This recipe for my Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies is classic, easy, and crazy delicious! They’re chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside!
Of all of my cookie recipes, this Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie recipe is probably my favorite. It was the first cookie recipe I posted, and I suppose I’m a little nostalgic about that. Regardless, it’s a seriously great recipe!
What makes cookies chewy?
Chewy, gooey cookies have a special knack for making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The secret to their delightful chewiness lies in a couple of key players, but mainly it’s brown sugar. The brown sugar works with the other ingredients harmoniously to hold onto moisture, resulting in a soft and tender cookie texture. It’s like they create a cozy little haven within each cookie, making sure you get that satisfying chew with every bite.
Do I really have to chill cookie dough?
To chill or not to chill, that is the dough-lemma we cookie enthusiasts face! It’s like a personality test for your sweet treats.
Chilling cookie dough is like sending it to a spa retreat – it gets all relaxed and zen, allowing the flavors to mingle and the ingredients to bond like old friends at a reunion. It also helps the dough firm up, preventing cookies from spreading like gossip at the work water cooler, which is the main reason for me.
On the other hand, baking dough right away is like catching a cookie in its pre-makeover state. It’s spontaneous, and it spreads in the oven more, resulting in thinner cookies that embrace the crispy side of life.
So, in essence, chilling creates plump and chewy cookies while skipping the chill delivers crispy and thin ones. But hey, let’s be real: whether chilled or unchilled, all cookies are delicious. It just depends on what kind of cookies you want to make.
What if my cookies spread too thin?
If your pecan chocolate chip cookies spread too thin in the oven, it’s likely that you either have used too little flour or that your butter is too warm. Most commonly, it’s the butter issue. Chilling the dough for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator will firm the butter back up and help to keep them from spreading too quickly.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter – Unsalted is best to control the salt content, but salted will work in a pinch. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you’ll want the butter to be room temperature but not too soft and certainly not melted. Butter that’s too warm will melt too quickly in the oven’s heat and cause the cookies to spread too quickly.
- Sugar – Plain granulated sugar helps to give these cookies a crisp exterior and helps to provide structure in the cookies.
- Brown Sugar – Either light or dark brown sugar will work here. The brown sugar helps to make the cookies chewy, and the acid in the sugar helps to activate the baking soda to make these cookies lighter.
- Vanilla – I’ve talked about it a lot recently, but I’ll say it again… Either vanilla extract or the less expensive vanilla flavoring will work in this recipe. I actually prefer the flavor of the vanilla flavoring over the vanilla extract in many instances.
- Eggs – Two large eggs that are at room temperature are going to give you the best results in this recipe. The eggs provide structure, help to hold the ingredients together, and keep the cookies soft.
- All-Purpose Flour – I wouldn’t recommend swapping the all-purpose, baking soda, and salt for self-rising flour in this recipe.
- Salt – Plain table salt works just fine in this recipe – nothing fancy here.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda helps these cookies brown up faster and more beautifully and gives them a little lift.
- Chocolate Chips – I prefer the flavor of semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe, but milk chocolate chips or even dark chocolate chips will work.
- Pecans – Chopped pecans add great flavor and texture to these cookies. You could swap the pecans for another nut like pistachios, walnuts, or almonds.
OMG! These are the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve tried. I stumbled across this recipe while trying to find a cookie recipe to try during our stay safe at home period. My boys gobbled them up! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect! Thank you! It’s exactly what we needed at a time like this.
Kim M.
This post was originally published 4/26/2011 and was updated 8/30/2023.
Recipe Card
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter ((room temperature, not melted))
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or flavoring
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to cream the butter and sugars together until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition.
- Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.
- (For thicker, chewy cookies, refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before scooping. For thinner, crispier cookies, bake immediately.) Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet in heaping 1 tablespoonfuls.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Allow to rest on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container on the counter.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Juju
I absolutely love this recipe. My cookies came out great. I added a dash of sea salt immediately after taking them out of the oven, and my husband loved them. Thank you so much for the idea.
