Brown Butter Praline Pecan Cinnamon Chip Cookies

These cookies are quite similar to the ones that I made last week, with pecans and browned butter, but texturally they are very different. There are a lot of ingredients in these cookies, but they are all fantastic together! This is basically a variation on a chocolate chip cookie, but there are just enough differences to make this a very interesting cookie.

These cookies do call for a specialty ingredient, praline pecans, or candied pecans. The ones that I used are from Trader Joe’s but I know that not everyone is able to get to Trader Joe’s. You could just use plain pecans, or some other sort of candied nuts. If you are super adventurous, you could always candy your own pecans, but that takes a little more effort!

With the browned butter, in the dough, the texture is a little bit different than regular cookie dough. It is somewhat oilier than normal. When they baked up, they are a little cakey, which I can’t really figure out why at all. This is a cookie that is best eaten fairly quickly after baking, as I found they got hard fairly fast. That’s usually not a problem for me as I always take cookies to work and they get eaten fairly fast. The combination of brown sugar and browned butter gives these cookies an interesting caramel flavor, which I wasn’t expecting at all. I really liked the flavors in these cookies, although the texture was different than I was expecting.

Brown Butter Praline Pecan Cinnamon Chip Cookies

1 cup butter

2 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces cinnamon chips

8 ounces Trader Joe’s praline pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 360* degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

First, brown the butter: place the butter in a small saucepan and place over medium low heat. Heat until the butter is melted and then continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is browned and smells nutty. Watch carefully as butter can go from wonderfully browned to burnt in a matter of seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the butter to a bowl. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before proceeding.

In a large mixer bowl, add the cooled browned butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Stir in the cinnamon chips and praline pecans with a spatula.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

*Yes, 360 degrees is correct.