Pecan and White Chocolate Salted Cookies

This is my take on the usual chocolate chip cookie. They are crisp on the outside but so chewy and soft on the inside, with morsels of white chocolate and crunchy toasted pecans.

There is something special about that perfect cookie, which is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. I have never been much of a cookie baker, but find that there are some advantages to getting your sweet fix from cookies as opposed to cakes.

Firstly, I think there is relatively less effort in prepping to make the cookie, no lining of tins! Also, it helps that I can make the cookie dough in advance and keep in the fridge and just bake up a few when the urge strikes. My will power is not strong enough and having a cake lying around is not good for my diet.

That being said, we baked these to shoot with the intention of Linsen taking them to set for a show that they were shooting, the next day. Unfortunately, only a quarter of the cookie jar made it to set! These are so moreish.

I know good quality white chocolate can sometimes be expensive, but it really does make a huge difference to the overall taste of the cookie. Using a cheaper compound chocolate just tastes a bit gritty and overly sweet. Not over baking the cookie results in a crisp edge with a soft and chewy centre, yum! Sprinkling some salt flakes on the cookie adds a nice balance to the overall sweetness.

Having cookies around for a nice accompaniment to your tea is always a winner! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

TIPS FOR MAKING THESE PECAN AND WHITE CHOCOLATE SALTED COOKIES

• What does it mean to use “real” white chocolate? Real white chocolate should contain at least 30% cocoa solids. Other white chocolate type variants will use cocoa butter instead, which is not the same.
• What if I cannot find white chocolate? This recipe works just as well with milk or dark chocolate. Just replace the white chocolate with milk chocolate, dark chocolate or a combination of the two.
• Do I have to toast the pecans? No, I just find that they have a better flavour when toasted.
• Why all the different type of sugars? These contribute to the different flavours in the cookies and help control the spread.
• What happens if I cannot find all the sugars? I do recommend that you use at least a mix of white and brown sugar. Only white sugar will make the cookies quite crispy. If you cannot find muscavado sugar, just substitute it for brown sugar.
• The cookies spread a lot when baking, why? Make sure to leave enough space as the cookies do spread when baking. This is why we chill them first. If they spread into different shapes, as soon as they come out of the oven, place a circular object, like a cookie cutter over them. Move the object around the cookie to re-shape them. I have this highlight saved on instagram.
• They are still soft when they come out of the oven? In order to ensure a soft, chewy cookie it should not be baked until firm. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
• Can I halve this recipe? In theory, yes. Although one egg and one egg yolk does not translate into using a single egg for the half recipe, for example. Hence, I do not recommend halving the recipe.
• How long can I keep the cookie dough in the freezer? The dough freezes well for up to three months, so you can bake up batches as you want.

If you make this recipe, please share it with me by tagging me on Instagram @adventureswithsugar or on Facebook at Adventures with Sugar.

FOR THE PECAN AND WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES (makes around 56 cookies)

• 200g butter, at room temperature
• 200g light brown sugar
• 50g muscavado sugar
• 50g granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 230g cake flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 220g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
• 220g good quality white chocolate, roughly chopped
• salt flakes for sprinkling

METHOD

1. Roughly chop the white chocolate and set aside. I cannot stress enough how much different these cookies turn out when using a good quality chocolate.
2. Roughly chop the pecan nuts and toast them for around 5 minutes on a pan, set to medium heat. They have a tendency to burn so be careful. Then set aside to cool.
3. Cream the butter for about two minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Then add in the white sugar, light brown sugar and muscavado sugar and continue to cream until light and fluffy. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Add in the egg and egg yolk and continue to cream until incorporated.
6. Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together and slowly add to the creamed mixture until well incorporated.
7. Fold in the pecans and white chocolate.
8. Place in the refrigerator for the butter to firm up, for at least four hours. I usually make the dough in advance and bake them when needed.
9. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius, and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
10. Roll the dough into little ping-pong sized balls and space them well apart, they do spread when baked.
11. Bake the cookies for around 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges start to brown, and the centre is well risen. Do not overbake or the cookies will not be chewy in the middle.
12. Let rest on the tray for a few minutes before removing, as they will still be fairly soft.
13. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy !

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com