Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

A chocolate chip cookie on parchment paper with a bite taken out of it.

5 from 16 votes

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

These cinnamon chocolate chip pecan cookies are made with brown butter, brown sugar, toasted pecans and cinnamon. They are super easy to make with no mixer needed!

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cookies

Calories: 190kcal

Author: Natalie

Equipment

Ingredients

1¾ cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1¼ teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
13 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg room temperature
1 egg yolk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips semisweet or dark, plus a little more for decorating, optional
⅔ cup pecans toasted (optional) then chopped, plus more for decorating, optional
flaky sea salt for topping, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start by melteing or browning the butter. To brown the butter, first melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally at first. Once begins to bubble, stir it constantly. It will start to foam. Continue stirring as you watch for it to turn a light, amber color and develop a nutty smell which should happen in about five minutes. Pour the brown butter into a heat safe bowl, making sure the scrape the bottom of the pan for all the bits. Set the butter aside and use when cool to the touch.
Toast the pecans in a single layer in a dry skillet over medium heat. When you can smell the pecans toasting, toss them by shaking the skillet. Toss and shake a few times to be sure they toast evenly. It should only take about 5 minutes to toast them. Nuts can burn easily, so make sure not to leave the nuts on the stove. Transfer them to a plate or paper towel to cool. Once cooled, roughly chop the pecans.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir to combine the room temperature brown butter and sugars.
Add the egg followed by the egg yolk and the vanilla.
Stir in the dry ingredients in two additions. Stir until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Do not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a medium cookie scoop (or form cookies using about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough) to drop cookies on baking sheet. Place them 2 inches apart. Stick a couple of extra chocolate chips or toasted pecans on top of the cookie, if desired.
Bake 9-11 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Butter: Butter can be melted or browned. I recommend browning the butter for the most flavor. It's very important to let the butter cool to the touch (but don’t let it re-solidify) before adding the sugars. If the butter is hot, it will melt and will ruin the cookie dough.

Pecans: To make these cookies nut-free, leave out the pecans. You can also swap in almonds or walnuts for the pecans. For best flavor, I recommend toasting the pecans. Leave them whole so that they toast evenly. Chop after toasting. Toast them on the stovetop or in the oven. To toast nuts in the oven, spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 til you can smell the nuts and they look about a shade darker. This will take about 6-8 minutes. Nuts can burn easily, so be sure to keep a close eye on them. Transfer them to a plate to cool.

Flaky sea salt: Top cookie dough balls with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt just before or immediately after baking. This is optional, but it will enhance the flavor of the cookies.

Storage: Store these maple chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze the baked cookies in an airtight for up to 30 days. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a few hours before eating.

Nutrition