Toasted Pecan and Chocolate Chunk Cookies
These cookies are buttery and nutty and with the addition of dark chocolates, they have a slightly bittersweet flavour to them. Now when it comes to cookies, the question is - do you like them chewy or crunchy? My answer would be…both! The centre has got to be chewy but the edges crunchy, for me that is the ultimate cookie goal.
The main factor in determining the texture outcome is the length of time in the oven - the longer they are in, the crunchier they become. So if you are in a household that’s divided, just take some of the cookies out of the oven 3 minutes before the rest to keep them chewy. Simple.
A homemade cookie bares little resemblance to the ones you can buy in the shops, it is a whole different level of yumminess and the complete process takes about 20 minutes - hooray!
Pecan and Chocolate Chunk Cookies
110g soft dark brown sugar
55g golden caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, softened
150g plain flour
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped into chunks
70g pecan nuts
1 large free ranged egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 180ºC and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Place the pecan nuts into a small roasting tin and bake in the oven for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and roughly chop and leave to one side.
Beat together the butter, soft dark brown sugar and golden caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until thoroughly mixed together.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and then lightly stir through.
Finally, fold through the chopped pecan nuts and chocolate.
Dollop a heaped tablespoon of the cookie mixture onto the baking sheet, leaving 5cm between each one, which will allow space for them to spread out.
Bake for 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies and 11-12 minutes for crunchier cookies. Ovens can vary, so after 8 minutes, just keep an eye on them until they reach your ideal cookie texture!
Leave the cookies to cool on a wire rack and store them in an airtight container.
The smell in the kitchen when you bake these is glorious, a perfect weekend smell if ever there was one!