Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (2024)

HomeRecipe ListCookiesCaramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Posted by Aimee 54 comments
Published: Aug 05, 2019 Last Updated: Feb 17, 2020

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Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies – a decadent twist on a classic cookie! You’ll love the infusion of buttery caramel and nutty flavor in these chewy cookies.

Remember this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe? I changed it up by adding caramel bits and pecans! Our caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies are equally delicious, and even easier!

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (1)

Why This Recipe Works

Once you learn how to make chocolate chip cookies, it’s so easy to change up the flavors and mix-ins.

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are another variation you need to try–especially if you love peanut butter treats.

  • These Caramel Pecan Cookies are based on my favorite chocolate chip cookies recipe.
  • It has the perfect ratio of dough to chocolate chips.
  • Caramel bits make the centers just slightly ooey-gooey.
  • You’ll love the crunchy pecans in these soft baked chewy cookies!

Today’s recipe is designed with caramel lovers in mind!

Ingredient Notes

You’ll need all the same ingredients you use for regular chocolate chip cookies, with a few additions.

  • Butter – Softened butter makes cookies soft and chewy without spreading too much.
  • Sweeteners – We use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar in this recipe.
  • Eggs – Bind the dough together and add moisture.
  • Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract is essential for flavoring the dough and enhancing the taste of the chocolate and caramel.
  • Milk – You can use any kind of milk to add more moisture to the dough.
  • Dry ingredients – You will need flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Milk chocolate morsels – Feel free to swap them out for semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate!
  • Caramel baking bits – Find these in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips; or use chopped up caramel candies instead.

Easy Instructions

  1. PREP-Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Mix Wet Ingredients-In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Cream these together for about 2 minutes, until fully blended. Add in eggs and vanilla extract.
  3. Add Dry ingredients-Add in flour, salt, and baking soda. Beat JUST until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips, caramel bits, and pecans.
  4. Bake-Using a 3 Tablespoon scoop, drop onto parchment paper lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until outside of cookie is lightly browned.
  5. Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet. Remove and cool completely on wire rack. The number of cookies is determined by the size scoop you use. I prefer these to be larger…which yields about 2 dozen cookies.

Tips and Tricks

  • How to freeze: Make the dough ahead of time, then scoop it onto a baking sheet. Freeze scoops of dough for 30 minutes. Now transfer the dough to an airtight container and store in the freezer until ready to bake.
  • Baking frozen dough: Place frozen cookie dough right onto the baking sheet. Bake in the oven as directed, adding 1 -2 minutes of additional baking as needed.
  • Use a pizza stone: I find that baking cookies on a pizza stone keeps them from getting too brown and helps them spread less.

Recipe FAQs

How can I prevent cookies from spreading too much?

Chilling the dough before baking works like a charm! If you find chocolate chip cookies tend to spread a lot in your oven, stick the dough in the refrigerator for 20 – 30 minutes, then bake as directed in the recipe.

What can I use in place of caramel bits?

You can unwrap caramel candies and chop them into small pieces. They taste delicious as a substitute for caramel baking bits.

How long does the dough keep in the freezer?

I recommend baking the dough within 3 months of freezing for best taste.

Can I freeze the cookies after baking them?

Yes, the baked cookies can be frozen as well! Store them in a freezer safe container to preserve freshness.

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (2)

More Cookie Recipes

  • Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunk
  • Snickerdoodles
  • Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

4.80 from 5 votes

By: Aimee

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies – a decadent twist on a classic cookie! You'll love the infusion of buttery caramel and nutty flavor in these chewy cookies.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 ½ cups light brown sugar packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 bag milk chocolate morsels 11 ounce
  • 1 ¼ cup caramel bits or whole caramels, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars for about 2 minutes, until fully blended. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until well mixed.

  • Add in flour, salt, and baking soda. Beat JUST until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips, caramel bits, and pecans.

  • Using a 3 Tablespoon cookie scoop, drop onto parchment paper lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. If desired, press some extra chocolate chips into the top of the cookies.

  • Bake for 11-13 minutes, until outside of cookie is lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet. Remove and cool completely on wire rack. The number of cookies is determined by the size scoop you use. I prefer these to be larger…which yields about 2 dozen cookies.

Notes

  • To freeze cookie dough, scoop dough onto a parchment paper lined, freezer safe, cookie sheet. Freeze for about 30 minutes. Remove dough and place in a freezer bag, labeled. When ready to bake, remove desired amount of dough and bake as directed. Add several minutes for frozen dough.
  • Chilling the Dough- I love the texture and flavor when you chill the dough for 24 hours. HOWEVER, it's not mandatory. Sometimes you just can't plan that far in advance!
  • Use myhomemade vanilla extractrecipe for delicious flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 70mg, Sugar: 10g

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

You’ll love these decadent and gooey Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies! Just as easy as traditional chocolate chip cookies with an extra sweet and nutty twist.

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to bake cookies at 350 or 375? ›

We've found that the optimal temperature for cookie baking is 350F. It gives the butter in the dough time to melt and lightly spread before the remaining ingredients cook through. When your oven is too hot, it rushes this process, resulting in a puffy, dry and potentially burnt batch.

What makes cookies chewy instead of crispy? ›

Well, the long and short answer to chewy cookies is it's all about the moisture content. Cookies that are dense and chewy incorporate more moisture into the batter. This can be achieved by making substitutions with wet and dry ingredients, or even just changing the way you incorporate certain ingredients.

What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What's the best brown sugar for cookies? ›

Using all light brown sugar will yield cookies with a lighter flavor (that's not a bad thing!). They'll be buttery with accents of vanilla and a soft interior, but a lighter molasses flavor. Opting for all dark brown sugar will give you a richer flavor and ever-so-slightly softer centers.

What is the golden rule in baking cookies? ›

Chilling cookie dough is a golden rule to be sure, but there are exceptions. If you're going for a thin cookie that spreads out or you have a delicate dough like macron or madeleine, those are the instances where you'll want to bake your cookies at room temperature instead.

How to stop chocolate chip cookies from going flat? ›

If your cookies come out of the oven looking flat, you may not have adequately chilled the dough before baking. Chilling times may vary depending on the cookie you're making, but you should typically chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours before you pop it in the oven.

What is the trick to making soft cookies? ›

Slightly underbaking cookies with brown sugar in them makes them softer as well. Just make sure to store brown sugar in an airtight environment so it doesn't dry out. Flour plays its part by contributing protein. The lower the protein, the softer your cookies will be.

What ingredient makes a cookie soft and chewy? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

Should I use baking powder or baking soda for cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

Is it OK to use melted butter instead of softened? ›

Softened butter and melted butter are not the same. Using melted butter will change the texture of whatever you're baking. If you only want the butter to soften for spreading, microwave it on the Defrost setting (30%) in 5-second increments until it's softened as desired.

Why put cornstarch in cookies? ›

Starch is the magic ingredient that your cookie has been missing. in order to get that perfect chewy, gooey, cakey texture in the middle and really nice, thin, crispy texture on the outside. You will never have a cookie a different way again.

What happens if you use more brown sugar than granulated sugar in a cookie recipe? ›

Using brown sugar will result in a denser, moister cookie. Brown sugar is also hygroscopic (more so than granulated sugar) and will therefore also attract and absorb the liquid in the dough.

Can I bake cookies in a cake pan? ›

Homemade chocolate chip cookie dough is pressed into the bottom of a cake pan, then baked until crisp on the outside and gooey in the center. Decorating it is where the fun comes in. Wilton's #2 tip).

Should you use dark or light brown sugar in chocolate chip cookies? ›

For chewier and more flavorful cookies, use more brown sugar than white sugar. Dark Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar are interchangeable in most recipes. Though either works in this chocolate chip cookie recipe, I love using dark brown sugar for extra flavor because it contains more molasses.

What is the best oven mode for cookies? ›

Every oven setting has its own unique cooking and heating properties, which will have different effects on how a bake turns out. Conventional heating is great for cakes, while fan-assisted convection (specifically the mode in combination with conventional heating) is better suited for cookies, brownies and blondies.

Which mode is best for baking cookies? ›

Try using convection bake mode on your oven. The airflow that accompanies the convection setting means that heat circulates evenly around cookie sheets.) Dark (well-seasoned) pans may burn or over brown the bottoms of your cookies by absorbing heat; adjust your temp or use a lighter color pan.

What is the ideal time for baking cookies? ›

Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (ONLY if you are baking the frozen dough) and put the cookies in the oven in the beginning of the preheating time. Set the timer for 15 minutes and remove the cookies after 15 minutes. The top will look a little more brown than usual, but they will still taste amazing.

How long to bake something at 375 instead of 350? ›

40 to 45 min. That is, bake it for 40 min and then check it to see if it's done (or otherwise check it 5 minutes earlier than you otherwise would). The difference between 350F and 375F in actual cooking is generally dwarfed by the temperature inaccuracy of home ovens.

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