When I was a kid I asked my mom for an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. She told me that I didn’t need an Easy Bake Oven when I had a perfectly good oven in the kitchen. Do you know what the first thing I baked in that oven? You thought I was going to say Chocolate Chip Cookies! Actually the first thing I made on my own in the oven was broiled Cinnamon Toast. I remember it got pretty crunchy. I tend to get distracted in the kitchen. But I remember taking out the cinnamon toast just in the nick of time. The second thing I made was Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies. I found the recipe in my mother’s cookbook called, “Cooking For American Homemakers” new revised edition 1966 and first published in 1950. This is my version of Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies.
Changes Through the Years
I love these cookies and have made them for years with only small minor changes. Changing out plain Crisco shortening for Butter Flavored Crisco shortening was worth it. I traded out ½ of the shorting with butter and that was a winner. When I was a kid we only baked with imitation vanilla. As an adult I started using pure vanilla and other types of vanilla such as Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. Another change was the Milk Chocolate Chips for the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. The Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips gives my husband heartburn and when the Milk Chocolate Chips came out he was thrilled and could not wait for me to try baking with them. I buy my pecans halves and I only have to chop them up for the recipe. Growing up I had to spend about 40 minutes shelling the pecans to get enough for the recipe.
The Ultimate Cookie
These cookies are the ultimate in Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies. You end up with a cookie that has a nice crunch when you bite into it with a wonderful soft, tender and flavorful inside. They are perfect with a glass of milk, hot cup of coffee or maybe a bowl of ice cream. I can’t wait to make them again because my mouth is watering right now thinking about these cookies. Enjoy!
Gather all your ingredients together, measure and place into bowls/plates. If possible take the butter out the night before to get extra soft. Let the eggs come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl measure out the all-purpose flour by spooning the flour into a measuring cup and level off the flour with a knife. Once completed, sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
In a small bowl add brown and white sugar. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients
On a small plate add the softened butter and butter flavor Crisco shortening. Set aside.
Crack two eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.
Add vanilla extract in a small bowl. Set aside.
Other Ingredients
Remove ¾ cup of Milk Chocolate Chips from the bag. Set aside.
In a small bowl place the chopped pecans.
Cookies can be made by hand but I opted to use my Bosch free standing mixer to prepare the cookie dough.
Making Cookie Dough
In the mixer add butter and butter flavored Crisco shorting and the bowl of white and brown sugar.
Cream the ingredients together for approximately 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer once with a spatula during this creaming process.
Add the bowl of eggs and vanilla to the mixer. Beat thoroughly for approximately 3 minutes.
To the mixer, add the sifted dry ingredients and combine until the flour is just mixed in.
Add the chopped pecans and milk chocolate chips to the mixer.
Mix all together to work the chips and nuts into the dough and mix a couple more rounds.
Placing the Dough on the Cookie Sheets
Place a sheet of parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Scoop the dough onto the parchment using a large cookie scoop. Press on the side of the bowl while scooping out the dough so that the scoop is not overflowing and will keep the dough balls uniform. Place 12 balls of dough onto each parchment sheet 2 inches apart.
Place the reserved Milk Chocolate Chips on top of the raw cookie dough. I place approximately 5 chips per cookie. This allows the chips to show up beautifully on top of the cookies.
Baking of the Cookies
Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of the cookies and your oven. Using the large cookie scoop and my oven it took a total of 8 minutes on one side. I turned the cookie sheet around and cooked the cookies an additional 7 minutes.
For good measure I do a test on my baking time. I cook 1 cookie by itself in order to test out the time needed to bake completely before cooking the rest of the cookies.
Once again, place the cookies in the oven and half way through the baking time turn the cookie sheet around in order to make sure your cookies are evenly baked.
Enjoy!
Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Course: DessertsCuisine: American48
cookies12
minutes15
minutesThese cookies are the ultimate in Chocolate Chip Cookies. You end up with a cookie that has a nice crunch when you bite into it with a wonderful soft, tender and flavorful inside. They are perfect with a glass of milk, hot cup of coffee or maybe a bowl of ice cream.
Ingredients
2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoonful Baking Soda
1 Teaspoonful Salt*
1/2 Cup Shortening**
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter***
1/2 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup White Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs Grade A
2 Teaspoonsful vanilla
1 Cup Pecans, Chopped
1 23 Ounces Bag/1 lb. 7 oz. Nestle Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels****
Directions
- Gather all your ingredients together, measure and place into bowls/plates. If possible take the butter out the night before to get extra soft. Let the eggs come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl measure out the all-purpose flour by fluffing the flour and spooning the flour into a measuring cup and level off the flour with a knife. Once completed, sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
- In the mixer add butter, butter flavored Crisco shortening, white and brown sugar. Cream the ingredients together for approximately 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer once with a spatula during this creaming process. Add the eggs and vanilla to the mixer. Beat thoroughly for approximately 3 minutes.
- To the mixer, add the sifted dry ingredients and combine until the flour is just mixed in.
- Add the chopped pecans and milk chocolate chips to the mixer. Mix all together to work the chips and nuts into the dough and mix a couple more rounds.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Scoop the dough onto the parchment using a large cookie scoop. Press on the side of the bowl while scooping out the dough so that the scoop is not overflowing and will keep the dough balls uniform. Place 12 balls of dough onto each parchment sheet 2 inches apart.
- Place the reserved Milk Chocolate Chips on top of the raw cookie dough. I place approximately 5 chips per cookie. This allows the chips to show up beautifully on top of the cookies.
- Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of the cookies and your oven. Using the large cookie scoop and my oven it took a total of 8 minutes on one side. I turned the cookie sheet around and cooked the cookies an additional 7 minutes.*****
Once again, place the cookies in the oven and half way through the baking time turn the cookie sheet around in order to make sure your cookies are evenly baked. - Enjoy!
Notes
- *Salt – If using salted butter lower the amount of salt to 1/2 teaspoonful.
- **Shortening – I used Butter flavored Crisco Shortening.
- ***Butter – I used unsalted butter but you can use salted butter. Just lower the salt to 1/2 teaspoonful.
- ****Milk Chocolate Chips – Remove 3/4 cup of chips from the bag and set aside for use later.
- ***** Baking – For good measure I do a test on my baking time. I cook 1 cookie by itself in order to test out the time needed to bake completely before cooking the rest of the cookies. Do Not Forget – Once you place the cookies in the oven and half way through the baking time turn the cookie sheet around in order to make sure your cookies are evenly baked.
- Equipment Needed – Cookie sheets, cooling racks, parchment paper/sheets and large capacity cookie scoop.
