Possibly the most addictive cookie you can imagine! Sweet, crunchy, salty and chewy! You’ll be hard-pressed to eat just one of these Caramel Corn and Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies!
These cookies came together in a funny way. I found myself with this bag of caramel corn when I purchased it through a co-worker to support her son’s fundraiser efforts. Caramel corn isn’t something I ever crave (or particularly love to be honest) so it just sat in my cupboard for some time. One of my weird go-to tv-watching treats is popcorn with a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips in the bowl. It totally delivers when you need something sweet ‘n salty.
The gears started turning about my next baking adventure and my sweet ‘n salty snack became the inspiration. While plain popcorn might not stand up well to the moisture and heat in a cookie, caramel corn, with its candy-like coating would! I then thought of another guilty pleasure, Crunch n Munch, a combination of caramel corn and peanuts. While I didn’t have any peanuts in the pantry, I did have pecans!
And then suddenly – caramel corn, chocolate chips, and pecans suddenly seemed like a flavor combination made in cookie heaven.
The result is a seriously addictive cookie filled with flavors and textures. The cookie itself is crispy on the outside with the perfect chewy center. The caramel corn is sweet and buttery with the pecans giving an irresistible crunch. Chocolate, as it always does, puts this cookie over the top.
However you know them, be it “kitchen sink”, “clean out the fridge”, “A to Z” or “monster” cookies recipes, they’re always a hit because they’re the crowd-pleaser of the bunch. There’s a little something for everyone to love and what’s not to love about a pimped-out chocolate chip cookie!?! If you like these cookies you might also want to try these sweet & salty cookies or these decadent sandwich-style cookies.
enjoy | liz | xo
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 cups crushed caramel corn
- ½ cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- Heat 10 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until melted. Continue stirring for another 1-3 minutes until brown and there is a nutty aroma. Remove from heat. Pour heated butter through a sieve into a heat-proof bowl. Stir in remaining butter until completely melted.
- Transfer the melted butter to a bowl. Add in white sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined. Add egg and egg yolk, whisk until mixture is smooth and no lumps remain.
- Let mixture stand for 3 minutes then whisk for another 30 seconds. Repeat until mixture is thick and shiny (1-2 more times).
- Add in the flour and stir in the caramel popcorn, pecans and chocolate chips. Stir until combined but do not overmix.
- Using a 2-tbsp scoop, drop dough onto baking sheet spacing about 1-inch apart.
- Bake until cookies are golden brown but still puffy, about 10-11 minutes.
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