After eating dinner, like this delicious carrot soup and maple glazed stuffed squash, it’s time to indulge in some dessert. You go to the kitchen and stare at the pile of dishes in the sink. Confidently, you walk to the fridge and open the freezer. Grabbing a plastic bag, you place a couple of cookies onto a cookie sheet. Although one of the cookies didn’t make it to the preheated oven, you still impatiently waited near the oven for the timer to count down to zero. Without thinking, you almost take out the cookies without oven mitts, but remember to grab them at the last second. At last, you get to enjoy the warm maple pecan chocolate chip cookie that you’ve been waiting on.
This recipe is a more sophisticated take on the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe with candied pecans and a sprinkle of flaky salt to bring it to the next level. The addition of cinnamon highlights the flavor of the chocolate while the egg substitute lends a crispy exterior balanced by a soft inside. One bite is all it takes for this recipe to be added to your repertoire. These cookies can be enjoyed either raw or baked.*
*Important note: If planning on eating raw cookie dough, consider toasting the flour for 5 minutes in a preheated 350ºF to ensure that it is safe to eat the dough raw.
Maple Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
For the candied pecans:
In a small pan, cook the raw pecans over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
Add the maple syrup to the pan and continue cooking for about 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle pecans with salt. Allow pecans to cool while preparing cookie dough.
#SpoonTip: For this recipe, I recommend using pink Himalayan salt for a less intense salty flavor.
For the cookie dough:
Add the room temperature Earth Balance, white sugar,* and brown sugar to a medium-sized bowl. Stir vigorously for 3-5 minutes until fully combined.
*Note: Make sure when buying the ingredients that the sugar is vegan. Some sugar is processed with bone char.
In a small bowl, add the vanilla extract, water, oil, and baking powder. Whisk until combined.
Add the water mixture to the sugar and butter mixture and stir. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk the ingredients to combine.
Incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once. Stir until just combined.
To prevent sticking, lightly coat the candied pecans with flour. Add the chocolate chips and pecans into dough and gently fold to combine.
#SpoonTip: Leave out 1/2 cup of pecans and 1/4 cup chocolate chips and add those as a topping after forming your cookies.
Form cookies and place into a cookie sheet 1-2 inches apart. I used a 2 ounce cookie scoop to ensure a round cookie while baking.
#SpoonTip: I recommend freezing these cookies for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. This allows time for the flavors to meld. After frozen solid, cookies can be transferred to a plastic bag. When baking, place frozen dough directly into preheated oven.
Bake for 12-15* minutes in a preheated 350ºF degree oven or until cookies are lightly golden on the edges. Top each cookie with a light sprinkle of salt immediately after taking cookies out of the oven.
*Note: Baking time will vary depending on size of cookie.
Let cookies cool for at least 5 minutes and enjoy! After completely cooled, cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.