Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Name: Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 53 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter; 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour; ¾ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup light brown sugar; ½ cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg (room temperature); 1 large egg yolk (room temperature); 2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt; pinch cinnamon; pinch nutmeg; ⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips; 1 cup pecans (roughly chopped)

These chocolate chip pecan cookies are made in 1 bowl and you don't need a mixer! Extra soft and chewy, each cookie is loaded up with chocolate chips and chopped pecans.

A stack of pecan chocolate chip cookies.

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There is nothing better to me than a homemade chocolate chip cookie! These pecan chocolate chip cookies are just like your favorite soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie, but loaded up with crunchy pecans.

Using brown butter makes these cookies extra special! The brown butter is so toasty and nutty, so it pairs up perfectly with the pecans. These chewy chocolate chip pecan cookies have golden and slightly crispy edges with a soft middle - the best!

If you want more pecan recipes, try my browned butter pecan cookies or banana bread with pecans! Or if you want more brown butter chocolate chip cookies, I love my warm spiced brown butter chocolate chip cinnamon cookies!

Why you'll love these chocolate chip pecan cookies!

No fancy ingredients here! I'm using simple pantry ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
There's no need to pull out the stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, these cookies are made in 1 bowl and you just need a whisk and a spoon.
These pecan chocolate chip cookies are lightly spiced with a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg.
I share my tips on how I get bakery style cookies!

Ingredients Needed

Flour: I've only tested this recipe with all purpose flour.
Sugar: I'm using white sugar and light brown sugar.
Pecans: make sure the pecans you're using are fresh! It is so easy for nuts to go rancid. I store my pecans in the freezer if I'm not using them right away.
Baking Soda & Baking Powder: make sure both baking soda and baking powder haven't expired.
Butter: I'm using unsalted butter here to control the level of salt in the cookies.
Spices: I'm adding a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg for all the cozy vibes.
Eggs: I'm using a whole egg and an egg yolk to make these cookies extra soft and chewy.
Chocolate Chips: I love using semisweet chips in my chocolate chip cookies!

Substitutions

Feel free to swap out pecans for walnuts if you prefer or if that's all you have on hand!
I recommend using light brown sugar here, but you can use dark brown sugar in a pinch.
I love adding some warm spices to my cookies, but you can leave them out if you prefer.
I've used semi-sweet chocolate chips but you can use dark chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Start by browning your butter. Melt your butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, stir constantly with a rubber spatula. It should start to foam and bubble. Keep stirring until it begins to smell toasted, and you can see the dairy solids at the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown. Pour into a large bowl and let cool.

Step 2: Whisk in your white sugar and light brown sugar until smooth.

Cookie dough with chocolate chips and pecans in a white bowl.

Step 3: Whisk in the vanilla extract, egg and egg yolk until smooth.

Step 4: Stir in all of the dry ingredients - the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Stir until a dough has formed, it might look too dry at first and crumbly but it will come together! Finally, stir in your chocolate chips and chopped pecans.

Unbaked chocolate chip pecan cookie dough balls.

Step 5: Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out 3 tablespoons of dough using an ice cream scooper or spoon and place on the prepared baking sheets, about 3-4 inches apart. You can add extra chocolate chips and pecan pieces on top of each cookie dough ball. Place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

Step 6: Preheat your oven to 350ºFahrenheit/175ºCelsius. Once preheated, bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. The edges will be set but the middles will look slightly underbaked. Use a large biscuit cutter or glass to gently scoot the cookies into the perfect cookie shape! Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate chip pecan cookies on white parchment paper.

Expert Tips & Tricks

I always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure out your ingredients! It is so easy to add too much flour to your cookie dough, giving you super dry cookies.
For that bakery style look, I like keeping a small handful of chocolate chips and pecans to the side. Once I've got the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, I add those extra chocolate chips and pecans on top of the cookie dough balls! Then once the cookies come out of the oven, use a large biscuit cutter to scoot the cookies into the perfect round shape.
I always recommend underbaking your cookies rather than overbaking them! The cookies will continue to bake on the baking sheet once they come out of the oven, so they won't be raw in the middle. It just means that the middles will be extra soft, chewy and gooey! No dry cookies here!
Roughly chop up the pecans so you have different sizes of the pecans, that way you get pecans in every bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to brown the butter?

I think the brown butter pairs perfectly with the spices and the pecans, but if you really don't want to brown the butter or don't like brown butter then you can just melt the butter.

Do I have to chill the cookie dough?

I do recommend chilling the cookie dough balls for 20-30 minutes, just to help them not spread so much in the oven! If you're short on time you can skip it, but just note that your cookies might not be as thick.

My cookie dough is dry!

You may have added too much flour! Also when adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, it does take a minute or two of stirring for a dough to form. It will look dry and crumbly but keep mixing and it will come together.

Storage and Freezing

Keep the cooled chocolate chip pecan cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To freeze, place the baked cookies in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw at room temperature before eating.