Salted Caramel & Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are everything I’ve dreamed of and more. Caramel and pecans is one of those classic dessert combos that I’ll always love. The pecans are toasted with a hint of cinnamon which adds the perfect amount of warmth and spice. Add in the salty sweetness of the caramel chips, the richness from the brown butter, plus the ooey-gooey pools of chocolate and you’ve got yourself the perfect cozy weather cookie.
Servings : about 12 large cookies
Prep Time : 25 minutes + chill time
Bake Time : 12 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ¼ cups (315g) 1:1 gluten-free flour, See Recipe Notes
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, brown half
1 cup (220g) dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (100g) granulated cane sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 large egg + 2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup salted caramel baking chips, See Recipe Notes
flaky salt, for sprinkling on finished cookies
Directions
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, brown 1/2 cup of the butter. Then, add it to a heat safe bowl with the remaining 1/2 cup of butter and mix until they melt together. Set aside to cool completely before using.
Combine chopped pecans and cinnamon in sauté pan and toast the pecans over medium heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Then remove them from the heat and set them aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the cooled butter, both sugars, honey and the espresso powder. Add in the vanilla and vinegar, whisking until it resembles a smooth thick paste. Whisk in the whole egg and the egg yolks until just combined.
Mix in the dry ingredients, then gently fold in the chocolate chunks, salted caramel chips and toasted pecans. Be careful not to over mix the dough.
Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and then foil. Let the cookie dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a large cookie scoop, drop cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges but slightly underdone in the center. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. If desired, sprinkle with flaky salt before serving.
Notes
I recommend using Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour for this recipe. I have not tested this recipe with other gluten-free flours.
If you can’t find salted caramel chips, toffee bits will work great as well.
