Easy Pecan Cookies Recipe

closeup of a butter pecan cookie held over a stack of cookies

These Butter Pecan Cookies are soft, chewy cookie that's wildly delicious! They’re easy to make in under 1 hour using the signature combo of brown butter, vanilla, pecans, and brown sugary sweetness!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Chlling time 30

Total Time 55

Servings cookies

Calories 204kcal

Author Sherri Hagymas

Ingredients

12 tablespoons butter divided (1 ½ sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Place 8 tablespoons of butter (1 stick) of butter in a small pan and heat over over medium heat until melted.
12 tablespoons butter
Then cook it for approximately 5 minutes until it turns light brown, stirring occasionally.
Add the browned butter to a large mixing bowl. also add any bits from the bottom of the pan.
Melt the other 4 tablespoons (1/ 2stick)of butter (in a pan or in the microwave for a few seconds) and add it to the mixing bowl with the browned butter.
Add the brown sugar and beat with an electric mixer or whisk to combine.
1 cup brown sugar
Then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix in until combined.
1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a separate small bowl, add the flour and baking soda and toss to mix together.
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just barely combined and large lumps of flour are mixing in.
Add the pecans and gently stir them into the dough until the pecans are evenly distributed. (be careful not to over-mix or they will be more dense).
1 cup chopped pecans
Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. '
Preheat the oven to 375 ° F while the dough is in the refrigerator.
After chilling, scoop out 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of dough balls and place them on parchment lined baking sheet 2 inches apart.
Press down each ball slightly so it's no thicker than ½”.
Bake for 12-14 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes.

Notes

Once out of the oven, sprinkle each cookie with some coarse salt. The sweet and salty combination is addicting!
If you prefer to keep things sweet, roll the balls of dough in white sugar before baking.
For presentation, press one whole pecan on top of the cookies as it comes out of the oven. It’s cute and lets people know what they’re about to get more of.
For an extra dose of warmth, add some cinnamon to your cookie dough. They’re the perfect fall cookie recipe!
Stir in a ½ cup of white chocolate chips or toffee bits to the batter before scooping.
Use dark brown sugar if you'd like.
When browning the butter use a light-colored pan. If your pan is too dark it’s harder to see how quickly your butter is turning darkening.
As with any baking recipe, make sure to measure flour correctly! Use a scale or the spoon and level method to ensure you’re not using too much flour.
Overmixing the dough will cause your the to be denser and not as light and chewy.

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