Butter Pecan Cookies are large, bakery-style cookies that are easy to make and are loaded with chopped pecans, toffee bits, and butterscotch chips! No chilling is required, and they’re ready in under 30 minutes!
Grab another pecan cookie recipe by baking up The Best Pecan Sandies EVER! or these Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies!
These big, homemade Butter Pecan Cookies are a cookie lover’s dream! The rich buttery dough is studded with crunchy pecans and a delicious combination of toffee bits and butterscotch chips, making for a cookie unlike any other!
The best part about these rich, scrumptious treats is that though they’re packed with amazing flavor, they’re super easy to make! Their flavor and golden-brown perfection make them great for any occasion!
All About These Delicious Butter Pecan Cookies
Taste: Rich, buttery cookie dough is loaded with nutty pecans, sweet butterscotch chips, and toffee bits! Making for a flavor-packed treat that everyone will love!
Texture: You’ll find that every bite is filled with a satisfying texture that leaves you longing for the next bite! The chewy cookie dough has crisp edges, while the mix-ins make for a combination of crunchy, sticky texture!
Key Ingredients
A handful of ingredients in these cookies take them the extra mile! Creating absolutely delicious cookies every time you make a batch!
Bread Flour – To create a moist, chewier cookie, bread flour is used instead of all-purpose. Since bread flour has a higher protein content, it combines powerfully with butter and eggs, creating a stronger gluten foundation that helps to make these cookies chewy!
Malted Milk Powder – While malted milk powder isn’t necessary for the structure of these cookies, they do add a delicious depth of flavor! This flavor plays into these cookies being an absolute standout treat!
Corn Starch – Though this recipe calls for just 2 teaspoons, the minimal amount greatly impacts these cookies! The cornstarch supports the overall structure of the cookie while creating a treat that has a soft, tender texture.
Butter – Since these cookies are Butter Pecan Cookies, using quality butter will really make a difference. Making these cookies with a high-quality butter such as Kerrygold, that’s made with a lower water content yet higher cream content, ensures that these cookies come out deliciously rich.
Butter Extract – A tiny amount goes a long way and amplifies the butter flavor of the cookies. You can omit it if you can’t find it, but I highly recommend adding it if you can! It’s usually found near the other extracts in the baking aisle or you can buy butter extract online (affiliate link).
Toffee Bits – These cookies can be made with English Toffee Bits or Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits for a little chocolate flavoring in these cookies.
Pecan Chips – For flavor and crunch, you can’t make Butter Pecan Cookies without ’em! We prefer pecan pieces, but you could use chopped pecans in this recipe as well.
Butterscotch Chips – We tested this recipe with and without butterscotch chips and while they were a delicious cookie without, the butterscotch really drives the butter pecan flavor home!
Butter Pecan Cookie Recipe Tips
- Two Baking Sheets – When baking cookies, it’s best to use two cookie sheets as it allows one baking sheet to cool while the other batch bakes. This will prevent the cookie dough from being dropped on a hot baking sheet. Cookie dough dropped on a hot baking sheet changes the cookie’s structure, causing them to spread more, resulting in thinner cookies. Therefore, using two baking sheets or allowing your pan to cool in between baking is best.
- Weighted Measurements – Take a minute to learn how to correctly measure flour! Correctly measured flour will prevent cookies from being dry and crumbly. This happens when too much flour is added to a cookie recipe, which is actually quite easy to do by accident!
- Portion Cookies – Making cookies similar in size ensures that each cookie bakes up perfectly! Whereas if there are various-sized cookies on the same baking sheet, some will overbake, and some will underbake. To avoid this, a cookie scoop works best for portioning the dough; I used a #10 cookie scoop (affiliate link) for this recipe.
- Crunch Topping – Dip the tops of the cookie dough balls in a bowl of pecan pieces; this will add extra crunch and flavor and makes for a lovely finish as the pecans will spread as the cookie bakes and spread.
- Doneness – These cookies are done baking once the edges have started to brown yet still have soft and slightly puffy centers. The centers will firm up while resting on the baking sheet and then cool on the wire rack. If you bake until the centers are more set, you’ll end up with hard, crunchy cookies.
