Oat and Pecan Brittle Cookies

Are you a Dessert Person? If so, then you've come to the right place, because today's recipe is straight out of Claire Saffitz's cookbook called, fittingly, Dessert Person. If you're like wait, that name sounds familiar, where do I know that from -- Claire used to work for Bon Appetit, and hosted several YouTube series for them. Now, she's got her own series, where she makes recipes from her cookbook. One of the first episodes she did was actually for these cookies. And I can report that, after having made them twice now -- these cookies are legit.

These cookies are chewy, sweet, with a bit of crunch from the pecan brittle that's not only in the flour mixture, but also in bits throughout the cookies as well. They are definitely a labor of love -- these aren't cookies you can just decide you want to make and be eating in 30 minutes. Indeed, if you want to make these cookies the best they can be, then you're going to have to let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Again, labor of love, but honestly? Worth it.

Also? They have brown butter, and if you know me, you know I love brown butter. What's not to love? Any time I brown some butter, and that lovely, nutty aroma starts wafting up, it's amazing. Claire has said she struggles not to put brown butter in every recipe and, girl, I totally get it. It almost always makes things better. 

One thing I do want to mention is that you should not overcook these. If the very center of your cookies look a little underdone, but the edges are nice and brown after the first amount of baking time, take 'em out. The centers will continue cooking on the pan for the five more minutes you leave them on there, and if you overcooked them at all, they will turn out much crunchier in the end. Of course, if you prefer a crunchier cookie, then more power to you, go ahead, but I personally love it when you get a nice, soft center.

Another tip -- if you don't want to bake all of these cookies are once, then you can totally freeze the portioned dough to bake up some fresh cookies on another night when you're having a craving. Same oven temperature, close to the same amount of time. Frozen portioned cookie dough is something your future self with be grateful for, and I highly recommend it.

Oat and Pecan Brittle Cookies
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The…
Servings: 18 cookies
Prep time: 01:45
Cook time: 20:00
Total time: 02:30

Amazing sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy, delicious toffee-y oat and pecan cookies worth the effort.

Ingredients:

For the Brittle
• 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans (5 oz / 142g)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (5.3 oz / 150g)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 oz / 57g)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand)
For the Cookies
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (8 oz / 227g), cut into tablespoons
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (6.1 oz / 173g)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (0.22 oz / 6g)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (0.21 oz / 6g)
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (7 oz / 200g)
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (5.3 oz / 150g)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3.5 oz / 100g)
• 2 large eggs (3.5 oz / 100g), cold from the fridge
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

For the Brittle:
1. Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350F. Scatter the pecans on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing halfway through, until they're golden and nutty smelling, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside to allow the pecans to cool.
2. Meanwhile, line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (I only have one small baking sheet, so I just put the pecans from above into a bowl and then used the same one). In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, butter, and 2 tablespoons of water (1 oz / 28g) and cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently with a heatproof spatula to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to medium and bring the syrup to a rapid simmer. Cook without stirring, swirling the pan often, until the syrup turns a deep amber color, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the pecans. Once the pecans are well coated, add the baking soda and salt and stir quickly to incorporate -- the mixture will rapidly foam and sputter as the baking soda aerates the caramel. Quickly scrape the brittle out onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread into a thin layer, os possible, before it starts to harden (which happens very quickly). Set the baking sheet aside until the brittle is completely cooked, 5 to 10 minutes. Chop the brittle into pea-sized bits and set aside.
For the Cookies:
3. Measure out 4 ounces (113g) of the butter, place in the bowl of a stand mixer, and set aside. Place the other 4 ounces (113g) butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the butter comes to a boil. Continue to cook, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the butter sputters, foams, and eventually you see browned bits floating about, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the browned butter to the stand mixer bowl, making sure you scrape in all the browned bits. Set the bowl aside to cool until the butter begins to resolidify, about 30 minutes.
4. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda, then add half of the pecan brittle bits, and 1 cup (3.5 oz, 100g) of the oats. Blitz the mixture in long pulses until the oats and brittle are broken down and finely ground. Set side.
5. Set the bowl of cooled butter on the mixer and attach the paddle. Add the dark brown and granulated sugars and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and smooth but not fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla, and continue to beat until you have a very light and satiny mixture, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour/oat/brittle mixture and beat on low until no dry spots remain and you have a soft, evenly mixed dough. Add the remaining pecan brittle bits and 1 cup (3.5 oz / 100g) oats and mix on low again just until dispersed. Fold the batter several times with a flexible spatula to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
6. Using a 2-ounce scoop or 1/4 cup measure, scoop level portions of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet as close together as possible (you'll space them out before baking). Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 12 hours and up to 48. (If you're pressed for time, a couple of hours in the fridge will do. Just note the baked cookies won't be as chewy).
7. When you're ready to bake, arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicon sheets.
8. Place 6 pieces of chilled cookie dough on each of the prepared baking sheets, spacing so they're at least 3 inches apart. Bake the cookies on the upper and lower racks until they are dark golden brown around the edges, 16 to 20 minutes, switching racks and rotating the sheets front to back after 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
9. Carefully move one of the oven racks to the center position, place the remaining dough on one of the baking sheets (it's okay if it's still warm), and bake on the center rack (this last sheet might bake a bit faster than the first two).

Recipe from Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz