Butter Pecan Cookies Brown Butter (Printable Version)

Nutty cookies with toasted pecans, brown butter flavor, and a hint of flaky sea salt for perfect balance.

# What You'll Need:

→ Brown Butter

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter

→ Cookies

02 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 1 cup packed light brown sugar
06 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
09 - 1 1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

→ Finishing

10 - Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

# How to Make It:

01 - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, swirling often, until the butter foams, turns golden brown, and has a nutty aroma, approximately 5-7 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and cool for 10 minutes.
02 - While the butter cools, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread pecan halves on a baking sheet and toast for 6-8 minutes, stirring halfway through. Cool completely, then chop coarsely.
03 - Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled brown butter. Beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition, then stir in vanilla extract.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Fold in toasted pecans.
05 - Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough using approximately 2 tablespoons per cookie onto the sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
06 - Bake for 12-14 minutes, until edges are golden and centers appear just set. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The brown butter does all the heavy lifting, giving you that toasted, complex flavor without complicated techniques.
  • They're crispy at the edges and just tender in the middle, which somehow tastes like the cookie gods blessed your oven.
  • Sea salt on top transforms them from sweet to addictively balanced, making people pause mid-bite and ask what's different about them.
02 -
  • Don't walk away while browning butter—the line between gorgeously golden and burnt happens in about 30 seconds, and burnt butter tastes bitter and ruins the whole batch.
  • Room temperature eggs mix in so much more smoothly than cold ones, so pull them out of the fridge while you're browning the butter and they'll be perfect by the time you need them.
03 -
  • When browning butter, use a light-colored saucepan so you can actually see the color changing—dark pans make it hard to judge when you've hit that perfect golden-brown stage.
  • If you're nervous about overbaking, pull them out when the centers still look slightly soft—they'll continue cooking a bit on the hot pan and you'll end up with that perfect tender-chewy texture.
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