Ingredients
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter
- 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 Large Egg, plus 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 cups Pecans, whole or halves
Brown the Butter
Take a light-colored saucepan and add the 2 sticks of butter. Melt it over medium heat.
Once melted, the butter will start to bubble and make a crackling sound; this is the water cooking off. Continue to stir occasionally.
After a few minutes, the crackling will subside and you’ll see brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan. The butter will smell nutty.
Pull the pan off the heat immediately to prevent it from burning. Pour the browned butter, including all the brown bits, into a large mixing bowl to cool slightly.
Toast the Pecans
While the butter cools, add the pecans to a dry frying pan over medium heat. Toast for ~5-7 minutes, stirring often so they don’t scorch.
You’ll know they’re ready when they smell fragrant and are a shade darker. Take the pan off the heat.
Add 2 tablespoons of the browned butter from your mixing bowl to the hot pecans and toss to coat them completely. This helps the pecan flavor intensify.
Set aside a handful of the best-looking pecans for the tops of the cookies, and give the rest a rough chop.
Make the Cookie Dough
To the mixing bowl with the slightly cooled brown butter, add both the granulated and brown sugars. Beat them together until fully combined.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and beat vigorously for about a minute; the mixture will get thick and pale.
Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix here.
Fold in the chopped, buttered pecans until they are evenly distributed.
Chill and Bake the Cookies
Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
This step is important because it solidifies the butter and prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
When you’re ready to bake, set your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each, and place them on the baking sheet.
Press them down slightly and place one of the reserved whole pecans on top of each.
Bake for ~11-13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the centers still look slightly soft.
Let them cool on the baking sheet for ~5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. They will continue to set as they cool.
Brown Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter
- 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar packed
- 1 Large Egg plus 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 cups Pecans whole or halves
Instructions
- Melt butter in light-colored saucepan over medium heat until brown bits form and it smells nutty.
- Pour browned butter into large mixing bowl to cool.
- Toast pecans in dry pan over medium heat 5-7 minutes until fragrant.
- Toss hot pecans with 2 tablespoons browned butter, reserve some whole ones for topping, chop the rest.
- Mix cooled brown butter with both sugars until combined.
- Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until thick and pale, about 1 minute.
- Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt, mix just until combined.
- Fold in chopped pecans.
- Chill dough 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350F.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon dough balls onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Press down slightly, top each with reserved whole pecan.
- Bake 11-13 minutes until edges are golden but centers soft.
- Cool on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.