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Caramel Pecan Cookies Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Caramel Pecan Cookies Recipe

I still remember the first time I pulled a tray of these out of the oven and the caramel had oozed out just enough to turn crisp and lacy around the edges. I honestly couldn't wait for them to cool before I grabbed one. The dark brown sugar gives these cookies a deep, almost toffee-like flavor that plain white sugar just can't match.
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Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour – gives the cookies a softer more tender crumb than all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks) – room temperature butter creams properly and helps the dough hold air
  • 2 large eggs – bind the dough together and add richness
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar – balances the deeper flavor of the brown sugar
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar packed – the molasses in dark brown sugar is what gives these cookies their caramel-like depth
  • 1 tsp baking soda – helps the cookies spread slightly and turn golden
  • 1 tsp salt – sharpens all the other flavors so the cookies don't taste flat
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract – rounds out the sweetness with warmth
  • 1 cup caramel pieces tossed in a little flour – the flour coating keeps the caramel from sinking or clumping together in the dough
  • 1 cup pecans roughly crushed – toast them lightly first for extra crunch and flavor

Method
 

  1. Set your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit so it's fully heated by the time your dough is ready. While it warms up, line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. This small step saves you from scrubbing burnt caramel off the pan later.
  2. Add the butter, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, and vanilla extract to your mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until the mixture turns pale and fluffy. This usually takes a couple of minutes and it's an important step for texture.
  3. Crack in the eggs one at a time, mixing fully after each addition. Adding them separately helps the batter stay smooth instead of curdling. You'll notice the mixture becomes glossy and slightly thicker.
  4. Gradually add the cake flour, baking soda, and salt into the wet mixture. Beat just until everything is combined and no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing here can make the cookies tough, so stop as soon as it looks uniform.
  5. Gently stir in the flour-dusted caramel pieces along with the crushed pecans. Folding by hand rather than using the mixer helps keep the caramel pieces intact. You want them evenly scattered throughout the dough, not crushed into it.
  6. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized portions and place them on your prepared cookie sheet. Leave a couple of inches between each one since they will spread while baking. A cookie scoop makes this step faster and keeps the sizes consistent.
  7. Slide the tray into the oven and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, watching for a golden edge. The centers may look slightly underdone, but they'll continue to set as they cool. Pull them out right when the edges turn golden brown.
  8. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes once out of the oven. This gives the melted caramel time to firm back up so the cookies don't fall apart. Then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.