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Brown Butter Maple Pecan Cookies
These Brown Butter Maple Pecan Cookies are crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle (almost fudge-like!). They are rich in nutty, butter flavor with maple as the star. The sweet maple icing makes them extra special!
Ingredients
Cookie dough:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, browned and divided
- ⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (60ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ cups (215g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (60g) chopped roasted pecans, plus more for topping
Maple glaze:
- 1 tablespoon (12g) browned butter (reserved from cookie dough)
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon (10ml) whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- pinch salt
Instructions
- First brown the butter. Follow the instructions this post here to learn how to brown butter. It’s easy! Brown specks and a dense golden foam will form at the surface when it is nearly ready. This whole process takes around 8-10 minutes. Immediately pour it into a large mixing bowl, then let it cool for 20-30 minutes until it reaches a temperature just warmer than room temperature. If you care to measure, the butter should read between 32 and 34°C or between 90 and 93°F on a digital thermometer. It should not be hot, but it should not be too cool or it will stiffen up when you mix in the other ingredients if it is cold in your kitchen.
- Once cooled, add brown sugar and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the egg and mix well until smooth, glossy and the mixture lightens in color by a shade. Then, mix in maple syrup.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add this to the butter mixture and fold it in until mostly combined but there are still some streaks of flour visible. Then, add chopped roasted pecans and fold them in evenly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 1.35-oz cookie scoop to portion dough and roll into smooth balls. Place them onto prepared baking sheets spacing them 3 inches apart and bake for 9-11 minutes until browned on the edges and lightly golden on top.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. While you wait, add all of the maple glaze ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. If the brown butter has firmed up too much, melt it gently in the microwave so it is fluid and just barely warm, however do not get it hot or it will cause the icing to separate.
- Dip cookies in icing or spread it on with a spoon and sprinkle chopped pecans over top. Let the icing set for about 20 minutes before storing.
