Description
These Salted Butterscotch Pecan Cookies are buttery, chewy, and packed with rich butterscotch chips and crunchy toasted pecans. Rolled in a sweet and salty sugar coating, they bake into delicious cookies with golden edges and perfectly tender centers. A touch of espresso powder balances the sweetness, while brown sugar adds deep caramel flavor for an irresistible homemade treat.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Cookie Dough:
- 142 g (~1 1/4 cups) pecans
- 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 92 g (~1/2 cup) vegetable shortening
- 142 g (~3/4 cup packed) brown sugar
- 131 g (~2/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 227 g (1 1/3 cups) butterscotch chips
- For the Salted Sugar Coating:
- 67 g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Toast and Chop Pecans: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread the 142 g of pecans across an unlined baking sheet and toast for 8–9 minutes until fragrant. Allow them to cool completely, then coarsely chop.
- Cream Fats, Sugars, Spices, and Leavening: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, vegetable shortening, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, espresso powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar together with an electric mixer until creamy and pale.
- Beat in Egg: Add the room-temperature egg and beat until fully incorporated and cohesive.
- Incorporate Flour, Pecans, and Butterscotch Chips: Add the all-purpose flour and mix on low speed just until combined. Gently fold in the chopped toasted pecans and butterscotch chips using a rubber spatula.
- Prepare Salted Sugar Coating: In a small bowl, whisk together the 67 g granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt for the outer coating.
- Portion and Roll Dough Balls: Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions (~15 g each) of dough, roll into balls, and roll lightly in the salted sugar mixture.
- Arrange and Bake: Arrange the dough balls on prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each portion to accommodate spreading. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the tops turn light golden.
- Cool and Set: Let the cookies rest on the warm baking sheets for 5 minutes until firmed up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Leave Plenty of Room: Vegetable shortening and butterscotch chips cause these cookies to spread nicely into thin, chewy discs. Keep at least 2 inches between dough balls on the baking sheet.
- Cool Pecans Completely: Hot toasted nuts melt butter fats instantly upon contact, which makes dough greasy and flat. Always cool pecans before folding them into the cookie dough.
- Don’t Omit Cider Vinegar or Espresso Powder: These small additions do not make the cookies taste like vinegar or coffee. The vinegar activates the baking soda for lightness, while the espresso powder cuts through butterscotch sweetness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 105
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 115mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 10mg