Brown Butter Cranberry Pecan Cookies
These Brown Butter Cranberry Pecan Cookies will be everyone’s favorite holiday treat. The cookie base is soft and chewy, with a rich toasted flavor (thanks to the brown butter), and it’s filled with sweet and tart dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Perfect for the holidays, these 30-minute cranberry pecan cookies are made without a mixer and there’s no chilling required.
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Why This Recipe is So Good
This is one of those recipes that anyone can whip up and they’ll turn out amazing. The secret is using brown butter. If you have ever made ghee or clarified butter, you can make brown butter. Just cook regular butter a bit longer than you would for ghee, until it has developed a rich, deep golden color. It smells heavenly.
Brown butter gives these cranberry pecan cookies a totally different flavor than regular softened creamed butter. Because it’s so toasty and nutty, it adds a nice richness and depth to these cookies that complements the deep vanilla extract and the nuts so well.
Perfect for holiday baking or gift giving. Who doesn’t love a cranberry pecan cookie? They are easy to make ahead and freeze well, making them perfect for cookie exchanges or holiday parties. Even after freezing, they have such a soft and chewy texture that is so good.
Recipe Ingredients
- Brown butter: Instead of using softened butter, we are cooking the butter until it has reached a dark golden color. It creates soft and chewy cookies with a subtle buttery nuttiness.
- Cornstarch: Just a little bit makes the cookies extra soft and chewy.
- Vanilla extract: A must in any cookie recipe. Use a good quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for a nice, rich flavor.
- Mix of brown and white sugar: Brown sugar and white sugar give a caramel flavor to these pecan cookies. Brown sugar in particular keeps these cookies soft and chewy. If you don’t have brown sugar, combine 1 – 2 teaspoons of molasses with white sugar and mix until it reaches a medium/dark brown color, then use as usual.
- Chopped pecans: The perfect amount of crunch.
- Dried cranberries: Perfect pairing with the pecans and adds a sweet and tart flavor to every bite.
How to Make The Best Cranberry Pecan Cookies With Brown Butter
Make Brown Butter
Step one: Brown the butter by melting it in a small sauce pot on medium heat. Cook for 7 minutes or until it turns a dark golden brown color. Swirl the pan every few minutes to check the color. Then set aside to cool for at least 5 – 10 minutes.
Make Cookie dough
Step two: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine the dry ingredients, and set aside.
Step three: In a large mixing bowl add browned butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Whisk until combined, then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again. Stir in the flour mixture until combined. The dough should be very soft. Then fold in the chopped pecans and dried cranberries.
Step four: Using a cookie scoop form uniform dough balls, and roll until smooth. Place on a cookie sheet with 1 – 2 inches of space in between. Optional: top each cookie with a few pieces of pecans and cranberries for a nice presentation.
Bake and serve
Step five: Bake until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are almost set. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes and Tips
Allow the brown butter to cool before using. After the butter is finished cooking it is incredibly hot and if used immediately it can heat the eggs up too much.
Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to get uniform cookies.
Don’t over bake your cookies. Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just underdone. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet as they cool, so we don’t want to overbake them in the oven.
Fluff the flour in the bag before measuring. You don’t want the flour to be packed when you are trying to measure it because there could be too much flour in the scoop and throw off the whole recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions —
Brown butter is created when butter is heated to the point when all the moisture has evaporated leaving only the fat content and browned milk solids. Made in a similar way to ghee – the butter is cooked until it has reached that signature dark brown color.
Using browned butter instead of creamed butter gives the cookies a slightly nutty and toasty flavor.
Both are great but it just depends on what kind of cookie you want. I find that brown butter gives this cookie recipe a depth of flavor that regular creamed butter wouldn’t give.
Looking For More Recipes?
- Brown Butter Vanilla Syrup
- Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies with Dipped in Chocolate
- Freshly Milled Flour Brownies with Sprinkles
- Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts
- Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Banana Bread Bundt Cake
- Rainbow Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
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Brown Butter Cranberry Pecan Cookies
Equipment
- Small sauce pot
- Small mixing bowl
- Sheet pan lined with parchment paper with wire cooling racks
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt use 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 6 tablespoons pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper then set aside.
- In a medium sauce pot, cook butter until it has started to brown, and the milk solid bits have browned at the bottom of the pot, 7 minutes. Allow the brown butter to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before using.1/2 cup unsalted butter
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl add brown butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Mix until combined, then add the vanilla extract and egg. Mix until well incorporated.½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup white granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Next, add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and mix until combined. The dough will be soft. Add dried cranberries and chopped pecans.¼ cup dried cranberries, 6 tablespoons pecans
- Using a cookie scoop to form uniform dough balls. Roll into smooth balls then place on a cookie sheet with 1 – 2 inches of space in between. Optional: Top each ball with chopped pecans and cranberries for a nice presentation.
- Bake for 12 minutes, the edges should be lightly browned and the centers almost set. Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to a cookie sheet to completely cool.
Notes
Recipe Notes and Tips
- How to measure flour using dry measuring spoons: First, fluff the flour with a spoon before measuring. Then use a spoon to scoop the flour into the dry measuring cup, then use a knife to level it off. This will help you get more accurate dry measurements.
- Allow the brown butter to cool before using. After the butter is finished cooking, it is incredibly hot, and if used immediately, it can heat the eggs up too much.
- Use a cookie scoop to get uniform cookies. I linked my favorite one above.
- Don’t over bake the cookies. Cook the cookies for 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just underbaked. They will continue to cook on the cookie sheet as they cool, so we don’t want to overcook them in the oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate. Recipe card may include affiliate links.
What size of the egg used? Thank you.
Large.
Haven’t made these yet but wondered could you boil and replump the cranberries instead of using dried if you drain and dry them well? Is this a cake style cookie?
Hi Lori! I haven’t tried replumping the cranberries, but it sounds like it should be fine. No, they aren’t cakey at all!