Chewy Cinnamon Pecan Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies have nutty, caramel flavor notes and a lovely balance of chewy and crispy textures.
I went through a phase where I loved chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I’d add just a pinch of cinnamon (because it’s a classic addition to oatmeal cookies), and use extra brown sugar to give the cookies caramel notes. With a little flaky sea salt sprinkled on top (like my Small Batch Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies), they had a balanced flavor profile and were completely addictive.
During that phase I never quite understood people who said they didn’t like chocolate in their oatmeal cookies. And then suddenly, I lost a taste for chocolate in things like pancakes, oatmeal cookies, banana bread, and waffles. I realized that the flavor of chocolate is so dominant that it can easily take over a recipe! As much as I am a chocoholic, I enjoy other flavors too.
For example, I noticed that with chocolate chip pancakes I’d pick out the chocolate chips and just eat the chocolate and leave the pancakes! The more delicate flavor of pancakes was lost to the chocolate. And I realized I might as well just be eating a chocolate bar (definitely not the best breakfast choice). That’s when I had to end the madness, lol. Those were the end of my chocolate oatmeal cookie days, and now I’ve moved on to a more balanced flavor profile.
My Chewy Cinnamon Pecan Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies start with brown butter for a subtle nuttiness and natural caramel notes. Brown sugar intensifies the notes of caramel, and oats and pecans pull out the nutty factor even more. Laced with vanilla and cinnamon, these cookies are as aromatic as they are flavorful. Lastly, their texture is deliciously chewy inside and crisp outside, my very favorite cookie texture.
There’s no way I’m going back to my old oatmeal cookies!
Chewy Cinnamon Pecan Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies
I think these cookies will be a hit at your house too! I’ll show you why they’re so good, and how easy they are to make.
Best Oatmeal Cookies: Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Like all cookies, what a person considers the “best” is a matter of personal preference. Some people like thick, cakey cookies, some like thin, crispy cookies. For me, a good oatmeal cookie is relatively thick with a deliciously chewy texture and exterior crispness.
As far as flavor goes, I consider the best oatmeal cookies to be a somewhat classic flavor profile. My favorite has a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg as well as nuts, such as walnuts or pecans. You can add raisins if you want, but I skipped them in this recipe (I just wasn’t in the mood, lol). If you want to add raisins, I recommend adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup to this Chewy Cinnamon Pecan Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies Recipe.
Another factor that I think makes the best oatmeal cookies is depth of flavor. In this recipe, browned butter adds nutty caramel flavor notes and aroma that marry beautifully with the nutty flavor of oats and the warm spices.
How to Make Brown Butter
It’s very easy to make brown butter. To do so, place the amount of butter you want to brown (I suggest browning one or two sticks – 1/2 cup to 1 cup – at a time for best results; note that this recipe calls for 8 tablespoons, which is 1/2 cup) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter and then continue cooking until it turns light golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes (there’s no need to stir). That’s all!
Can You Brown Salted Butter?
Yes, you can brown salted butter. However, know that if a recipe calls for unsalted browned butter, you will need to omit or reduce the salt added to the recipe to prevent the final dish from being too salty.
How Long Does it Take to Brown Butter?
It takes about 7 minutes total to brown butter.
How Can I Use Brown Butter?
Brown butter has many uses, such as:
- Bake with brown butter in recipes such as these oatmeal cookies, and also blondies
- Drizzle brown butter on popcorn (that totally makes popcorn fancy, right?)
- Serve brown butter as a sauce for steak, chicken, or fish
- Use brown butter to make fried eggs
- Drizzle brown butter on top of crepes, pancakes, waffles, or French toast
- Use brown butter to make just about any vegetable taste better (a few of my favorites are broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussels sprouts, and carrots)
- Toss brown butter with pasta (or with zucchini “noodles”) and a hefty handful of fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
What Does Brown Butter Taste Like?
Brown butter is rich and buttery, with toasted flavor notes of caramel and nuts.
How to Make Chewy Cookies
I’ve experimented with a lot of different cookie recipes! Here are a few tips for making chewy cookies, instead of crispy or cakey cookies:
- Use a slightly higher ratio of wet to dry ingredients
- Go with brown sugar
- Adding an extra egg yolk can help
- Don’t over-bake your cookies
Ingredients in This Chewy Cinnamon Pecan Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
You probably have everything you need to make these cookies already on hand…
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Pure vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Nutmeg
- Old-fashioned rolled oats
- Pecans
What Are Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats?
You might also know old-fashioned rolled oats simply as “rolled oats”. Rolled oats are flat, oval-shaped, cream-colored flakes. They start as groats and are steamed and then pressed. If the oats are pressed thinner and chopped, they become what we know as “instant oats”. Steel-cut oats, rolled oats, and instant oats have different textures and cook times.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes to Try:
- Thin and Crispy Chocolate Malted Milk Ball Cookies
- Paleo Cinnamon Raisin Noatmeal Cookies
- Slice and Bake Butter Toffee Shortbread Cookies
- Almond Butter “Kiss” Cookies
- Chewy Sugar Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Chewy Cinnamon Pecan Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Chewy Cinnamon Pecan Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies have nutty, caramel flavor notes and a lovely balance of chewy and crisp textures.
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup pecans
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper or silpat liners.
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Add the butter to a small skillet over medium heat. Let the butter melt and continue cooking until it turns light brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and let it cool until lukewarm.
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Stir the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla into the browned butter.
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Sift in the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg.
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Stir in the oats and pecans.
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Divide the dough into 8 equal balls and arrange them on the prepared baking trays.
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Bake until golden along the outside, but a touch doughy in the center, about 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through. The cookies will harden as they cool.
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Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information is for 1 cookie (they're very large!).
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Franciele Gassy says
June 11, 2019 at 8:16 amI like your tips thank you so much