Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea-Salted, Slow-Roasted Pecans

Maybe I'm fickle ...................
.................. but I keep thinking "this time I've found the best chocolate chip cookie". Maybe it's just that I love baking, therefore I'm always trying new recipes - even though I thought that I'd "found the best CCC (or whatever else it might be!). But this time I really, really think it's true and my chief taste tester, after one bite, said "these are incredible...... the best ever!" So there you have it ...........

One other thing .................. I took them to work one night last week as I didn't dare keep these delicious things around the house - they flew out of the container like hot cakes - within a very short time there was nare a a bite nor crumb to be found!

One of my co-workers was quite busy for the first few hours and when she looked in the bin they were, quite sadly, long gone. I guess the moral of this story is: stash away a few for yourself or you might just never know how good they really are!

P.S. Something that's quite unique about these cookies is that the recipe calls for cake flour (or pastry flour) AND bread flour. Really? I thought to myself ........... it seemed a bit strange but, after trying them, I think it may be part of the secret to the unique deliciousness! Of course the crazy wonderful slow roasted pecans, giving little bursts of crisp, buttery, salty delightfulness ................ well, they take the cookies to a whole other level ............. try 'em, you'll see just what I mean!

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea-Salted, Slow-Roasted Pecans

Ingredients for the slow roasted pecans:
3 cups pecans, coarsely broken
2 teaspoons butter

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes, I love Maldon (this sounds like a lot of salt but some of it will end up at the bottom of the pan)

Ingredients for the cookies:
1 cup butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups cake flour
1 ½ cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pound chocolate chips
3 cups slow roasted pecans (see recipe)

Instructions for the pecans:
1. Several hours ahead of time preheat oven to 250˚F. Combine pecans, butter, olive oil and sea salt on a sheet pan, Roast in oven, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Instructions for the cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, chocolate chips and 2 cups of the pecans; mix until well combined.

4. Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Tuck 6-8 pieces of reserved pecans onto the tops of each cookie. Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

PRINTABLE RECIPE