Chocolate Mocha Pecan Salted Caramel Cookies

These Chocolate Mocha Pecan Salted Caramel Cookies are a chocolatey, sweet and salty cookie filled with rich chocolate flavor, chopped pecans, and espresso powder. They get drizzled with a simple homemade salted caramel sauce, and extra flaky sea salt for good measure! They’re the perfect cookie to add to your baking list this holiday season!

Nothing beats a good chocolate cookie with flaky sea salt on top. OH and homemade salted caramel too. And pecans! These are such a treat and they’re ridiculously easy to make!

This is the last cookie I’m sharing this holiday season and I actually can’t believe it. We started with these nutella truffles and went on to these insanely delicious brown butter dark chocolate cranberry walnut cookies!

And I can’t forget about this dessert cheeseboard filled with ALL the goods.

And now for these ridiculously good chocolatey mocha pecan cookies. Who doesn’t love a little chocolate, espresso, and salted caramel?! These kind of remind me of a brownie in cookie form and they’re just the best!

The cookie dough is super simple and requires no dough chilling which is always a plus in my book! It gets its chocolatey richness from cocoa powder, and I added a bunch of espresso powder to the batter to bring out the chocolate flavor and to make the cookies taste like you’re drinking a warm mocha!

In addition to putting a whole pecan on top, I added chopped pecans to the dough for a little crunch!

I used my favorite homemade salted caramel recipe for these, but you could certainly use store-bought salted caramel if you’re in a pinch. Or, you can make it several days ahead of time and just keep it in a sealed jar on the counter until you’re ready to decorate. I really am a sucker for homemade salted caramel – it’s really so much better than the store-bought stuff, so if you have the time, definitely try to make it!

I’m always a proponent of sprinkling flaky sea salt on top of my cookies. To me, the sweet and salty combo never ever gets old. Especially when chocolate is involved. Right?!

This is the salt I use and love.

The texture of these cookies is out.of.this.world. Especially when they’re warm. They’re super brownie-like! Which happens to be my end-all-be-all favorite dessert. These are one of my faves if you’re looking for a phenomenal brownie recipe!

And don’t be shy with the caramel. 🙂

Happy baking!

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Chocolate Mocha Pecan Salted Caramel Cookies

These Chocolate Mocha Pecan Salted Caramel Cookies are a chocolatey, sweet and salty cookie filled with rich chocolate flavor, chopped pecans, and espresso powder. They get drizzled with a simple homemade salted caramel sauce, and extra flaky sea salt for good measure! They're the perfect cookie to add to your baking list this holiday season!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Keyword chocolate mocha cookies, pecan cookies, salted caramel cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups chopped pecans
• 24 whole pecans
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling, such as Maldon

For the salted caramel sauce

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

For the cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Add the butter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat of medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat for another 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides if needed. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another 1-2 minutes or until combined.

4. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Once incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and mix for another few seconds to make sure everything is incorporated. Add the chopped pecans and mix on medium-low until combined.

5. Scoop dough into 2 tablespoon sized balls and place on the cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Press a whole pecan on top of each dough ball. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until set. Let cookies rest for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way (the will be very delicate when hot!) Once cooled, drizzle with the salted caramel and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

For the salted caramel sauce

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, but DO NOT stir! Swirl the pan on the stove if you need to. Continue cooking, without stirring, until an amber caramel forms, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the cream, and continue to stir until smooth. Add the butter, vanilla, and salt, and stir until combined and the butter is melted. Let cool.
   

Recipe Notes

*This is the flaky sea salt I use and love!
*The salted caramel can be made ahead of time and stored in a sealed container at room temperature. It will keep on the counter for up to 2 weeks!

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