Can’t get enough of crunchy pecan desserts? Neither can I, my love for pecan treats started with a slice of Pecan Pie which led me to perfect Easy Pecan Pie Bars for simple serving!
While pecans are great in desserts, you also need to try them in breakfast items as well! We love them in this recipe for Easy Pecan Cinnamon Rolls as well as these Pecan Sticky Buns!
Storage Instructions For Butter Pecan Cookies
Keep cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy them for up to 4 days!
How To Freeze This Cookie Dough To Bake Later
To freeze cookie dough, make the dough according to the instructions. Afterward, portion the dough out and place it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Then transfer the sheet of cookies into the freezer to flash freeze for about an hour. Then place the frozen cookie dough into a Ziploc bag. Make sure to squeeze the excess air out and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Butter Pecan Cookies FAQs
Is There A Substitute For Malted Milk Powder?
Yes, malted milk powder can be replaced with an equal amount of powdered coffee creamer.
Can This Cookie Recipe Be Made With All Purpose Flour Instead Of Bread Flour?
You can make these cookies with all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. The texture may turn out slightly different, but you’ll still be left with incredibly tasty cookies!
How Can I Measure The Dough For Large Cookies If I Don’t Have A #10 Cookie Scoop?
You can use a kitchen scale to measure 4 ounces of dough per cookie.
Why Did My Cookies Turn Out Dry And Crumbly?
Dry, crumbly cookies are either the result of too much flour being added to the recipe or they were overbaked. To avoid too much flour, skip scooping your flour from the bag or container using your measuring cup.
This often packs the flour into the cup, adding too much flour into recipes. To avoid overbaked cookies, trust the process of pulling them from the oven with soft, slightly puffy centers!
They will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet and rest on the cooling rack.
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Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups bread flour (270g)
- 1 tablespoon malted milk powder see notes
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup salted butter (170g) softened
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar (266g) packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon butter extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 additional large egg yolk
- 1¾ cup pecan pieces divided, about 6 ounces
- 1 cup toffee bits see notes
- ¾ cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. I recommend using 12×17-inch baking sheets.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 2¼ cups bread flour, 1 tablespoon malted milk powder, 2 teaspoons corn starch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together ¾ cup salted butter, 1¼ cups light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon butter extract for 2½ minutes then scrape down the sides and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add 1 large egg and 1 additional large egg yolk and mix just until the yellow streaks are gone.
- Add the flour mixture a ½ cup at a time, stirring just until incorporated after each addition. Then mix until fully combined.
- Add in 1 cup of the 1¾ cup pecan pieces, 1 cup toffee bits, and ¾ cup butterscotch chips and mix just until incorporated.
- Add the remaining ¾ cup of pecan pieces to a small bowl.
- Use a #10 cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Release from the scoop and gently use your hands to round out the flatter edge of the cookie dough then press the top of the dough ball into the bowl of pecans so they stick to the top. You can also press in some additional butterscotch chips if desired.
- Place the balls of dough 4 inches apart, you can fit 4 cookies on a 12×17-inch baking sheet by placing the balls of dough offset from each other at an angle instead of in a line.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes. You want the edges to be browning but the centers to still look soft and slightly puffy.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the ban for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Is There A Substitute For Malted Milk Powder? Yes, malted milk powder can be replaced with an equal amount of powdered coffee creamer.
- Can This Cookie Recipe Be Made With All Purpose Flour Instead Of Bread Flour? You can make these cookies with all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. The texture may turn out slightly different, but you’ll still be left with incredibly tasty cookies!
- How Can I Measure The Dough For Large Cookies If I Don’t Have A #10 Cookie Scoop? You can use a kitchen scale to measure 4 ounces of dough per cookie.
- Why Did My Cookies Turn Out Dry And Crumbly? Dry, crumbly cookies are either the result of too much flour being added to the recipe or they were overbaked. To avoid too much flour, skip scooping your flour straight from the bag or container using your measuring cup. Instead, scoop the flour into the cup with a spoon and then level off, or for best results, measure in grams using a kitchen scale. They will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet and rest on the cooling rack.
Nutrition
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