Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies (30 minutes)

Thick and chewy Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies are ready in just 30 minutes! Packed with rich dark chocolate and crunchy pecans, these cookies strike the perfect balance of sweet, nutty, and indulgent. Whether baking for a family gathering or whipping up a quick treat for the kids, this simple recipe has you covered.

I love a tried and true chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe–and so do my kiddos– but every now and then, we like to switch things up. Adding chopped pecan halves takes these cookies to the next level, adding a rich, buttery crunch that pairs beautifully with the soft, tender centers and dark chocolate.

What Makes These Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies So Good?

If you know me well, I love easy cookie recipes. No need to spend hours in the kitchen. I love bringing you quick recipes that deliver on flavor. And these cookies fit right in! Here’s why you’ll love them:

• Nothing fancy, just staple baking ingredients you likely already have stocked in your pantry. You can create magic with simple ingredients!
• You only need 30 minutes to make these cookies. No chilling necessary! This dough comes together quickly and bakes in just 12 minutes.
• The results? Thick and chewy cookies. The edges are slightly crispy to complement the soft centers that melt in your mouth.  It’s as if you bought them at a bakery!

Ingredients Notes

• Cornstarch. The cornstarch helps create that chewy texture, so don’t skip using it. Plus it’ll help the cookies stay thick and not overspread.
• Butter. Use unsalted butter for this recipe. You’ll add salt separately to balance the sweetness. If you have salted butter on hand, then reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon.
• Vanilla. I love adding vanilla bean paste to my cookies. If you don’t have any, you can use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
• Chocolate. Using good quality chocolate will make your cookies stand out. Feel free to use chocolate chips or a chopped chocolate bar. Either will work (the chopped chocolate will melt into delicious pools of chocolate). I love using dark chocolate but milk chocolate would be great too!
• Pecans. I prefer using pecan halves and chopping them roughly instead of using pecan pieces, which I find to be too small. For an added step, you can toast the nuts for a nuttier flavor. Feel free to swap out with your favorite nuts like walnuts or pistachios.

Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Combine the dry ingredients. Give the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt a good whisk to combine.

Step 2 - Cream together butter and sugars. Cream together for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer a couple of times to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. You want everything to combine evenly. I use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment but a hand mixer works too.

Step 3 -  Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until evenly combined.

Step 4 - Add the dry ingredients. Mix in the dry ingredients. Start at low speed so the flour doesn’t fly out of the bowl, and then increase to medium-low until almost combined. Stop when you see a few streaks of flour. It’ll finish mixing with the chocolate and pecans.

Step 5 - Add the mixins. Fold in the chocolate and pecans by hand to avoid overmixing. Mix the dough until evenly distributed.

Step 6 - Scoop and bake. I use a large cookie scoop to get these cookies thick and chewy. Use a 2-ounce scoop, which is about ¼ cup and scoop the dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake each pan for 11-13 minutes. Let cool on the hot pan, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Measure flour correctly. I cannot stress enough that measuring ingredients (especially flour) is key to the perfect consistency in cookies. Too much flour and cookies turn out dry, and not enough, and you’ll have thin cookies. Using a digital kitchen scale will give you consistent results. No scale? No problem, just use the scoop and level method. Spoon flour into your measuring cup (don’t scoop directly into your flour) and level it off with the back of a knife.
• Use room temperature ingredients. You’ll want to bring your butter and eggs to room temperature. Most people will set their butter out ahead of time but don’t think about the eggs. Room temperature eggs incorporate more easily and smoothly into your batter. If you forget to take your eggs out, place them in a small bowl with warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Use parchment paper. Before measuring my ingredients, I line my sheet pans with parchment paper. This helps the cookies spread evenly and prevents them from sticking to the pan. I use the same parchment paper for a batch of cookies.
• Bake one tray at a time. I never bake more than one sheet at a time in a conventional oven. It’s better to take the extra time for perfectly baked cookies! You’ll want to set your sheet pan on the middle rack (anything lower, and you’ll have burnt bottoms!).
• Don’t overbake the cookies. Check around the 11-minute mark. You’ll want to take the cookies out of the oven when they are lightly golden brown on the edges. The center will look slightly underbaked, but will continue to bake outside the oven on the hot sheet pan.

Storage Tips

Keep these chocolate chip pecan cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Can You Freeze Cookie Dough?

I love freezing cookie dough, especially when prepping for holidays and celebrations or having a quick bake when the kids crave something sweet (or myself!).

To freeze this dough, scoop it onto a small sheet pan or dish lined with parchment paper and pop it into the freezer for about 15 minutes or until hardened. You can then pop the pecan chocolate chip cookie dough balls into a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake the cookie dough, place the frozen balls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and add 2-3 minutes to your baking time. No need to defrost the dough!

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