They look perfect! So glad to hear there turned out great for you!
Lauren M
I followed this recipe to the t and my cookies came out flat as pancakes. I used two sticks of room temperature butter and two room temperature eggs. I measured out the flour correctly too. Also, I used a teaspoon baking soda. Was baking powder supposed to be used at some point? They’re very good cookies but they’re so ugly. I’m supposed to bring these to my book club tomorrow night and I’m a little embarrassed. Full disclosure: this is my second time trying this recipe. I wanted to see i would have more successful results this time around. I did not.
I’m so sorry the cookies didn’t turn out as you hoped, especially since you’re making them for your book club! Flat cookies can happen for a few reasons, and I think the butter might be the culprit here. Even though the recipe calls for room-temperature butter, it’s easy to let it get too warm. The butter should be soft enough to press into but not greasy or melty—this makes a big difference!
Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking can also help prevent spreading. I talk about this step up in the blog post. And since the recipe uses baking soda (not baking powder), make sure yours is fresh, as older baking soda can lose its effectiveness.
I’m so glad they still tasted great—sometimes “ugly but delicious” cookies are the most loved!
Lauren
Call me stubborn but I’m going to try this recipe one more time to see if I get it right. I’m going to pay closer attention to the butter next time. Do you think adding extra mix ins like a cup of Heath bar crumbles and about 3/4 cup of coarsly chopped Hearshy bar squares would add to the spread? You’re totally right though. I think my book club will appreciate your yummy recipe. Thanks!
Thank you for giving the recipe another shot—I love your determination! Paying closer attention to the butter should definitely help. As for the mix-ins, the added Heath bar crumbles and chopped Hershey squares sound absolutely delicious, but they might contribute to a bit more spreading because of the extra sugar and fat. To counter that, you could try chilling the dough longer before baking — it’ll help the cookies hold their shape better.
I’m so glad you’re sticking with it, and I’m sure your book club is going to love them. Let me know how they turn out this time!
Heather
I have a question before baking… I only have mini chocolate chips on hand. I’m hoping that won’t affect the end product in any way.
Mini chocolate chips should work just fine! They’ll spread out a bit more in the dough, so you’ll get a little chocolate in every bite—nothing wrong with that! Happy baking.
Melody Gagnon Cook
These were awesome!!!!
Awesome! Happy to hear it, Melody!
Desiree Lamberth
Hey Stacey,
I am so excited about the cookies. I want to keep some of different ones to have a variety. I do have a few questions though about freezing. I want to try and get ahead of the holidays next year with my cookie making. I have heard that cookie dough can be kept in the freezer for a year and that some people do a cookie a month put in the freezer and when time to make baskets pull out what they need . All that being said, what are your thoughts on that?
I’m so glad you’re excited about the cookies—they’re definitely a hit at my house too! Freezing cookie dough is a fantastic way to get ahead for the holidays. While I wouldn’t recommend keeping it in the freezer for a whole year (6 months is usually a good rule of thumb for the best flavor and texture), it’s definitely doable to freeze a variety over a few months.
Just make sure to wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and then pop it into an airtight container or freezer bag to keep it fresh. You can even pre-scoop the dough into balls for easy baking later. When it’s time to bake, no need to thaw—just bake straight from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the baking time.
I love the idea of doing a cookie a month to build up your stash for holiday baskets! Let me know if you give it a try—I’d love to hear how it works out for you!
Ian
I definitely needed to be patient and refrigerate the dough. They were super thin and crispy. But really good with milk.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Dorothy Abdrews
Could I leave the nuts out of the recipe? My grandchildren prefer cookies without the nuts.
Changing the ration of mix-ins can sometimes effect the end product. You might find that the cookies spread too much. In that case, I might recommend throwing in some extra chocolate chips to replace the nuts. Hope they enjoy!
