Salted Caramel Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

These Salted Caramel Pecan Oatmeal Cookies are sweet, chewy, buttery rich and topped with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes. The perfect combination of sweet and savory in one cookie!

One of the many things I love about the holiday season is, it is the perfect excuse to bake. Not that you can’t bake any other time of the year, of course, but during the holidays it’s expected for you to bake, bake, bake and bake some more. I wouldn’t say I’m the best at baking, but that’s all part of the fun! The more you know, the better you’ll become over time. With that being said, I still use an online unit calculator to work out some of my measurements. That’s just how it is. 🙂 I’m down with that. How about you?

Every year Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking kicks off her holiday baking season with 12 Days Of Christmas Cookies. Check it out! She has some fantastic cookies you should incorporate into your family tradition like these Chocolate Peppermint Sugar Cookies, which are probably some of the prettiest pinwheel cookies you’ve ever seen.

There’s no doubt Lindsey is a fantastic baker and takes her countdown very seriously! 🙂

Now, with that said, these Salted Caramel Pecan Oatmeal Cookies are not going to win any pretty awards, but what they lack in looks, they make up for in full-blown caramel, pecan, oatmeal cookie flavor. And, as if all that sweetness isn’t enough – they bring a savory finish with the sea salt flakes that adorn the top.

Packed with pecans, oatmeal and caramel bits, these little gems are sweet, chewy, buttery rich, and finished with a nice touch of savory sprinkled sea salt on the top.

If we’re talking about flavor alone, I think Lindsey would whole-heartedly approve.

As for baking these, I am always a little skeptical to follow a recipe to a T. Instead, I’ve learned that my end result is always much better when I trust my gut.

In this case however, these cookies proved me wrong. They baked up perfectly by baking a full 12 minutes.

And, about those sea salt flakes? They remind me of diamonds! How about you? What do they remind you of?

The Maldon Sea Salt flakes were one of the nicest gifts I’ve received, given to me by my friend Heather. That girl knows how to keep a friend happy!

This little box of sea salt flakes are proof that gifts don’t have to be fancy or expensive to make a cook swoon! Just wrap up a box of Maldon Sea Salt and drop it in a Christmas stocking and watch a baker’s face light up!

Before we get to the recipe, I want to leave you with some cooking tips.

TIPS:

1. The centers will not look set when you remove them from the oven.
2. The centers will be puffy when you remove them from the oven, but will fall when you set the pan down.
3. These will take 10-12 minutes to bake. They are done when the outside edges are browned.
4. I used a cookie scoop, and this recipe made 32 cookies.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Salted Caramel Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Author: Kristi

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 11-ounce package caramel baking bits
• 1 cup pecans coarsely chopped
• Coarse sea salt

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda. Beat until well combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well mixed. Add flour and beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining flour, if necessary. Stir in oats, caramel baking bits and pecans.
• Using a small ice-cream scoop (or a tablespoon), drop 1 and 1/2-inch mounds of dough, 2 inches apart, onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
• Bake in a 350 oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are light brown. (Centers will look undercooked.) Cool on cookie sheets for 3 to 4 minutes or until cookies can be easily removed. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

Notes

Oven heating temperatures may vary. My cookies cooked perfectly at 12 minutes, but be sure to watch them. The cookies are done when the edges are brown.

Salted Caramel Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe source: Salty Caramel and Pecan Oatmeal Cookies