To all the readers who thought I would never post another recipe without pumpkin, I’m finally blogging a non-pumpkin recipe! 😉 (Although I still have one more pumpkin recipe. #sorrynotsorry) Since we’re quickly approaching cookie season, I’ve started looking for new and delicious cookie recipes. I spotted some butter pecan cookies on Pinterest, but they weren’t quite what I had in mind. A quick google search led me to this recipe and OMG these cookies were a-mazing!!! I’ve made lots of good cookies over the years and these cookies stand among the front runners for sure.
I’ve long been a fan of butter-pecan-anything and let me tell you, the combination of brown butter, toasted pecans, and vanilla nut extract is delicious – and pretty much spot-on with butter pecan ice cream. They have slightly crispy edges and chewy centers – my favorite kind of cookie! The only downside is chilling the dough but it’s worth waiting a few hours. Trust me. I accidentally chopped my nuts much finer than the original recipe stated but I think it was a good kind of mistake because I didn’t need to chill my dough as long (about 2/3 of my pecans were very finely chopped (thanks to my super powered ninja haha) and 1/3 were coarsely chopped). After an overnight chill my dough was so hard I couldn’t scoop it! I think you could easily get by with a 2-3 hour chill, which is what I’ve included in my instructions. I can’t say enough good things about these cookies. You’ll definitely want to give this recipe a try! They’d be perfect for a cookie change too. Enjoy!
Brown Butter Pecan Cookies
1-1/2 cups shelled pecans
2 sticks butter
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla nut extract
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1. Spread the pecans out on a heavy baking sheet and toast at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes, watching carefully, so that they don’t burn. Cool them completely. In food processor, pulse about 2/3 of the nuts until they are very finely chopped. Pulse remaining 1/3 of nuts until coarsely chopped.
2. Place butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, cook until butter turns to a light, caramel color. It will smell nutty and you will see little brown bits at the bottom. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
3. In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until fully combined – about a minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the vanilla nut extract.
4. Add the dry ingredients, and beat until completely incorporated. Stir in the pecans. Chill dough several hours or overnight. (I chilled my dough overnight and it was so hard that I couldn’t scoop it the next morning. I had to let the dough warm slightly before baking.)
5. When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line heavy baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
6. Portion the dough with a 1-1/2 tbsp cookie scoop, and place on the sheets, round side up.
7. Bake for about 11 minutes or until edges are slightly browned, turning sheets halfway through.
8. Cool on the parchment for a couple minutes, then move to a rack to finish cooling. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
*adapted from The Creekside Cook