Cathy K Johnson
My Mama always made these, she got the original recipe from the M&M’s bag. I make them separately pecan & then I cook some with chocolate chips. My crowd loves them.
I’ve never thought about putting M&Ms in these!
Angela PENTZ
I baked at 350 for 12 mins, drizzled melted caramel over top with some seasalt… delish
Sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed them, Angela!
elle
literally DELICIOUS!!
Thanks!!
Frances Thompson
Yes I did
And they were delicious
Saving this recipe
Happy to hear it!
Laura Foster
Can i freeze these after making them? too many for us to eat
Absolutely! They actually free pretty well!
Kate
Unfortunately this recipe didn’t work for me. I was sure I did everything accurately, but the cookies rose like cake almost. And they weren’t very good.
I -know- I measured the flour right- I triple checked!
Sadly this took me a long time and has put me off making cookies for a long while 🙁
Sorry they didn’t turn out as expected, Kate! There are a few different reasons why cookies turnout puffy and cakey. This link might be helpful: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cookie-troubleshooting-problems-and-solutions/
Don’t let this discourage you, though. Get back in there and try again. After all, they’re just cookies. 🙂
Lauren
Mine spread thin. I even added a cup of Heath bar crumbles. I followed the directions as I always do when baking. Oh well. They still taste delicious though!
Did you try refrigerating the dough?
Cookee
Hi Stacy,
In the pics of your cookies, did you use the thin or chewy thick method that are listed in recipe.
You are some terrific cook or is that CHEF!!
Thanks for your hard work and love of cooking.
Hi Cookee! For these is refrigerated my dough – so I used the chewy, thick method. Hope you enjoy them!
Dawn Reese
Omg, so easy to make. I chose to make my dough the night before and refrigerated over night. My coworkers were very happy when I walked in with fresh baked cookies
Thanks, Dawn! I’m tickled to hear your coworkers enjoyed them!
Chantell Crenshaw
I made these cookies and let me tell you the were so good. I could taste the ingredients and it was just the right amount of everything. Thank you so much for sharing
Wonderful! So happy to hear that!
Gloria Sturby
Super yummy cookies i made it.
Glad to hear they turned out great for you!
Jules
I substituted one of the cups of chocolate chips with butterscotch…..delish!
Sounds like a delicious addition!
Katherine
These turned out super delicious! Used the exact recipe and refrigerated dough for an hour before baking 😋
They’re beautiful!! So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed them!!
Audrey Crawford
Could this recipe be used for pan cookies like Nestle’s recipe can be?
Hi Audrey! Just so I can make sure to answer correctly, what do you mean by pan cookies?
Audrey Crawford
Spreading the dough out evenly on a greased 15x10x1 baking pan. For a crowd this is how I have always baked my cookies and cut into 35 squares. Got this off an old Toll House Pan Cookie recipe put out by Nestle.
Gotcha! Yes, I think this should work like that, but can’t for sure. I’ve not tested it that way.
Lauri
Hey all, I just made these cookies after refrigerating the dough overnight. I let the dough come to room temp for 1 hour or so. They baked up great in 10 minutes! I also toasted the pecans ahead of time, adds great flavor. Thanks for the recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Nana
These make the best chocolate chip cookies! My husband wants me to make cookies using crushed heath bars. Do you think I could use this recipe substituting the chocolate chips for crushes heath bars?
Absolutely! I’ve done that several times. Enjoy!
Kim M.
OMG! These are the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve tried. I stumbled across this recipe while trying to find a cookie recipe to try during our stay safe at home period. My boys gobbled them up! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect! Thank you! It’s exactly what we needed at a time like this.
I’m so glad that y’all enjoyed them!
M. G
Can we substitute the eggs with anything? I’ve been making these cookies for a couple years now, was just wondering about the egg.
I’m just not sure how egg substitutes will work in this recipe and since I haven’t tested it, I just can’t say for sure.
