Brown Butter Chocolate Pecan Cookies
Brown Butter Chocolate Pecan Cookies
Nuttiness and chocolate become one with this recipe. This recipe originally started as just a browned butter pecan cookie. During one of the test batches though I added some chocolate out of boredom. Turns out people loved this batch more than any other batch. One photography session later and this batch became the official version.
One thing to note about this recipe is its challenge level. Browning butter alone is a tricky feat, with a narrow window between browned and burnt. The other notable challenge is the dough itself. Before being chilled, you will be working with a warm and malleable dough that falls over itself. Wrapping and storing will require flat surfaces and quick movements. Once solidified in the fridge, this dough becomes a breeze to work with though.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brown unsalted butter in a pot over medium-low heat and then pour into a large mixing bowl. If you don’t know how, you can use the guide from America's Test Kitchen or use the following instructions. Place unsalted butter in a pot over medium heat until the milk fats start to separate. The milk fats will then start to take on a brownish-amber color and a nutty aroma. Once browned, quickly remove off the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Measure out and pour the sugar and honey into the large mixing bowl with the liquid browned butter. The butter should still be hot and cause the sugar to melt slightly. Mix together until loosely combined and slightly melted.
- Measure and add in the salt, vanilla extract, flour, and pecans. Mix together just enough to coat the dry ingredients with the butter. You don't want to fully combined or create a dough. The goal of this step is to cool down the bowl and butter with the flour.
- Add in the baking powder and soda then crack in the eggs. Mix together soon after adding the eggs to prevent any accidental cooking/scrambling. This will further drop the temperature of the batter and create a very wet dough.
- At this stage you can add in the chocolate chips without melting the chocolate dramatically. Mix together until there are no chunks of flour or eggs visible. The chocolate and pecans will also want to be incorporated fully. You will have a soft and greasy dough at this point.
- Using either cling wrap or a Tupperware container, store the dough in a fridge for at least two hours. This will allow the butter to solidify, making the dough easier to work with.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prep a non-stick or parchment lined baking tray.
- Split the dough in half and roll out 12 balls of dough from one of the halves. Squash the dough balls into disk and spread evenly across a baking tray. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven once the tops have golden brown ridges. Let cool on the baking tray for 10-15 minutes before removing. Repeat this process with the remaining half to create the second batch of 12 cookies.
