Roasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are you looking for the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie? Does the perfect chocolate chip cookie contain pecans, in your opinion? If so, this is the recipe you've been looking for! It has MASSIVE pecan flavor, because it has ground and chopped pecans mixed in. The best part is, they stay chewy loooong after they've cooled. I love them. Dad hates them. The saga of chewy vs. crunchy continues... (But thanks to these cookies, I say Team Chewy is up by one!) Remember, it's VERY important to chill your cookie dough for at least a few hours before you bake your cookies. It gives all the ingredients plenty of time to get to know each other, and I promise it makes them taste so so SO much yummier!

Start out with 3, yes THREE, cups of pecans! Then 2 cups of chocolate chips!
Mmmm, ground roasted nuts!
Hey dough, let's hang out in the fridge for a few days...
After chilling for at least 12 hours...
GO TEAM CHEWY!

Roasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies (from BakeWise by Sherry O. Corriher)
Makes about 6 dozen (I got 41 using a #30 disher)

3 cups (10.5 oz/297 g) pecans
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 oz/255 g), unsalted butter, divided
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt, divided
2 1/4 cups (10 oz/287 g) spooned and leveled un-bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
1 1/2 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs (3.5 oz/99 g)
2 cups (12 oz/340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Nonstick cooking spray, optional

1. Arrange a shelf in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
2. Spread out the pecans on a baking sheet and roast until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. While they are hot, toss the nuts with 2 tablespoons of the butter (1 oz/28 g) and 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt.
3. When the nuts have cooled, place 1 1/2 cups (5.25 oz/149 g) of the pecans in a food processor with the steel blade and process with quick on/offs until very finely chopped to a coarse meal. The nuts will chop unevenly, so do not try to get every nut finely chopped, but watch the overall batch carefully; do not go to pecan butter.
4. In a bowl, beat together the pecan meal, flour, baking soda, and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon (4.5 g) salt. Set aside.
5. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining 1 cup butter (8 oz/226 g) with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses and vanilla. On the lowest speed, beat in the eggs. Beat in the flour-pecan meal mixture in several batches.
6. Coarsely chop the remaining 1 1/2 cups (5.25 oz/149 g) pecans. Stir the pecans and chocolate chips into the dough. Work in with your hands, if necessary. Shape into several logs about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter, wrap well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 36 hours if desired (I put my dough in a airtight container, and chilled it for 36 hours).
7. Turn up the oven to 375°F/191°C. Line a baking sheet with Release foil, nonstick side up, or parchment sprayed with nonstick cooking spray (I used parchment with no spray). Slice the dough into 1/2-inch (1.3-cm) slices (I used a #30 disher). Keep unbaked dough refrigerated. Place on the baking sheet about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake until the edges just begin to color, 9 to 11 minutes (The centers will be very soft, but as long as they don't look shiney and "doughy" in the center, THEY'RE READY!).