Name: White Chocolate & Pecan Spiced Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 42 min
Ingredients: 125 g Butter or baking spread (softened); 125 g Light brown soft sugar; 75 g Caster sugar; 1 Egg (large); 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 2 tsp Mixed spice (see notes); 250 g Plain flour; 1/2 tsp Baking powder; 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda; 1/4 tsp Salt; 150 g White chocolate chips; 150 g Pecans (chopped up); 75 g Icing sugar; 1/2 tsp Cinnamon; 10 ml Water (You may not need it all, or you may need a little more so add it slowly)

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These White Chocolate & Pecan Spiced Cookies are THE perfect Autumn cookie! I honestly could eat a whole batch they are so tasty - and I nearly did! They are brown sugar cookies with lots of autumn spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Then I've packed them with sweet white chocolate chips and crunchy chopped pecans. The cookies are lovely and soft in the centre, with a crispy edge, making them the perfect cookie texture. I've also gone ahead and drizzled a sweet cinnamon icing over them because, yum!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can also use a baking spread.
I really recommend using light brown soft sugar in this recipe if you can, but if you can't get hold of it caster sugar or golden caster sugar will work well as a replacement.
Weigh out and chop up the pecans up before you start, then you can add them straight to the cookie dough when you get to that step of the recipe.
I used white chocolate chips in this recipe, you can also chop up a bar of white chocolate into small chunks.
Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, cloves, pimento, and ground ginger. If you can't get hold of it, use a pumpkin spice mix instead. Or try 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ ground ginger, ¼ ground nutmeg, ¼ ground cloves.
For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make White Chocolate & Pecan Spiced Cookies

To make the cookies, mix butter, caster sugar and light brown sugar together, then add the egg and vanilla extract. For best results, use the paddle attachment of an electric stand mixer to do this. Then mix in the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, baking powder and mixed spice. Finally mix in the white chocolate chips and chopped pecans.

Divide the dough into balls, and chill for 30 minutes. When ready to bake, place them onto lined baking trays and bake. When they are fully cooled, make the cinnamon icing and drizzle it over the cookies for extra spice and sweetness.

Do you have to chill the cookies before baking them?

I highly recommend chilling them before baking, otherwise the cookies spread a lot more and are thinner and less chunky. For thicker cookies, definitely chill them before baking.

How do you get perfectly round cookies?

As soon as they come out of the oven get a round cookie cutter, or a glass held upside down, that is larger than the cookies and put it over each cookie. Move it in a circular motion, pressing against the sides of the cookies gently to adjust any irregularities. This is called "scooting" or "hula hooping" the cookies.

Can this recipe be made gluten free?

For gluten free you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. Please check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can this recipe be made dairy free?

For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread instead of butter for the cookies. You will also need to use dairy free white chocolate chips, or a chopped up dairy free white chocolate bar. Please do check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

How long do the cookies last and can they be frozen?

The baked cookies will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze the baked cookies, wrap them well or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Do you need any electric mixer to make this recipe?

No, while an electric mixer is helpful in making these cookies and in my opinion creates the best results, you don't need one to make them. You can absolutely make the cookies by hand with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease. If you have an electric stand mixer, then you can use the paddle attachment to make these cookies.

More tips for making the White Chocolate & Pecan Spiced Cookies:

If you're a neat freak like me and like your cookies to be all the same size and very uniform, you can weigh the dough and divide it by 14, then separate it into equal pieces and roll it gently between your palms before placing it on the baking sheet. For the more relaxed baker, just dollop the dough onto the lined baking tray in any size you like.
Make sure to leave space between the balls of cookie dough on the baking trays as they will spread when baking, about 2" should ensure they don't stick together. If you make bigger cookies, you will need to leave more space.
Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes (nearer to 10 minutes is ideal) before trying to move them onto a cooling rack. Otherwise they will be too soft and may break.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

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