Shawn
I used a kosher salt which gave them a salted caramel taste was this just caused i used kosher salty not the less delish going to make another batch tonight using regular salt
Shawn
Meant none the less it was delish
These do have a bit of salt in them to cut the sweet some. It shouldn’t make a huge difference by using the other salt, but if you’re super sensitive to it, you might notice it.
Jennifer Culpepper
I stumbled across your recipe. My husband loves chocolate chip and pecan cookies. I made these for him. Let’s just say I think you helped create a monster! Awesome recipe, simple directions, great taste!
So, so glad he enjoyed them!! Thanks, Jennifer!
Christina
The cookies are great. Very tasty, and baked nicely. These are not the puffy, cakey cookies, these are the flatter, chewy center-crunchy edge cookies.
My one complaint is the serving size.
Either it is off, or the recipe is designed for small, 2 bite cookies. I just tried to make 12 dozen of these, and wound up 2 dozen + 4 cookies short. And I didn’t make huge cookies, just a stansard, home made, spooned cookie size. Probably 4 bites. So- just keep that in mind. This will only make 4 dozen, as the serving size suggests, if you make mini cookies, so adjust your expectations accordingly.
God bless!
Hi Christina! SO glad to hear that you enjoyed them, but sorry about the yield issue. Any time I have a question like this, I often look to other similarly sized recipes as a comparison. Looking at the Original Nestle Toll House recipe, it uses 2 1/4 cups of flour and similar measurements of the other ingredients and yields 5 dozen cookies. https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18476/original-nestle-toll-house-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Lauri
If I may respond, I did the recipe and got 49 cookies. I measured them with a tablespoon measure with a touch extra.
Sarah
Thank you for the recipe. Made cookies two nights in a row! Second night we substituted m&m. Kids loved them!
SO glad y’all enjoyed them!!!
Olvera.amy
What width cookie scoop did u use and how big were your cookies? I’m looking for 3in cookies , what cookie scoop should I use?
I use a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop.
J. Strauss
This recipe is awesome! The cookies were the perfect consistency.
I lightly toasted the pecans and substituted half of the chips with butterscotch chips (still half chocolate). Everyone raved about the cookies!
Awesome! I’m so glad they turned out great!!
Chipper12
Made these cookies today and substituted 1/4 tsp. steva extract powder for 3/4 c. white sugar. We really like the cookies and making the recipe this way there is 1 tsp. less sugar for every two cookies. (We had 67 cookies) The cookies browned better with this substitution when baked on convection oven setting.
So glad they worked out for you!
Da-Nel
These were a hit! Delicious, moist, buttery and packed with flavor (and I made them a little larger too)! Thanks for sharing and best wishes!! Oh, and the fun thing about baking these was that I smelled like vanilla and brown sugar for the rest of the day. #BakersSmellGood
Glad they turned out great for you!!
carol
I’ve been baking for nearly 50 years and these are the best chocolate chip pecan cookies I have ever made. Followed the recipe exactly, oven temp and all.
Nothing makes me happier than hearing seasoned cooks happy with my recipes! I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Carol!
TayTay
These cookies are the best! Wanted to make them for a friend who is allergic to wheat. Any suggestions on how to make them gluten free?
So glad to hear you enjoy them! I don’t have much experience with the gluten free diet, so I’m not much help there.
Dallas
Could you replace the pecans with more chocolate chips? Or will that mess the recipie up?
Sure! Go right ahead. 🙂
Evelyn
I’ve noticed that most chocolate chip cookies call for unsalted butter. Your recipe calls for butter. I’m just concerned with the amount of salt. Thanks!
I like for my chocolate chip cookies to have a bit of salt in them. Feel free to use either salted or unsalted, though.
Aria
These are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. I’ve been baking them for two years now and they are my favorite!
Love hearing that!! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Aria!
