Ready in just 20 minutes, these café-style soft and chewy chocolate chip pecan cookies are for anyone who doesn't want the temptation of a whole log of cookie dough hanging out in their fridge (begging to be eaten by the spoonful or baked up hot and warm on a whim at any hour of the day or night). Or for anyone who just realized they're low on any one (or all) of the main ingredients (flour, butter, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, or even dark chocolate).
These cookies taste like your favorite childhood chocolate chip cookies with the added nutty buttery crunch of pecans (and there's no need to chill the dough).
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Comparison (Chilled Cookie Dough Vs. Un-Chilled Dough)
You may not have the willpower or the desire to let this chocolate chip cookie dough chill before you pop them into the oven to bake (and that's ok...we've been there!). And it's why I've created this recipe so we can all have homemade chocolate chip cookies in just 20 minutes. That's less time than it takes to go the to store and buy the overly processed kind. Amazing, I know♡.
But just in case you're wondering what the cookies look like if you do chill the dough in the fridge for an hour or two, I've made the comparison for you in the side-by-side photos below. Whether you chill this cookie dough or not, the result will be super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies (that also make the best ice cream cookie sandwiches.
I LOVE a good cookie recipe and this nutty chocolate chip cookie is no exception! Plus, you can decide if you want to chill the dough first or get it into the oven right away (see the comparison photos below). This is an elevated chocolate chip cookie that has all of the usual suspects including buttery-soft middles and crispy edges with added crunch from toasty pecans.
Why You'll Love This Classic Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Recipe
- Ready from start to finish in just about 20 minutes (if you don't chill the dough first)
- Makes just enough cookies to satisfy your sweet tooth without over-indulging
- Makes soft and chewy café-style chocolate chip cookies
- They make the best chocolate chip ice cream cookie sandwiches
- Only 10 ingredients are needed to make them (even if your pantry is low)
- Lindt 70% dark chocolate adds the perfect amount of chocolatey goodness
- Easy for kids to make by themselves
- Cookie dough can be frozen in a log, sliced, and baked from frozen
- Cookies can be baked, frozen, and added to lunchboxes for a treat
- Substitute pecans with walnuts, pistachios, macadamias or favorite nut
Cookie Ingredients
All you need to make this cookie recipe is a few pieces of good dark chocolate (or chocolate chips), a handful of pecans, and a few basic pantry staples.
- all-purpose flour (or 00 flour)
- baking soda
- salt
- butter (the real kind)
- sugar
- light or dark brown sugar
- large egg
- pure vanilla extract
- toasted or untoasted pecans
- 70% Lindt dark chocolate (or favorite chocolate)
*I use 00 flour (with 11-11.5% protein) when I'm in Italy, and King Arthur all-purpose flour when I'm in the States. And the weight of these different flours varies based on the humidity content of the flour and also the environment you're in. If you're not using a scale to measure the ingredients, be sure to use the 'scoop and level' method for measuring the flour into measuring cups and spoons.
How to Make Half-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Homemade classic chocolate chip cookies get a delicious nutty upgrade with toasted pecans and they're ready in just about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C & Prepare the baking sheet. Line baking sheets with a nonstick Silpat, parchment paper, or aluminum foil.
- Cream the butter & sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer) cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Combine wet ingredients with the creamed butter mixture. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture, and beat just until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently incorporate the ingredients until no flour streaks remain. Fold in the pecans and the chocolate chunks.
- Bake the cookies. Using a portioning scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup, portion the dough and place the scoops onto a prepared baking pan about 3 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, or until golden brown with chewy centers. You may chill the dough for 1 to 2 hours (or overnight) before baking which helps them spread less. Enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies step-by-step photos
Ways to Customize Cookies
There are all kinds of ways to enhance this chocolate chip cookie dough. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- swap out the pecans for walnuts, macadamia, or even hazelnuts
- top with candy sprinkles
- substitute 55-60% milk chocolate for the dark chocolate
- add a dollop of Nutella to the top of each cookie just before baking
- top the cookies with a tiny bit of sea salt
- omit the pecans to make half-batch classic chocolate chip cookies
Top Tips & FAQ's
- Why are my cookies crumbly? Crumbly or dry cookies mean you may have either over-mixed the cookie dough or added too much flour, not added enough butter, or a combination of these things. You may be able to remedy this if you find your cookie dough is too dry by adding a little extra softened butter to the mix. Whatever you do, don't throw away cookie dough or cookies that aren't perfect. You can add them to a bowl of ice cream, or even use them to make a cookie crust for your next no-bake dessert or key lime pie!
- Why are my cookies cakey? Usually, a cakey cookie means the flour-to-fat and sugar ratio is out of balance. Which means you may have added too much flour. It can also be if you've added more egg or a larger egg than is called for (a typical large egg should weigh about 50-55g once it's cracked in a bowl). Do not use cake flour which can also give you cakey cookies.
- Why are my chocolate chip cookies hard? If your chocolate chip cookies are hard, you may have overmixed the cookie dough, or you may have baked them too long. Baking cookies longer than required leads to vital moisture loss from butter and eggs evaporating leaving you with a harder cookie. Also, don't leave them out uncovered for too long especially if you're in a dry environment. This can also zap moisture from your cookies.
- How do you store chocolate chip cookies? Chocolate chip cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days in an airtight container. They last up to two weeks in the fridge but keep them away from smelly foods. It's best to either freeze baked cookies layered between wax or parchment paper in freezer bags and pull out cookies as you want. This way they maintain their peak freshness. Alternatively, you may freeze portioned and frozen pan-banging cookie dough balls in freezer bags. When you want a freshly baked cookie add a dough ball to a lined cookie sheet and let temper at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Why are my cookies spreading out so much? As mentioned above, too much flour in your cookie dough can make cookies crumbly and dry. Alternatively, too much butter and sugar can make cookies spread out and lose their shape when baked. Also, if you chill the dough beforehand, it will help keep them from spreading.
- Can you overmix cookie dough? Yes, you can definitely over-mix cookie dough. In fact, doing so will leave you with flatter, crispier cookies because overmixing adds more air to your dough which causes them to rise higher and then fall flat. But this method is great if you want extra crispy cookies.
Looking for More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes?
We've got a few cookie recipes we think you'll love, everything from the classics to the very special ones. Here are a couple of our favorites.
- Double Oreo (Cookies + Cream) Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Best Bakery Style Sugar Cookies (Soft + Chewy)
- Strawberry-Lemon Sugar Cookies (Soft + Chewy)
- Aunt Betty's Southern Pecan Tassies (Like Mini Pecan Pie Cookies)
- Double Oreo Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookies
- Dump Truck Royale Cookies (our take on Kitchen Sink + Compost Cookies)
- Bakery Style Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Half-Batch Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 12 large cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These café-style soft and chewy chocolate chip pecan cookies are for anyone who doesn't want the temptation of a whole log of cookie dough hanging out in their fridge (begging to be eaten by the spoonful or baked up hot and warm on a whim at any hour of the day or night). Or for anyone who just realized they're low on any one (or all) of the main ingredients (flour, butter, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, or even dark chocolate). Plus, these cookies are just like your favorite childhood chocolate chip cookies with the added nutty crunch of pecans, and they're ready in just 20 minutes because there's no need to chill the dough.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (or 00 flour) (160g)*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (3g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (2g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (1 stick) (113g)
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar (75g)
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar (75g)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten, (room temperature) (50g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (5g)
- ½ cup toasted pecans (60g)
- 1 to 2 ounces 70% Lindt dark chocolate or favorite chocolate (30-60g)
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C & Prepare the baking sheet. Line baking sheets with a nonstick Silpat, parchment paper, or aluminum foil.
- Cream the butter & sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer) cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Combine wet ingredients with the creamed butter mixture. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture, and beat just until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently incorporate the ingredients until no flour streaks remain. Fold in the pecans and the chocolate chunks.
- Bake the cookies. Using a portioning scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup, portion the dough and place the scoops onto a prepared baking pan about 3 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, or until golden brown with chewy centers. You may chill the dough for 1 to 2 hours (or overnight) before baking which helps them spread less. Enjoy!
Notes
- How do I get a pool of chocolate in the middle of my cookies? Add a chunk of chocolate right to the top of each cookie just before popping them into the oven.
- Leave plenty of space for these cookies to spread, otherwise, they'll run into each other. Four or 5 to a ½ sheet pan is just enough.
- If you want to make smaller cookies, use about 1 tablespoon (15g) of dough per cookie.
- These cookies make great ice cream cookie sandwiches because they're so soft and gooey. This is one of the rare cookies I like to eat straight out of the freezer.
- You don't have to toast the pecans before you add them to the cookie dough which results in the nuts "melting into" the cookie. Whereas, toasting the nuts first renders a crunchier bite.
Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies Troubleshooting Tips
- Why are my cookies crumbly? Crumbly or dry cookies mean you may have either over-mixed the cookie dough or added too much flour, not added enough butter, or a combination of these things. You may be able to remedy this if you find your cookie dough is too dry by adding a little extra softened butter to the mix. Whatever you do, don't throw away cookie dough or cookies that aren't perfect. You can add them to a bowl of ice cream, or even use them to make a cookie crust for your next no-bake dessert or key lime pie!
- Why are my cookies cakey? Usually, a cakey cookie means the flour-to-fat and sugar ratio is out of balance. Which means you may have added too much flour. It can also be if you've added more egg or a larger egg than is called for (a typical large egg should weigh about 50-55g once it's cracked in a bowl). Do not use cake flour which can also give you cakey cookies.
- Why are my chocolate chip cookies hard? If your chocolate chip cookies are hard, you may have overmixed the cookie dough, or you may have baked them too long. Baking cookies longer than required leads to vital moisture loss from butter and eggs evaporating leaving you with a harder cookie. Also, don't leave them out uncovered for too long especially if you're in a dry environment. This can also zap moisture from your cookies.
- How do you store chocolate chip cookies? Chocolate chip cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days in an airtight container. They last up to two weeks in the fridge but keep them away from smelly foods. It's best to either freeze baked cookies layered between wax or parchment paper in freezer bags and pull out cookies as you want. This way they maintain their peak freshness. Alternatively, you may freeze portioned and frozen pan-banging cookie dough balls in freezer bags. When you want a freshly baked cookie add a dough ball to a lined cookie sheet and let temper at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Why are my cookies spreading out so much? As mentioned above, too much flour in your cookie dough can make cookies crumbly and dry. Alternatively, too much butter and sugar can make cookies spread out and lose their shape when baked. Also, if you chill the dough beforehand, it will help keep them from spreading.
- Can you overmix cookie dough? Yes, you can definitely over-mix cookie dough. In fact, doing so will leave you with flatter, crispier cookies because overmixing adds more air to your dough which causes them to rise higher and then fall flat. But this method is great if you want extra crispy cookies.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large cookie
Tanya says
My favorite chocolate chip recipe! Chewy and perfect:) And I don't end up eating a full batch of cookies just because they're there! I've used walnuts when I didn't have the pecans and it was also yummy.😻