Description
These rich maple pecan cookies bring warm autumn flavors to your kitchen. A delightful treat with buttery pecans and sweet maple. So easy!
Ingredients
Scale
- Cookie Base Essentials:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Maple & Nutty Stars:
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (Grade A dark or amber)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prep Time Magic:: First things first, get your butter softened on the counter – honestly, this is where I always go wrong if I’m in a hurry! While that’s happening, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. This simple step saves so much grief later, trust me on this; no sticky cookies here! And if you’re using whole pecans, give them a rough chop now; smaller pieces mean more pecan in every single bite of those maple pecan cookies.
- Creaming the Goodness:: In a large bowl, or your stand mixer if you’ve got one (a real lifesaver!), cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until it’s light and fluffy. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes. I always aim for that pale, airy texture; it means your cookies will be tender, not dense. Don’t rush this step, it’s the foundation for truly delicious maple pecan cookies, giving them their characteristic soft chew.
- Wet Ingredients Join the Party:: Now, beat in the room temperature egg until it’s just combined. Then, pour in that glorious pure maple syrup and the vanilla extract. Mix until everything is incorporated, but don’t overmix here – we’re just getting acquainted. The mixture will smell absolutely divine, like autumn in a bowl, a really comforting aroma. This is where the magic really starts for our maple pecan cookies, infusing that signature flavor throughout.
- Dry Ingredients Step In:: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Make sure it’s all evenly distributed. Then, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Stop as soon as you see no more streaks of flour. Overmixing develops gluten, and that means tough cookies – a mistake I’ve made more times than I care to admit! We want tender maple pecan cookies, not dense ones.
- Pecan Fold-In:: Gently fold in your chopped pecans. I sometimes sneak a few extra in here, because honestly, can you ever have too many pecans in maple pecan cookies? Just make sure they’re distributed evenly throughout the dough. Don’t mash them in; a gentle hand keeps the dough tender and ensures every cookie gets a good amount of nutty crunch. This is the fun part, seeing all those lovely nuts ready to bake!
- Scoop and Bake:: Drop rounded spoonfuls (about 1.5 tablespoons) of dough onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving a couple of inches between each. I like to press a few extra pecan pieces on top before baking for that “wow” factor. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are still soft. They might not look fully done, but they’ll firm up as they cool. My oven runs a little hot, so I always check at 10 minutes for my maple pecan cookies!
- Cooling Patience (The Hard Part!):: Let the maple pecan cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them set up and prevents them from falling apart. Honestly, this is the hardest part for me – resisting a warm, gooey cookie straight from the oven! But trust me, a little patience pays off for the perfect texture, letting those maple pecan cookies firm up beautifully.