Butter Pecan Cookies Salt (Printable)

Nutty pecans and brown butter combine with sea salt for a perfectly balanced sweet treat.

# Ingredient list:

→ 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, at 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 develops a nutty aroma, approximately 5 to 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 to 8 minutes, stirring halfway through. Cool completely, then chop coarsely.
03 - To the cooled brown butter, add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well 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 with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
06 - Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until edges are golden and centers appear just set. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The brown butter does all the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so these cookies taste far more sophisticated than the ingredient list suggests.
  • They strike that perfect balance between crispy edges and chewy centers that people never stop talking about.
  • The sea salt isn't just a garnish—it actually makes the sweetness sing in a way that feels almost gourmet.
02 -
  • Underbake these cookies slightly—they continue cooking on the hot pan after you pull them out, and the difference between perfect and overdone is only about 30 seconds.
  • Brown butter can go from golden to burned incredibly fast, so don't walk away from the stove during that step no matter how confident you feel.
03 -
  • The moment you smell that nutty aroma from the brown butter, it's time to stop cooking—two more seconds of heat and you've crossed into burnt territory.
  • Scooping your dough with a cookie scoop or spoon instead of free-handing it means every cookie bakes at the same rate, which is the kind of small consistency that matters more than people realize.
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