Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

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Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies are soft and chewy with dark chocolate chips, buttery pecan pieces and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. It’s a small batch recipe with no chilling time required!

Why have I waited so long to add pecans to chocolate chip cookies!? Not only do they add a little crunch to your typical chocolate chip cookie, but they add a nutty, buttery and sweet flavour, which pairs so perfectly with melty dark chocolate chips.

This chocolate chip pecan cookie recipe has quickly become a favourite in our house. They’re so chewy and soft, and packed with chocolate chips and pecans!

Other variations of chocolate chip cookies we love include these oat flour chocolate chip cookies and these air fryer chocolate chip cookies!

Why you’ll love this recipe

This is a small batch recipe. The cookie dough yields about 16 cookies, so you only need to bake them in two batches.
There is no chilling time required. Just roll the dough into balls and bake for 10 minutes. There’s no need to wait for them to chill in the fridge for hours.
A hint of molasses adds flavour and enhances the soft and chewy texture of these cookies.

Details on a few ingredients

Ingredients to make chocolate chip pecan cookies.

Butter – You’ll want to use unsalted butter otherwise the cookies will end up too salty. (There is salt in the dough and the cookies are topped with flaky sea salt).

Brown sugar – Brown sugar adds a moist and soft texture. While I used dark brown sugar, you can also use light if that’s all you have. It just might make the cookies slightly lighter in colour. I tested these cookies with coconut sugar and the result was a thicker cookie. This isn’t a bad thing but I just preferred the way the cookies spread when using brown sugar.

Cane sugar – I like to bake with cane sugar in place of granulated sugar (most of the time) as it adds more flavour. I sometimes use them interchangeably in recipes, so if you don’t have cane sugar, you can use granulated.

Molasses – To enhance the brown sugar flavour as well as the moist and soft texture, I added 2 teaspoons of molasses. Be sure to use fancy molasses and not blackstrap molasses.

White flour – You’ll need 1 1/3 cups of all-purpose white flour. I haven’t tested these cookies with any other type of flour.

Chocolate chips – For a rich flavour, I used dark chocolate chips. Chopped dark chocolate would also work well. You can also use semi-sweet chocolate or milk chocolate chips if that’s all you have.

Pecans – The recipe calls for raw pecan pieces. I just used pecan halves and chopped them into pieces. Make sure they’re not roasted as they contain oil and may cause the cookies to burn.

How to make chocolate chip pecan cookies

Preheat your oven to 350F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat together the butter and sugars until creamy. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed.

Beat in the egg, molasses and vanilla.

Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans (reserving some for the tops of the cookies).

Cookie dough in a white bowl with a spatula inserted into it.

Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Place it on the baking sheet and top with some more pecan pieces. Repeat with remaining dough, ensuring the cookies are about 2-3 inches a part on the baking sheet.

Cookie dough rolled into balls and arranged on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. The edges should be set and the middle should look a little underdone.

Add a few extra chocolate chips to the tops when they’re hot out of the oven and sprinkle on some flaky sea salt (optional).

Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storage instructions

Once these pecan chocolate chip cookies are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh for 2-3 days.

To freeze the cookies, just arrange them in a single layer in a freezer-safe container (or layer them in between sheets of wax or parchment paper). They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature when ready to enjoy.

Chocolate chip pecan cookies cooling on a wire rack.

FAQs

How do you get perfectly round cookies?

When the cookies are still hot, use a large round cookie cutter or a wide mouth glass to gently shape the cookies into a circle by swirling them around inside the opening of the cookie cutter or glass. Rolling them into balls before baking also helps the cookies keep a circular shape as they bake.

Does the cookie dough need to be chilled?

No need to chill this dough! If you want or need to chill the dough, I suggest rolling the dough into balls first.

Can you make the cookie dough in advance?

You can store the rolled cookie dough balls in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. To freeze, just arrange the cookie dough balls in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking pan. Freeze for a few hours and then transfer to a freezer safe bag or container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When baking chilled or frozen cookie dough, just remember to add a few extra minutes of baking time.

Why did my cookies spread too much?

This could be for a number of reasons. If too much sugar or butter was added or not enough flour, this could cause the cookies to spread. It could also be a result of the cookie dough being left at room temperature for too long or the cookie dough balls being placed on a warm baking sheet prior to baking.

Cookies arranged on a surface with some broken in half.

Key recipe tips

Room temperature ingredients. Make sure the butter is at room temperature so it creams together with the sugars easily. You’ll also want your egg at room temperature so it blends more evenly in the batter.
Measurements in grams. In addition to US cup measurements, I also included weighted measurements for greater accuracy. If you’re using cup measurements, be sure to use the spoon and level method for the flour.
Sugar substitutions. You can use coconut sugar in place of brown sugar but the cookies will not spread as much. Feel free to substitute granulated sugar for the cane sugar.
Cookie size. Each cookie is made with 2 tablespoons of dough. If you make larger or smaller cookie dough balls, you’ll need to adjust the baking time.
Type of sheet pan. I normally use silver coloured sheet pans when baking cookies as I find darker or gold coloured pans brown the bottoms of cookies a bit too quickly.
Don’t over bake. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool so you’ll want to take them out of the oven when the middle looks slightly underdone. This will ensure you get soft and chewy cookies.

Close up view of a cookie broken in half.

More cookie recipes

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!

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