Crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth brown butter pecan cookies that smell heavenly, topped with flaky salt . . .
These brown butter pecan cookies are a Christmas tradition in our house. I start making them in December every year, and they’re so addictive, I only bake a small number at a time. I keep the dough in the refrigerator unbaked for everyone’s safety.
There are a few tricks to making these I’ve learned over the years. They are made with only 6 ingredients – butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, pecans, flour, salt, so making sure to get each step right is important to get the toasted pecan flavor to shine.
How to Toast Pecans (so that they melt in your mouth)
First, toast the pecans correctly! Many recipes suggest toasting pecans at 350F for about 10 minutes. In my experience, this does not lead to the most flavorful pecans.
If you toast them properly, the pecans will come out of the oven toasted in a way that they will essentially melt in your mouth if you bite into one (after it’s cooled obviously!!) Pecans have loads of fat (they’re about 70% fat!). You are trying to get these fats to melt gently, letting them coat the pecan solids inside of the pecan. You also want the moisture to evaporate, which will intensify the pecan’s nutty flavor. To get this result, you need a lower temperature and a longer cooking time. I suggest baking them at 300F for about 45 minutes.
Follow the Steps, in Order
Second, you need to follow the steps in order. For instance, I’ve made this these brown butter pecan cookies without whipping the browned butter first. I’ve also made it by hand (no electric mixer). Big mistake! The sugars were incredibly difficult to get into the mix, not to mention the flour!
On that note, I hate to say it, but you really want to have a stand or electric mixer for these. If you try to make them by hand, you are going to be exhausted. This is because you need to whip the butter first, then whip the sugars into the butter so that they start to dissolve a bit, and then you add the flour at the end. There is a LOT of whipping. Like maybe 8 solid minutes worth in a stand mixer. That translates to maybe 20-25 minutes by hand.
Let the Brown Butter Pecan Cookies Cool
When these pecan cookies come out of the oven, they will be soft. They will harden up as they cool. This means you should not try to remove them from the baking sheet for about 20-30 minutes after they come out of the oven. Otherwise, you will have major crumbling issues. The downside of a super crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth cookie.
Bake Some Now, Some Later
The above picture was taken 1 hour after taking the cookies out of the oven. There were only 2 people in the house during this time.
Because these cookies are addictive, my tradition on these has become to bake no more than about 1/2 of the recipe at a time. I’ve kept the remaining dough in the fridge for as long as a week with no loss in quality. It’s just butter, nuts, and flour wrapped up in plastic wrap, so it really should keep a long time. You can even freeze a roll (for this, I would wrap it twice and put it in a freezer-safe baggie.
Tupperware Warning
These cookies also keep for a couple weeks after they’ve baked! But I strongly suggest avoiding putting them in a plastic Tupperware. Because of their high fat content, these cookies pick up the flavor of any food previously stored in the Tupperware really, really easily. Fat absorbs flavors very easily, and the pecans and butter make this a high-fat cookie.
I usually put these in a cookie tin (we often have some leftover from prior Holiday cookies) or a paper box (also have a few of these this time of year from chocolates!) or even just a plastic baggie. But don’t make the mistake of putting them in a tupperware or any other food container that has previously stored food.
Health Benefits of Pecans
Here are some reasons to feel good about these cookies when you can’t stop eating them.
These cookies have lots of pecans. Pecans are full of healthy fat, fiber, protein, vitamins, and essential minerals. In particular, they are a great source of Vitamin E, an antioxidant that supports healthy skin and eyes, and B1 (thiamine), B2 (niacin), B3 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), and B9 (folate), which support proper brain function and conversion of food into energy. Folate in particular is important for pregnancy and breastfeeding, as I’m sure you’ve heard!
Pecans also have lots of magnesium (good for nerve and muscle function), copper (red blood cell formation), and zinc (immune health).
Benefits of a High-Fat Cookie
Also, a higher fat content means that these cookies are on the healthier side of desserts. These fats are primarily saturated and monounsaturated fats, which are much healthier than the trans fats or vegetable oils typically found in pre-packaged cookies. In particular, the monounsaturated fats in the pecans are considered to be heart-healthy (i.e., they may lower cholesterol levels and improve insulin sensitivity).
