Pecan Pie Cookies

Ingredients

• 1.25 cup Salted butter (Start with 254 g; after browning, use 206 g in the dough. This is the cookie-dough butter.)
• 0.75 cup Dark brown sugar (Packed; for the cookie dough.)
• 0.75 cup Granulated sugar (For the cookie dough.)
• 2 Large eggs (At room temperature.)
• 1.5 tsp Vanilla extract (For the cookie dough.)
• 3 cup All-purpose flour (Spoon and level, or weigh; for the cookie dough.)
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 0.5 tsp Salt (For the cookie dough.)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon (For the cookie dough.)
• 0.5 cup Granulated sugar (For rolling the dough balls.)
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon (For rolling the dough balls.)
• 0.5 cup Salted butter (For the pecan pie filling.)
• 1 cup Dark brown sugar (Packed; for the pecan pie filling.)
• 0.5 cup Heavy cream (For the pecan pie filling.)
• 0.75 tsp Cinnamon (For the pecan pie filling.)
• 2 tbsp Maple syrup (For the pecan pie filling.)
• 0.125 tsp Salt (For the pecan pie filling.)
• 0.5 tsp Vanilla extract (For the pecan pie filling.)
• 0.5 cup Pecans (For the pecan pie filling.)
• 4 oz Semi-sweet chocolate (Melted; optional, for drizzling.)

Steps

1. 1

   Put the cookie-dough butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt it, stirring occasionally. Once melted, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until foamy and bubbly, then deep golden with a nutty, caramel-like aroma, about 4–6 minutes after melting.

2. 2

   Pour the browned butter into a large bowl, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the bowl. Chill the butter in the fridge while gathering the other ingredients; it should be warm but not hot when you begin mixing.

3. 3

   Add the cookie-dough dark brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl of browned butter. Whisk to combine.

4. 4

   Add the eggs and cookie-dough vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and combined, about 30–45 seconds.

5. 5

   Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cookie-dough salt, and cookie-dough cinnamon. Work until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and a moist dough forms.

6. 6

   In a small bowl, stir together the rolling sugar and rolling cinnamon. Scoop the dough into 65 g balls, then roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

7. 7

   Arrange the dough balls in an airtight container and chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours.

8. 8

   Preheat the oven to 365°F (about 185°C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

9. 9

   Place six chilled dough balls on each prepared sheet, leaving room for them to spread. Keep any remaining dough chilled while baking in batches.

10. 10

    Bake for 10–12 minutes; frozen cookies take about 12 minutes. They should look slightly puffy on top, with edges just set. Avoid overbaking; they will firm up as they cool.

11. 11

    Immediately after baking, place a round cutter around each cookie and swirl the cookie inside it to neaten it into a circle and help it look thicker.

12. 12

    Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool for a few minutes. Use the back of a tablespoon measuring spoon to press an indent into each cookie, then let them cool completely before filling.

13. 13

    To make the filling, melt the filling butter and brown sugar together in a pan over medium heat. Let the mixture begin bubbling.

14. 14

    Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream, filling cinnamon, maple syrup, filling salt, and filling vanilla extract.

15. 15

    Add the pecans and stir until they are coated in the mixture. Cook for 1 minute longer, then remove the pan from the heat. Let the filling thicken for a few minutes; chill it briefly to speed this up if desired.

16. 16

    Spoon the pecan filling into the cooled cookie indents. If desired, drizzle with melted semi-sweet chocolate and serve.

17. 17

    Store filled cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4–5 days.

Notes

The dough can be rolled into balls and refrigerated for up to 48 hours or frozen for up to 2 months; bake from frozen using the stated doneness cues. Baked, cooled cookies can be kept airtight for 24 hours before filling. The filling can be made a day ahead, cooled at room temperature, refrigerated, then gently reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave before use. The recipe card specifies 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter starting at 254 g and 206 g remaining after browning; its ingredient list also calls for 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (284 g by volume conversion), so follow the explicitly stated starting and post-browning weights. The card says “remaining topping ingredients” after cream; these are the listed filling cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, vanilla, and pecans.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cookies
• baking
• fall
• holiday
• make-ahead