Photo: Natalie Levin
If I had to choose one favorite nut, I would have a serious problem. I really love all (all!) kinds of nuts. Hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios – all of them always fit, as evidenced by the bag of assorted nuts and dates I have regularly in my backpack.
Nuts are just a delicious treat and I really have no idea how I didn’t like nuts in the not-very-so-far- past. As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the most upgrading ingredient there is in any recipe of cake, cookies or any other desserts. Nuts always go well with anything!
So, I decided to make pecan cookies, with lots of ground pecans in the dough and some chopped pecans for decoration. I couldn’t restrain myself and also added chocolate chips, but they are definitely tasty without it, although let’s face it – anything with chocolate chips will be more delicious 😊 If you like pecans – do not miss these cookies!
Photo: Natalie Levin
Pecan Cookies with Chocolate Chips
For the pecan cookies:
- 225 grams roasted pecans
- 140 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) soft butter (cut into cubes)
- 100 grams dark brown sugar
- 30 grams (3 tbsp.) sugar
- 15 grams (1 tbsp.) pure maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 200 grams (1 cup) dark chocolate chips
- 50-100 grams of natural pecans (coarsely broken)
- In a food processor with a steel blade, put pecans, flour, baking powder and salt, and grind together into a thin powder.
- In a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment, put butter, brown sugar, sugar and maple and mix at high speed until a soft creamy mixture is obtained.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the egg. Mix until the egg is assimilated in the batter.
- Add the dry ingredients and 150 grams of chocolate chips and mix until soft dough is formed.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- Roll walnut-sized balls and place on oven-lined baking pans.
- On top of each cookie, place the remaining chocolate chips and a few broken pecans.
- Preheat the oven to 180c degrees.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until they turn golden and set at the edges but still slightly soft in the center.
- Cool completely to room temperature and serve.
- Instead of pecans, you can use any other type of nuts that you like in the same amount. It is important that the nuts are roasted.
- The cookies are kept in a sealed jar for up to 10 days.
- You can use milk, white or dark chocolate chips.
- Instead of maple, you can use honey or date syrup in the same amount.
- It is important not to omit the salt because it balances the sweetness of the cookies and emphasizes the flavors of the chocolate.
Photo: Natalie Levin