Professor Butter Beard’s Toasted Rye Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 dozen cookies
1 cup rye flour
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½” pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp dark molasses
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt to finish the cookies, post-bake
1) In a medium cast-iron skillet, toast the pecans over medium heat until they are just aromatic and starting to brown. Pour the pecans onto a plate to cool and then coarsely chop. In the same skillet, toast the rye flour, stirring often, until fragrant and darkened by several shades. While the rye toasts, place the cut butter into a glass bowl. When the rye is toasted, pour the toasted flour over the butter and whisk until the butter has melted. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally. In another medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
2) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line three cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3) In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the eggs, sugar, molasses and vanilla paste. Gradually mix in the cooled rye/butter mix. Add the flour mixture and stir till combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips and pecans. Set the dough sit for 15-20 minutes while the oven comes to temperature.
4) Drop twelve 1-tablespoon mounds of dough onto each baking sheet (your will reuse the first sheet to bake the final dozen). Bake one sheet at a time, on the center rack of the oven, for 8 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for 3 more minutes until the cookies are baked through and just starting to brown on the edges. Remove the sheet from the oven to a wire rack and lightly sprinkle a dash of Kosher salt on the top of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, and then remove them to the wire rack to cool to room temperature before devouring them.
