Soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies are the best chocolate chip cookies ever. This easy one-bowl chocolate chip cookie recipe is jam-packed with tons of toasted pecans and chocolate chips and topped with a sprinkle of sea salt for maximum deliciousness.
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Pecan chocolate chip cookies are everything a chocolate chip cookie should be -- soft with an ooey-gooey middle and slightly crisp edges -- and so much more.
These soft, chewy cookies are loaded with an obscene amount of crunchy pecans and chocolate chips for ultimate chocolatey, nutty, salty flavor, and crunchy texture.
In fact, these are the best cookies we've ever had -- and our new favorite cookie recipe.
The best part, it's an easy one bowl recipe (fewer dishes and less fiddling around) with no chilling required -- but I do recommend a little chilling. More on that later.
Keep reading for all my tips and tricks to bake the ultimate chocolate chip cookie like:
- How soft the butter should be
- Which pan will keep your chocolate chip pecan cookies from spreading
- My trick for adding dry ingredients without dirtying another bowl
- The bare minimum chilling time I recommend (it's not very long!)
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fast and easy one bowl recipe for pecan chocolate chip cookies
- Soft, gooey cookies with tons of melty chocolate and perfectly crispy edges
- No chilling required
Did you know you can make chocolate chip cookies in the air fryer? You have to try these Air Fryer Cookies!
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients.
- Room temperature unsalted butter. Leave butter out at room temperature for about 30 minutes or so. It should be firm enough that when you press your finger into it, it just leaves an indent. I should not be soft and squishy.
- Brown sugar. I prefer dark brown sugar for the richer flavor. Light brown sugar will also work well.
- Large eggs. An additional egg yolk is added to the batter for extra richness.
- All purpose flour. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife. If you scoop it right out of the bag or canister, it compacts in the measuring cup and you'll end up adding too much flour.
- Pecans. I highly recommend toasting the pecans. You can toast pecans in the oven or on the stovetop.
- Chocolate chips. We love dark chocolate chips, but of course, you can use semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Cookie SOS
Oh, no, out of butter or brown sugar? You can still crush your chocolate chip cookie cravings with these easy recipes!
Tips for Making Thicker Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Use room temperature butter. Room temperature butter might be colder than you think. It's not super soft and you can't easily press your finger through it. Let it sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes.
- Use room temperature eggs. Room temp eggs will result in a fluffier cookie. To get eggs to room temp, let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes. To get there faster, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.
- Use a dark pan. Cookies will spread out more on a light-colored shiny pan.
- Bake cookies one sheet at a time. For the most evenly baked pecan chocolate chip cookies, bake them one sheet pan at a time. For best results using two sheets, place the racks in the oven so the oven is divided into thirds, then place one pan on the top rack and one on the bottom rack, rotating them halfway through baking time.
- Chill the dough. This recipe doesn't require chilling the dough for the first batch, but I do recommend it -- just 30 minutes if you can. Or at the very least, pop the dough in the fridge between baking batches. For the thickest cookies possible, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- Use a cool cookie sheet. Bake each batch of cookies on a cookie sheet that is completely cooled. A warm one will encourage the dough to spread.
How to Toast Pecans -- 2 Ways
Oven. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until fragrant and lightly toasted. Stir the nuts around or shake the pan a couple of times during toasting.
Stovetop. Warm a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and stir them around for 2-5 minutes until toasted. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn -- it can happen in an instant!
When done, immediately remove the pecans from the pan to keep them from toasting further. Cool completely.
Store any leftover toasted pecans in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
1. Prep the oven and baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Combine the wet ingredients.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer at medium to medium-high speed. Mix the eggs and egg yolk into the butter mixture, then the vanilla extract.
3. Mix in the dry ingredients -- in batches.
Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, briefly mixing in between. Start with the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and 1 cup of flour. Mix briefly. Add the next 2 cups of flour separately, quickly mixing in between. Mix just until the flour is no longer visible.
Add 1 ½ cups chocolate chips and 1 ½ cups toasted pecans. Mix on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon.
4. Bake the cookies.
Optional, for thicker cookies, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Scoop the dough into two-tablespoon portions with a medium cookie scoop or ice cream scoop. Add more chocolate chips and toasted pecan pieces to the tops of the cookie dough balls. If desired, sprinkle a little bit of flaky salt on top.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown. Be careful not to overbake or they'll become dry and hard when they cool.
Let the warm chocolate chip cookies cool for 3-5 minutes on the pan, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
Chill the dough in the fridge between batches.
Storage
Before storing or freezing baked cookies, cool them completely.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
Freeze cookies between layers of wax paper in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Success Tips
Use room temperature butter. It should be cool to the touch and firm enough to leave an indent when you press your finger into it.
To avoid overmixing the dough, mix the dry ingredients just until the flour is no longer visible.
Use a dark pan to keep cookies from spreading.
If possible, chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes -- or at least between baking batches.
FAQs
Absolutely! You can substitute them with other nuts like walnuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts -- or take them to the next level with a mixture of nuts for even more flavor and texture.
Certainly! Chocolate chip pecan cookies are the perfect cookie for using various types of chocolate like semisweet, milk, dark, or white chocolate -- or a combination. Chopped chocolate is also delicious in pecan chocolate chip cookies.
To maintain their freshness and flavor, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about one week. You can place a piece of bread or a slice of apple in the container to help keep them soft. They can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to three months.
More Cookie Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups chocolate chips, divided
- 2 cups toasted pecans, divided
- flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars with a hand or stand mixer on medium-high speed. Mix in the eggs and egg yolk until combined, then the vanilla.
- Mix in the dry ingredients in 3 batches. Add salt, baking soda, baking powder, and 1 cup flour, mix. Add 1 more cup flour, mix. Add the last cup flour, mix just until the flour is no longer visible. Add 1 ½ cups chocolate chips and 1 ½ cups toasted pecans. Mix on low speed or stir with a sturdy wooden spoon.
- Optional, for thicker cookies, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. Scoop the dough into two-tablespoon portions and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Place more chocolate chips and toasted pecan pieces on top of each cookie dough ball. If desired, sprinkle flaky salt on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges just start to turn brown. Cool cookies on the pan for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire baking rack. Chill the dough in the fridge between batches.
Notes
- Use room temperature butter. It should be cool to the touch and firm enough to leave an indent when you press your finger into it.
- To avoid overmixing the dough, mix the dry ingredients just until the flour is no longer visible.
- Use a dark pan to keep cookies from spreading.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator between batches.
They look scrumptious, Cara!
Thank you, Dann! We sure love them and I hope you do, too! Cara