue mixing until the mixture starts to visibly lighten in color.1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp almond extract
- Then, add the dry ingredients - the bread flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pecans, and the chocolate chunks - and mix in until just combined. Mixing everything in at once may make it seem like the mixture won't come together, but keep going until all of the flour is fully integrated into the dough.3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks, 1 cup chopped pecans
- Scoop or weigh out your cookie dough. For large cookies, I weigh out 4 oz portions, which I then shape into a tall tower. The narrow base will help reduce spreading and the extra height will keep the cookies nice and thick. Press extra chocolate pieces and chopped pecans on top and add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.Place the prepped cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.2 tbs chocolate chunks, 1 tsp flaky sea salt, 2 tbs chopped pecans
- Refrigerate for 1.5 - 2 hours or until the dough is completely solid. If baking later, transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To bake, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375F. It is best to bake in the center of the oven instead of close to the top or bottom, so you may need to adjust the position of the racks in the oven.For large cookies, you can generally get up to 6 cookies per pan. Space evenly around the pan while leaving several inches of space between each one. For smaller cookies, I usually bake 9 at a time.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes in a fully preheated oven. The cookies may still look and feel a little soft or wet when done, but should be lightly golden brown on the edges.Once out of the oven, allow the cookies to remain on the baking sheets to set up fully. Serve warm and enjoy!
Video
Notes
One of the most important things to remember with this recipe is to measure accurately. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale if at all possible. This honestly saves a little clean up since you can add ingredients directly to the mixing bowl, and will help make sure you have exactly the right amount of each ingredient.
This is especially important with the brown butter. We need to measure how much brown butter you have after making it, and it is likely you will need to remove a small amount to have just the right quantity.
With my glass 2-cup measuring cup, 170g is just slightly above the 3/4 cup line.
If you do not have bread flour, you can use all purpose flour. Please be sure to scoop and level the flour into your measuring cup or even better, use a kitchen scale to weigh out 250g.
Milk powder is optional, but has become a kitchen staple for me. The extra toasty bits are so good!
Chill completely. Because we are using melted butter, it is really important that we let the dough chill all the way. Otherwise, your cookies will spread and become thin. We want cold butter and a hot oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 740mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 576IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 9 big 4 oz cookies (or 24 smaller cookies)
Calories: 588kcal