Chewy Pecan Cookies - A Great American Cookie Company Copycat Recipe! (2024)

This buttery, chewy pecan cookie recipe is a copycat version of your favorite mall cookie shop: Great American Cookie Company Chewy Pecan Supreme Cookies!

I partnered with Imperial Sugar on this recipe. Click here for the FULL RECIPE.

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Soft and Chewy Pecan Cookies!

These pecan cookies are incredibly underrated. I mean, no chocolate, no frosting, no sprinkles…they would be an easy one to pass over on a cookie platter. I totally understand. I mean, all I see here is a a brown cookie with …. nuts? No thanks, pass me the whoopie pie. Turns out, that is exactly the wrong move. These chewy, sweet butter pecan cookies with crispy edges and soft centers are the type of cookie that keep me coming back for “just one more”. A classic is a classic for a reason, and these taste like pure comfort!

A Great American Cookie Company Copycat Recipe!

TheseCopycat Great American Cookie Company Chewy Pecan Cookies are an absolute dream! I found many versions of the recipe when I was doing my cookie research and came up with a version that holds true to the original, while also incorporating a few of my own tweaks. What I landed on is a delicious and easy cookie recipe with the flavor as close to the original as I could get!

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Pecan Cookie Ingredients:

For the full recipe and ingredient like CLICK HERE

  • Room temperature butter.I prefer using salted butter in this recipe because there is no additional salt added, except in the self rising flour. You can absolutely use unsalted if you are salt-sensitive, or watching your sodium intake.
  • Light brown sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Large eggs
  • Crushed corn flakes.You will want to finely crush the corn flakes, with no large pieces. The corn flakes add texture to the cookie, so don’t crush them into a dust, but you don’t really want to “see” the flakes.
  • Self-rising flour. I don’t normally bake cookies with self-rising flour, but as I did research on this recipe, all the versions that I came across used self-rising. And since this is essentially a “copycat” cookie recipe, I wanted to keep the integrity of the recipe intact.
  • Chopped pecans. You can buy the pre-chopped pecans at the supermarket, but I would give them another chop. You don’t want very large pieces of pecans in the cookie.

Why Self Rising Flour?

As I stated above, this is a copycat cookie from the Great American Cookie Company. In all the research I did for the recipe, every version I saw included self-rising flour instead of all purpose. I wanted my interpretation to be as authentic as possible, so I chose to use self-rising flour as well. However, you can absolutely sub out all purpose flour for the self rising. Here are two options how:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup all purpose flour + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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Instructions:

Click HERE for the full recipe.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together for 2 minutes on medium speed, creaming until pale in color and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Alternately you can do with this a hand mixer and a large bowl.
  3. Turn the mixer to low and add in the corn flakes and flour until just combined.
  4. Add in the pecans and mix until evenly incorporated.
  5. Using a medium (2- tablespoon) sized cookie scoop, portion the dough out and place onto the lined baking pan 3- inches apart. The cookies will spread while baking. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, roll into balls and place on the baking sheet. You don’t need to chill the dough, but you can if you would like to!
  6. Bake for 9 – 11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the tops are set.
  7. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Equipment Needed:

No special equipment is needed for this recipe, here’s what you will need:

  • Baking Sheet
  • Parchment Paper
  • Stand Mixer
  • Paddle Attachment
  • Rubber Spatula
  • Cutting board and Chefs Knife to chop the pecans
  • Blender or Food Processor to crush the corn flakes.
  • Cookie scoop

Tips for Success

These cookies are very straightforward, and you should have great success, but here are a few tips to make them perfect:

  • Using a cookie scoop is key to ensure all the cookies are the same size. This is great for aesthetics, but also ensures even baking.
  • Taking cookie size to the next level, you can use a food scale to weigh your dough out when portioning it for the cookies. 45 grams of dough is what I would recommend for each cookie.
  • If you don’t have a cookie scoop, roll the dough into balls and place on the baking sheet. This helps as they bake and spread to stay in that perfect circular shape.
  • As soon as they come out of the oven you can use a spatula to shape the cookies back into perfect circles if they appear misshapen.

Can You Freeze These Cookies?

Yes absolutely! You can either freeze the cookies are they are baked, or you can freeze the dough before baking. Check out my fill post onhow to freeze cookie dough. It will change your life!

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More Pecan Recipes:

  • My MEGA popularPecan Pie Recipe! It’s always a hit!
  • Pecan Pie Bars
  • Southern Pecan Bread
  • Sour Cream Candied Pecans
  • Candied Pecans
  • Chocolate Pecan Pie
  • Pecan Pie Brownies
  • Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake
  • Pecan Pie Muffins

PIN for later:

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Chewy Pecan Cookies - A Great American Cookie Company Copycat Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What ingredient makes cookies more chewy? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What makes cookies chewy instead of crispy? ›

Soft cookies have a water concentration of 6% or higher – moisture being the variable in texture. To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough. Generally bake around 13-15min at 180C for a crispy cookie.

Is Great American Cookies the same as Great American Cookie Company? ›

In 1985, Coles shortened the name to Great American Cookie Company, with a plan to shorten it further to Great American Cookies. "To complement the revised recipes and pricing structure, we refashioned our branding.

What are 3 factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›

Salted butter, softened – I prefer salted butter but you can also use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough. Brown sugar – Just brown sugar because we will get the 'granulated sugar' flavor from the corn syrup. Corn syrup – The corn syrup is what makes these cookies CHEWY FOR DAYS.

Is butter or shortening better for chewy cookies? ›

Those made with only shortening bake higher and spread less during baking. The butter cookie provides better flavor and a crispier exterior with browning around edges and a chewy interior; the shortening cookie spreads less, holding its shape better while baking.

What is the #1 best-selling cookie in America? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

Does Nestle own Great American Cookies? ›

In May 2022, it was announced Nestlé Toll House Café has been acquired by the California-headquartered restaurant franchising company, FAT Brands for an undisclosed sum. It was also later confirmed that all Nestlé Toll House Café locations would be converted into Great American Cookies locations by the end of 2022.

Who are the competitors of Great American Cookies? ›

Great American Cookies's top competitors include Milk Bar, Tiff's Treats, and Fancypants Baking Co..

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

What makes a cookie stay chewy? ›

Double Your Yolks Most cookie recipes call for at least one egg. You can try omitting the white of each egg, which tends to dry out when baked, and replacing it with an additional yolk. Plus, egg yolks have more fat than egg whites, which helps to keep your cookies moist and chewy.

What does adding cornstarch to cookies do? ›

As Levy Beranbaum writes in The Baking Bible, replacing a little bit of the flour in the dough with cornstarch results in “a more delicate cookie that is also easier to pipe or push through a cookie press.” Adding cornstarch helps tenderize tough gluten, contributing to a softer cookie dough with a finer crumb after ...

What can cause a cookie to be too chewy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

How do you make cookie mix more chewy? ›

To make your cookies chewy, all you need to do is give your cookies less time in the oven. A cookie that has had less time in the oven will have a chewier texture. You can also add a little more brown sugar as this ingredient has molasses in it, and creates a softer consistency.

Does baking soda make cookies more chewy? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

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