Angelina Smith
My cookies came out a weird casey texture but for some reason my dough looked more like cake batter than cookie dough prior to cooking. 🙁
Oh no! Are you sure the measurement were correct? I hate to hear when things don’t turn out right.
Beverly
Can you use baking powder instead of baking soda for this recipe and if so how much baking powder would be appropriate ?
You can, though I wouldn’t recommend it.
Ashley
These cookies, most importantly, were most DEFIANTLY MADE WITH A LOT OF LOVE! (((<3)))
Sara
These cookies are *awesome*!! Don’t bother with that Tollhouse recipe; use this one!!!
Ha! Now that’s an endorsement right there!! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Lauren
These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Pam
Just made your chocolate chip pecan cookies… I am not sure if I just had a good baking day, which is rare, or these just baked up perfectly as instructed. Big, puffy, crispy, and soft..I am very happy how they turned out. I may have made them a little big but I still got 41 cookies out of the batch. This is a keeper. May use walnuts next time…thanks
The credit goes to you!! So glad they turned out well for you!
kat
I just have to tell you, I make these cookies (minus the pecans) all the time for family parties and people go crazy for them! This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever!! thank you!! xx I baked them at 360 for 10 minutes and they were heavenly!
So glad they’re part of your regular rotation! 🙂
Marla
375 is a little too high to bake cookies, so I baked these at 350 and they were really good. I used a tsp of vanilla-butter emulsion instead of just vanilla…….they were awesome!
Good deal. I’m not had any problems with these cookies at 375. It’s give them the crispy exterior I really like.
Gaby
Thanks for the recipe! I only had 1 cup of chocolate chips and I added a bit of flaxseed meal. The cookies are delicious!
So glad they turned out great!
ayssha
Thank you sooo much. They we’re delicious and my family loved them. Great recipe!
I’m so glad y’all enjoyed them!!!
Jen
Not that this is timely, but I thought 350 was the “standard” cookie baking temperature too. I gave 375 a shot but at 10 minutes they were already getting a tad darker/crunchier on the outside than I like, so I turned it down to ~360 and they came out perfect!
Betty
Oh what a cutie! Bless his heart, I hope he feels good real soon. What wonderful parents this little cutie has to be able to feel safe with Mama and Daddy in their big bed and then have a little treat for comfort that Daddy has made especially for him. Your little man sure is a cutie pie. I love chocolate chip cookes but am afraid if I bake them at 375 degrees they won’t turn out for me. I normally bake my cookies at 350 degrees. I just don’t have any luck baking cookies if its over 350 degrees, they turn out hard for some reason. Will they still turn out the same if I bake them at 350 degrees?
Hi Betty! You’re welcome to try them at 350, it may just take little longer. The 375 temp combined with a ball of dough creates a crispy outside and chewy inside. Let me know how it works at 350 just so I’ll know! Thanks!
Marcia
Poor little cutie. I bet with the cookies and meds, he is all well again! Chocolate chip pecan cookies make everything better. I would hate to have to chose between these and your pecan chewies for my favorite cookie!
He is feeling a little better today, Marcia. Thanks! Good luck pick a fav!
Michelle Halcomb
Bless his little heart. Yes, it is harsh when we can’t do anything for them. Such a helpless feeling, glad he got some rest with his Mama and Daddy. I remember anytime a storm came going to my parent’s room, we weren’t allowed in bed, but just sleeping in the floor made me feel better. Safe. Does your recipe yield a cakey cookie or a flat one?
For the most part, it’s a more cakey, chewy cookie. This can change based on the heat of your oven and the consistency of your dough, though.
Paula
Poor baby! I hope he’s feeling better soon.
I SO love a chocolate chip cookie with pecans. Unfortunately, my family doesn’t like nuts in things! Clearly, something is wrong. I have to make two batches of everything. The good kind and the nutless kind.
Thanks, Paula! This recipe works great without nuts too!
Tammy
Bless his heart!!! Hope he’s feeling better soon!!!
Thanks for the recipe!!!!