Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chunk Pecan cookies

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

My mother’s updated crispy and chewy Chocolate Chunk Pecan cookies recipe is without a doubt the best chocolate chip cookie recipe you never had, because we use chocolate chunks instead of chips.

I was reminded of it when I tasted a store bought chocolate chunk, caramel and pecan cookie, and again a few days later when I saw a recipe from a blog.

I thought to try out the blog’s milk chocolate chip cookies recipe but realized that I actually wanted to revisit my mother’s Chocolate Chunk Pecan cookies recipe to see if I could update it to taste like the crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies one finds in mall cookie shops.

My mum used chocolate chunks in her cookie recipe with pecans because she did not like the taste and texture of chocolate chips. Back then the supermarkets in Cape Town did not sell good quality chocolate chips or cooking chocolate with a high cocoa content, and instead we cut up slabs of Cadbury milk chocolate and Bourneville dark chocolate slabs into chocolate chunks.

Even now I do not like the taste and texture of chocolate chips and prefer chocolate chunks of a good 70 % cocoa chocolate bar because it melts and forms gooey puddles of chocolate in the cookie. I have recently seen a product online called chocolate wafers (flat chocolate buttons) that are also suitable for cookies.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies with milk

During my early teens, this was the very first cookie that my mother allowed me to make on my own for Eid. I remember one Sunday afternoon sitting at the kitchen table when she was feeling inspired, and she threw together a few basic ingredients to make her chocolate chunk pecan cookies. It was much crunchier than the other cookies she had in her repertoire, but everyone loved it.

I always felt like there was something lacking in the flavor, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what that was. For a richer color and softer texture, I replaced the fine granulated sugar with light and dark brown sugar and this made all the difference to the flavor and texture. I halved my mother’s original recipe, but still used one egg.

My mother’s dark chocolate chunk pecan cookies were not one of the five items included in my assorted cookie box during my baking years because to me the process was too long winded. The finished cookie dough was too soft and was left to chill for a few hours, before each one was individually shaped before baking. In my version the dough was soft as expected, but instead of chilling it before baking, I baked it as soon as I had set down the ice cream scoops of cookie dough on the baking sheet.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

Top tips for making Easy Chocolate Chunk and Pecan cookies

  • Weigh the ingredients! A bit of extra flour makes a big difference to the texture of the cookies and can determine whether the cookies turn out chewy and crispy, only crispy or dry.
  • Use a combination of fine granulated sugar with light and dark brown sugar or only light and dark brown sugar for the best flavor.
  • Use good quality dark chocolate wafers / buttons or bars cut up into chunks as these will melt and give puddles of chocolate. Choc chips hold their shape and don’t really add much to the flavor for me.
  • The cookies can be baked straight after the dough is made and is soft and scoopable.
  • Substitute 100 grams of the chocolate with a flavored 70% cocoa chocolate for something different. I use Lindt’s salted caramel or chilli chocolate.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookie ingredients

Chopped pecans and dark chocolate

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookie dough

This rebooted easy chocolate chunk cookies recipe is crispy and crunchy on the outside and chocolaty and chewy on the inside, with a delicate hint of salt from the crispy salted caramel chocolate pieces. This and that with salt seems to be all the rage now, but I find that a glob of salt hitting my tongue is too much of a shock to my tastebuds, and this is much more subtle.

The first time my brother tasted these cookies he exclaimed that it was the best chocolate chunk cookies he had ever had. Simone had to make it a few times since then.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookie and milk

For other cookie recipes try the links below:

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookie and milk

Chocolate chunk pecan cookies

Razena Schroeder
Chocolate chunk and pecan cookies that are perfectly chewy and melt in the mouth.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Cookie
Cuisine South African
Servings 36 cookies
Calories 243 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams lightly salted butter at room temperature
  • 170 grams light brown sugar approximately 250 ml packed
  • 170 grams dark brown sugar approximately 250 ml packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 10 ml vanilla extract approximately 2 teaspoons
  • 440 grams cake flour approximately 4 cups, scooped into the cup with a spoon and levelled
  • 10 ml baking powder approximately 2 teaspoons
  • 400 grams 70% cocoa chocolate bar cut into roughly into chunks
  • 230 grams pecan nuts approximately 500 ml or 2 cups

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 160 fan / 350 F / Gas mark 4.
  • Line the cookie sheets with baking parchment.
  • In a medium sized bowl, beat the butter for 2 minutes until it lightens and looks creamy. Add the sugar and beat until the sugar is dissolved and there are no sugar lumps. This may take between 5-10 minutes depending on whether you are using a whisk or cake mixer. For purposes of this test I used a whisk.
  • Add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture and beat again until it is thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the vanilla extract and ensure that you scrape the sides of the bowl to mix in all the butter and sugar at the bottom and sides.
  • Fold the flour and baking powder into the butter mixture and combine thoroughly.
  • Add the chocolate chunks and chopped pecans and mix thoroughly. The mixture will be soft and easy to scoop.
  • Use a small ice cream scoop with approximately 50 ml capacity to scoop dough balls onto the lined baking sheet.
  • Leave enough space between the balls so that they can spread without touching.
  • Bake on the lower shelf for 10 minutes then turn and bake on the middle shelf for a further 3-5 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it.
  • Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. This will ensure that they don't crumble when you remove them while hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 3gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 52mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 2gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 196IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.

Keyword easy holiday baking, halaal recipes, make-ahead
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This recipe was first published in April 2015 and has since been updated with new photos.

 

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4 Comments

  • Reply
    Nicki
    February 17, 2020 at 1:18 pm

    Love this, thank you, I am going to give them a try!
    I also only use chunks in baking. We have to make lots for the guests so I buy a brand called Callebrut – they really are delicious!

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      February 17, 2020 at 11:06 pm

      Thanks for the recommendation. I checked the callebaut website and they have some awesome recipes with chocolate 😍

  • Reply
    Simone Claudia Fortuin
    July 16, 2015 at 11:29 pm

    Tried and tested!!! This is the BEST chocolate cookies I have ever tasted… Wonderful texture!! Definitely a winner

    • Reply
      Razena
      July 24, 2015 at 12:16 am

      I will show you the white chocolate, cranberry and macadamia cookie next In shaa Allah.

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