Brown Butter White Chocolate Candied Pecan Cookies

By Maria Lichty

Published on December 17, 2024

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Why These Cookies Are Extra Special

I love a good cookie and these Brown Butter White Chocolate Candied Pecan Cookies are extra special. There really are no words to describe how good they are. You HAVE to try them!

• Brown Butter: The key flavor element in these cookies is the brown butter. Butter is cooked until the milk solids turn golden brown, releasing a nutty, caramelized aroma. This deepens the flavor, adding a complex richness that elevates the sweetness of the cookies and enhances the other ingredients.
• Homemade White Chocolate Candied Pecan Bark: Instead of using white chocolate chips, I make a white chocolate bark with homemade candied pecans! The creamy white chocolate pairs beautifully with the sweet, nutty candied pecans. I chop up the bark and stir it into the cookies. The bark takes the cookies to a whole new level!
• Soft, Chewy, & Crunchy: The cookies are are soft, chewy, and slightly crispy on the edges. The pecans add a satisfying crunch, and the white chocolate creates a creamy, smooth texture within the cookie.
• Taste Like the Holidays: They are the perfect Christmas cookie! The combination of brown butter, pecans, white chocolate, and cinnamon gives the cookies a festive vibe!

How to Make Brown Butter White Chocolate Candied Pecan Cookies

These cookies do take a little more time than your average cookie recipe, but I promise the extra steps are worth it! Heads up, you do have to chill the dough for at least 1 hour before baking because of the brown butter in the dough.

Make Ahead Tip: You can make the candied pecans and bark in advance. Store in a jar or airtight container in the pantry for a couple of weeks or freeze for a few months!

• First, make the candied pecans. I love my homemade candied pecans recipe. They are easy to make and your house will smell amazing. You can also use store-bought candied pecans, but I promise my candied pecans are the BEST!

• Make the white chocolate candied pecan bark. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place white chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate melts and is smooth. Stir in the chopped candied pecans.

• Smooth out the bark onto prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer, about ¼ inch thick. The bark is chunky because all of the pecans.

• Let the bark set up. Place the baking sheet of bark in the refrigerator and chill until hardened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Break it into pieces and use a sharp knife to chop it up into small chunks.

• Brown the butter. Place the butter in a light-colored medium saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, smells nutty, and browns. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape the browned butter into a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process.

• Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

• Cream the brown butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. With the beater blade, mix until well combined.
• Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
• Add the dry ingredients. Turn off the mixer and add all the dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Don’t over mix.
• Add the bark. Stir in 1 ½ cups of the white chocolate candied pecan bark (reserve the rest for garnishing the cookies). If you want the cookies to be extra festive, you can add in a handful of dried cranberries.
• Scoop the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons per cookie.
• Chill the cookie dough balls in an airtight container for at least 1 hour. You can chill the dough balls for up to 48 hours.

• Preheat oven and prep. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture until well coated.

• Place the balls on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Leave about 2-inches of space between each cookie.

• Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until cookies are set around the edges, but still soft in the center. Don’t over bake!
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Decorate with extra bark. While the cookies are still warm, gently press a few pieces of the bark on top of each cookie. You might have some leftover bark, but I don’t think you will mind, it’s SO good! I can never stop snacking on it!
• Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

More Brown Butter Cookie Recipes

• Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles
• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
• Brown Butter Biscoff Chocolate Chip Cookies

Check out more delicious COOKIE RECIPES!

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Cookies

Brown Butter White Chocolate Candied Pecan Cookies

Soft, chewy, brown butter cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar with chunks of white chocolate candied pecan bark. Every bite is a delightful mix of sweet, nutty, and caramel buttery flavors.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Cuisine American

Servings 26 cookies

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

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For the bark:

• 2 cups white chocolate chips, I like Guittard or Ghirardelli
• 1 1/3 cups candied pecans, chopped

For the cookies:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies
• Extra white chocolate candied pecan bark, for garnish

Instructions

 

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place white chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate melts and is smooth. Stir in the chopped candied pecans. Pour the white chocolate pecan mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer, about ¼ inch thick. The bark is chunky. Place the baking sheet of bark in the refrigerator and chill until hardened, about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the butter in a light-colored medium saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, smells nutty, and browns. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape the browned butter into a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process.
• Remove the bark from the fridge. Using a sharp knife, chop the bark into chunks. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. With the beater blade, mix until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
• Turn off the mixer and add all the dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Don’t over mix.
• Stir in 1 ½ cups of the white chocolate candied pecan bark (reserve the rest for garnishing the cookies). Scoop the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons per cookie, and chill the balls in an airtight container for at least 1 hour. You can chill the dough balls for up to 48 hours.
• When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture until well coated.
• Place the balls on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Leave about 2-inches of space between each cookie.
• Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until cookies are set around the edges, but still soft in the center. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. While the cookies are still warm, gently press a few pieces of the bark on top of each cookie. You might have some leftover bark, but I don’t think you will mind, it’s SO good!
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Notes

You can make the candied pecans in advance. Store in a jar in the pantry for a few weeks or freeze for a few months. You can also make the bark in advance and store in the pantry for a few weeks or in the freezer for a few months. 

Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 34mg, Sodium: 176mg, Potassium: 90mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 241IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 1mg

Keywords brown butter, candied pecans, white chocolate

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