It is officially five days until the book launches, and that feels like the perfect reason to celebrate with something sweet. To keep the excitement going, I am sharing a batch of rich, bakery-style chocolate chip cookies and continuing the release-week fun with a KitchenAid mixer giveaway.
The giveaway is being combined across all platforms, so there are several ways to enter. You can participate here on the blog, on Facebook, and on Instagram. Be sure to read the rules for each platform carefully, because multiple entries can help increase your chances of winning. One winner will be chosen from all eligible entries across the three platforms and announced on Sept. 26.
Now let’s talk about the real star of this post: Salted Dark Chocolate Chip and Roasted Pecan Cookies. These are big, thick, bakery-style cookies with crisp edges, chewy centers, toasted pecans, sweet coconut, and generous chunks of semisweet chocolate. They are the kind of cookies that look impressive on a platter but still taste deeply homemade.
Most bakers already have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but this version brings something a little different to the table. The cookies are large for a reason. Their size helps create that contrast between a lightly crisp exterior and a soft, chewy middle. The dough is also chilled before baking, which helps the cookies hold their shape and develop a richer flavor.
The toasted pecans and coconut are just as important as the chocolate. Toasting adds depth, nuttiness, and warmth, giving the finished cookies a more layered flavor. The pecans are used in two ways: some are processed into a fine crumb to blend into the dough, while the rest are roughly chopped for texture. The result is a cookie that tastes buttery, nutty, chocolatey, and balanced in every bite.
A few recipe notes before you begin:
- Make the cookies large. The giant size is what gives these bakery-style chocolate chip cookies their chewy center and crisp edge. Smaller cookies will bake more quickly, but they will not have the same texture.
- Do not skip toasting the pecans and coconut. This step adds flavor that cannot be achieved by using them raw. Let them cool completely before adding them to the dough.
- Chill the dough for at least 3 hours. This helps the dough firm up, improves flavor, and makes shaping the cookies easier.
- Use chopped chocolate rather than tiny chips if possible. Larger chocolate pieces create pockets of melted chocolate throughout the cookies.
Salted Dark Chocolate Chip and Roasted Pecan Cookies
16 Giant Bakery-Style (4 inch) Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (145 g) sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 1/4 cups (290 g) pecan halves, divided
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (160 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons molasses
- 12 ounces (340 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) chunks
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the coconut on one prepared baking sheet and the pecans on the other. Bake until lightly toasted, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, place the baking sheets on a wire rack, and let the coconut and pecans cool completely.
Once cooled, roughly chop the toasted coconut and set it aside. To make the pecan flour, measure out 3/4 cup (68 g) of the toasted pecans and pulse them in a food processor until they become a fine crumb. Set aside. Roughly chop the remaining 1 1/2 cups (150 g) pecans and reserve them for folding into the dough.
In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in the toasted coconut and pecan flour until evenly combined. Set the dry mixture aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the whole egg until fully incorporated. Add the egg yolk and mix again until combined, then beat in the vanilla extract and molasses.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed just until the dough starts to come together and a few flour streaks are still visible. Finish mixing by hand with a wooden spoon to avoid overworking the dough. Fold in the chopped semisweet chocolate and the reserved chopped pecans. Cover the dough and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop out about 3 tablespoons (85 g) of dough for each cookie. Flatten each portion onto the prepared baking sheets to form a disk about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide and 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick. Continue shaping the cookies, spacing the disks about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
Bake the cookies until lightly browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.