Georgia Pecan-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Georgia Pecan-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: makes about 30
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 large egg, at room temperature; 8 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped; 6 ounces best-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped; 4 ounces best-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped; 2 cups chopped pecans; 30 perfect pecan halves, for decoration

December 9, 2011

The key to this great cookie is the mix of chocolates—semisweet, milk, and creamy white—and just enough batter to hold together the good stuff. After the boxed brownies, making chocolate chip cookies was the next step in my young baking career. I was able to make the cookies without (much of) Mama’s supervision. The recipe was from my very first cookbook, Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls, given to me on my eighth birthday. I top each of these cookies with a flawless pecan half, which makes them picture perfect. My pecans of choice are a variety called Elliot, which are petite, yet plump and rich with natural oils. For years, I’ve ordered them from Pearson Farms in Fort Valley, Georgia, for myself, and also have sent them as Christmas gifts to very special people all over the world.

Recipe notes

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