The fats coming from the pecans and butter slow down how quickly the sugar enters your bloodstream. This means these cookies are less likely to cause a rapid blood sugar spike than a cookie that is low in fat. Blood sugar spikes lead to energy crashes, increased hunger, and poor focus, not to mention the risk of increased insulin resistance (leading to diabetes) and children bouncing off of walls. Therefore, when you have a treat with sugar, you want it to come along with some healthy fat, so that your body processes the sugar more slowly.
In addition, treats with more fats leave you feeling satiated (rather than with an empty belly, craving more). (Look here for other high-fat desserts!)
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Brown Butter Pecan Cookies (Melt-in-Your-Mouth Style)
These are a Christmas tradition in our house! They are crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth brown butter pecan shortbread cookies that smell heavenly. Each is topped with just a pinch of flaky salt . . .
Equipment:
- stand mixer (handheld electric mixer or very strong arms will also work)
- baking sheet
- self-restraint
- Total Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
- Yield: 70 cookies 1x
Ingredients
2 cups raw pecans
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp flaky salt
Instructions
1. Preheat Oven to 300F.
Wait until the oven has fully preheated! There is a good chance you will burn a portion of the nuts if you don’t wait. It has taken me 2-5 years to learn this lesson.
Dump the pecans onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (this makes cleanup a cinch). Spread them evenly across the baking sheet, and place it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes and then take them out, move them around a bit, and put them back in for another 10-20 minutes. They’re ready when the white parts begin to look a bit translucent, the brown bits turn a dark golden brown, and they smell wonderful. If they start to turn darker than a dark golden brown or look burned at all, take them all out immediately.
After baking, take the pecans out, and turn off the oven.
Btw, if you bite into a pecan now (not recommended as they will be HOT), it will be soft, not snappy. They become crisp as they cool. Also, as noted above, many recipes call for toasting at 350F for about 10 minutes, but in my experience, you just don’t get the same melt-in-your-mouth results if you toast the pecans this way.
Allow them to cool, then chop them finely. You should have about 1 1/2 cups.
2. Brown the butter.
While the pecans are in the oven, put the 3 sticks of butter into a frying pan or sauté pan with a light-colored bottom over medium heat. You need a light-bottomed pan so that you can see the butter change colors and know when to take the butter off. Let the butter melt and foam up a bit (usually it starts foaming again right before the color starts changing). Stir at regular intervals and keep a close eye because the butter can go from just starting to color to burnt in about 20 seconds. Watch as the butter becomes a dark yellow, then amber, then deep amber color. As soon as it hits the deep amber and smells fragrant, take it off the heat and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes (maybe 10 minutes in the fridge) until its about room temperature.
3. Make the cookie dough.
Put the butter in a stand mixer (or mixing bowl if you’re using a hand mixer) with a paddle attachment. Make sure to get in all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan where you browned the butter (this is the good, flavorful stuff!). Beat the butter on medium for 1-2 minutes, until it begins to look whipped. While continuing to beat the butter, slowly add:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar; and then
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar.
I usually add the sugars 1/4 of a cup at a time, watching for each 1/4 cup to be incorporated into the butter before I add the next bit. I add the brown sugar first because I want it to dissolve a bit into the butter.
Then reduce the speed to a slow speed, and add the 2 2/3 cups of flour, 1/3 cup at a time. Once fully incorporated, turn off the mixer and remove the bowl from the stand.
Add the 1 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans. Fold these into the batter by hand using a wooden spoon or strong spatula until fully incorporated.
4. Chill the dough.
Divide the dough into 2 portions. Place each half of the cookie dough onto a long sheet of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a log about 2″ in diameter. Enclose with the plastic wrap. Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (up to a week).
5. Bake the cookies.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F. Slice the cookies from the log into 1/4 inch-thick round slices. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle each cookie with a small pinch of flaky salt.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. When they come out they will be very soft to the touch and fragile. Let them cool without touching them, maybe 20-30 minutes! They will harden as they cool, although they will remain fragile.
6. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 min
- Cook Time: 8 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
