Brown Butter Pecan Cookies (+gluten free option!)

I have a killer cookie recipe to share with you today. But first, I have to mention how excited I am for the impending Olympics! They are just a little over a week away and I can't wait! I am most excited to see Tessa Virtue and Scott Moyer (Canadian Ice Dancers) skate! I am so hoping they can end their careers with another gold medal! While yes, the figure skating is my favorite part of the Olympics, I'll watch most anything! The winter Olympics are my favorite!

Ok, back to the cookies because we need to talk more about the cookies! They are such a great combination of browned butter (more on that later) and toasted pecans. I was looking for a great alternative to chocolate chip cookies and I found it in these cookies! I found this recipe on a blog called Baker by Nature. You can find the original recipe HERE.

I stuck pretty close to the original recipe, aside from a slight change - I made them gluten free! I subbed in America's Test Kitchen (ATK) gluten free flour blend and a little xanthum gum. I promise, no one could tell they were gluten free!

Ok I'll stop talking, let's get to the cookies! Start by toasting 1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans in about 1 - 1 1/2 Tablespoons of butter. Melt the butter in a medium sized skillet, and in the chopped pecans and stir until they are fragrant and slightly darkened. Set the pecans aside to cool.

In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups of ATK gluten free flour blend, 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum, 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Once the dry ingredients are combined, set them aside and brown your butter.

*Note that if you are note making these to be Gluten Free, simply use regular flour and omit the xanthum gum.

In a medium skillet (I used the same skillet from the pecan toasting), melt 1 cup of butter. Once the butter is melted leave it over medium heat until it browns. I recommend stirring it often and keeping a close eye on it. I wasn't quite sure what browning was, but trust me, you will know! The butter just turns brown. When it does, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a heat safe mixing bowl.

Add 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 2 eggs - lightly beaten to the mixing bowl with the browned butter in it. And stir to combine.

In the future, I will likely reduce the sugar. These were sweet! If and when I do reduce the sugar, I would probably take 1/2 cup out. I don't know if I would use 1/2 cup less of the brown sugar or just omit the granulated sugar... maybe I would reduce each by 1/4 cup. I'll have to ponder than one some more!

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring between each addition.

Once the batter is well combined, fold in the pecans.

Use a tablespoon to separate the dough. Place heaping Tablespoons of dough along a baking sheet lined with Parchment paper about 2 inches a part. These cookies spread quite a bit! Also! Don't roll the cookies. Just drop the scooped tablespoons onto the baking sheet.

Press a pecan in to the top of each cookie. You don't need to press the pecan too far in - allow the cookie to keep it's shape the pecan will congeal with the cookie in the baking process.

Finally, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the cookies for 8-9 minutes. If the cookies come out super soft, you may need to put them back in for a minute or two. But, I encourage you to leave them to sit on the pan for a little while after the first bake before deciding whether or not to put them back in. A little time sitting on the baking sheet works wonders for these cookies!

Let the cookies to sit on the tray for about 10 minutes (maybe even 15!) before transferring them to a wire cooling rack and letting them cool completely. These are hard to resist though, you may want to get your hands on one before they cool completely! They are perfect when they are still warm!

That's it! Not bad, right!? The browned butter had me a little confused but it really isn't too bad! And the end product is so worth it!

BROWNED BUTTER PECAN COOKIES (GF!)
yield 4 dozen cookies

ingredients
1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans, toasted
2 1/4 cups flour (all purpose or ATK gluten free flour blend)
1 teaspoon xanthum gum (omit if you're making gluten free cookies)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, browned
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
48 pecans, halved

directions
1. Start by toasting the chopped pecans in about 1 - 1 1/2 Tablespoons of butter. Melt the butter in a medium sized skillet, and in the chopped pecans and stir until they are fragrant and slightly darkened. Transfer the pecans to a heat safe bowl to cool.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, the xanthum gum, the cornstarch, the salt, the cinnamon and the baking soda. Set the dry ingredients aside.
3. Next brown the butter butter by melting it in a medium skillet, then letting it cook over medium heat until it turns brown. Keep a close eye on it as it is cooking and stir it often.
4. Once the butter is browned, transfer it to a heat safe mixing bowl and mix in the borwn sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs until well combined.
5. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients. Stirring to combine between each addition.
6. Once the dough is combined, fold in the toasted buttered pecans.
7. Use a tablespoon to separate the dough. Drop heaping Tablespoons of dough along a baking sheet lined with Parchment paper about 2 inches a part. Press a pecan in to the top of each cookie.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes. After their bake time, leave the cookies to sit on the tray for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!