Brown Butter Pecan Cookies | Precious Core

December 13, 2024 Stan

These Brown Butter Pecan Cookies are sweet, soft, crunchy around the edges and absolutely decadent! They have a beautiful, crispy exterior and soft, chewy interior with the perfect caramel-like deliciousness, making them seriously irresistible.

Best of all, they need just 10 minutes of bake time. This will quickly become a favorite cookie recipe!

Crispy and chewy brown butter pecan cookies on a chopping board.

Around the holidays, I like to treat myself a little bit, and I almost always turn to baking a batch of cookies. And while I’m in love with my Danish Butter Cookies Recipe, I recently made some Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies, which turned out fantastic.

This inspired me to try another recipe variation, and here we are with these brown butter chocolate chip cookies with pecans.

Close up on a large brown butter pecan cookie.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You won’t be able to get enough of these cookies! Your very own homemade butter pecan cookies!

The soft and chewy butter pecan cookies come out perfect every single time. The recipe is so simple, and it’s almost foolproof if I’m being honest.
You’ll need just a few pantry staples and minutes of hands-on kitchen time to whip up these delicious sweet treats.
These cookies are great for holiday baking! With their warm and sweet caramel-like flavor, they will surely be a hit with everyone! They are a great addition to cookie boxes.
They have a delicious nutty flavor like in butter pecan ice cream or pecan sugar cookies. There’s just something about the combination of browned butter and pecans!

Ingredients Needed

Check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the quantities of each ingredient. Here is everything you need for these pecan chocolate chip cookies:

ingredients for the brown butter pecan cookies.

Flour: You’ll need just your classic all purpose flour also known as plain flour.
Eggs: To help add structure and moisture to the cookies and for their soft, chewy texture.
Butter: For its richness. I used unsalted butter here.
Leavening agents: I used a mix of baking powder and baking soda here to help the cookies rise nicely.
Sugar: You’ll need both granulated sugar and brown sugar (for that delicious caramel-like flavor). You could use light brown or dark brown sugar.
Mix-ins: For the texture, I added pecan nuts, chocolate chips, some vanilla (I like using my Homemade Vanilla Extract) for the flavor and, of course, a bit of sea salt to balance it all out.

Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the measurements of each ingredient and the detailed recipe.

Substitutions & Variations

I used dark chocolate chips for this recipe, but you can also use milk chocolate chips, caramel chips, chocolate chunks or butterscotch chips if you want to.
To enhance the flavor and texture of the cookies, pan roast the pecans lightly, allow them to cool down and then use them for the recipe. Toasted pecans will add a great nutty aroma to the cookies.
To lend these cookies a nice festive touch, you can also drizzle some melted chocolate over them (or even dunk them half in it) and then serve them.

Make sure you measure the flour correctly! Too much flour will make the cookies dry and crumbly instead of soft and chewy.

How to Make Brown Butter Pecan Cookies

To make these brown butter pecan cookies, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. and lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

1: Combine Dry Ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt and set aside.

Mixing all the dry ingredients in a bowl for cookies.

2: Melt and Brown Butter

Add the butter to a skillet or saucepan and heat on medium heat. Whisk from time to time while the butter melts, and the milk solids go from white to brown and foamy. Browned butter will give the cookies a nutty flavor.

3: Mix Cooled Butter and Sugar

Remove from the heat and pour the brown butter into a large mixing bowl. Make sure you add all the butter from the bottom of the pan with the help of a rubber spatula.

Cool the butter down. Once the butter is cooled down, whisk the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

4. Add Vanilla, Egg, and Dry Ingredients

Now add the vanilla extract and egg. Beat until all the wet ingredients are well combined. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients.

Browned butter cookie dough with dry ingredients added in.

5. Add Chocolate Chips and Pecans, Chill Dough

Now fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Make sure not to overmix! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Chopped pecans and dark chocolate chips added to the cookie dough.

6. Bake

When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it soften at room temperature for 30 minutes or less (if your house is warm). Use a large cookie scoop to divide the dough into portions and place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet.

Add whole pecans or pecan halves to the top of each cookie dough ball. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. It’s okay if they are still soft in the middle.

Let the baked cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Sprinkle some coarse salt over the cookies to add saltiness and to make for a great presentation.

Cooled butter pecan cookies on a chopping board.

Tips to Make the Best Brown Butter Pecan Cookies

Make sure you don’t end up overbaking the cookies- they just need 10-12 minutes in the oven. Keep in mind that they will firm up as they cool down.
Use good quality and fresh leavening agents. Old leavening agents can lose their effectiveness, and your cookies will turn out dense and flat if you use them.
You can store these pecan brown butter cookies for 5-7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
If you want them to last longer, you can also freeze them. Arrange them on a baking sheet and freeze them for 2 hours until they’re solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container and back in again for up to 2 months.
For chewy cookies, add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the dry ingredients. This will help soften the proteins in the flour, leading to cookies with crisp edges and chewy centers. Also, bake the cookies for 1 minute less so they stay soft and chewy.

Interested in making chewy cookies? Check out this guide for perfect chewy cookies.

Brown butter pecan cookies sprinkled with flaky sea salt.

Toasting the pecans will add a great depth of flavor to the cookies. If you have time to toast the pecans, I highly recommend it.

What Goes with Brown Butter Pecan Cookies?

You can enjoy these brown butter cookies on their own as a snack, or serve them with some other holiday favorites. There’s nothing like warm cookies and cold milk! Here are some more ideas for enjoying these delicious cookies:

Pecan brown butter cookies topped with chocolate chips on a chopping board.

Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know the cookies are done?

If the cookies appear slightly crispy on the edges, and still feel a bit undercooked in the middle, they’re done and ready to come out. Remember that they will continue to cook as they cool down.

Why are my cookies turning out dense?

Adding too much flour can cause the cookies to turn out dense. Make sure you measure it out correctly. Also, remember not to overmix the cookie dough.

Can I skip chilling the cookie dough?

Chilling the dough is super important, and I wouldn’t recommend skipping it. It is actually what helps the cookies have the perfect structure and shape, and the flavors develop as the dough chills.

If you make these Brown Butter Pecan Cookies please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt and set aside.
Add the butter to a skillet or saucepan and heat on medium-high heat. Whisk while the butter is cooking and starts to turn brown and foamy.
Remove from the heat and pour the brown butter into a separate bowl.
Cool the butter down.
Once the butter is cooled down, whisk the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
Now add the vanilla extract and egg. Beat until everything is well combined.
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Make sure not to overmix!
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
When ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge and allow it to soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes or less (if your house is warm). Use a large cookie scoop to divide the dough into portions and place the balls on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.
Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Finish by sprinkling them with a pinch of flaky sea salt and additional pecan nuts.

Make sure you don’t end up overbaking the cookies- they just need 10-12 minutes in the oven. Keep in mind that they will firm up as they cool down.

Use good quality and fresh leavening agents. Old leavening agents can lose their effectiveness, and your cookies will turn out dense and flat if you use them.

You can store these pecan brown butter cookies for 5-7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

If you want them to last longer, you can also freeze them. Arrange them on a baking sheet and freeze them for 2 hours until they’re solid, then transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container and back in again for up to 2 months.