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!