Chocolate Pecan Pie Cookies

I found this recipe on the A Dash of Sanity Blog here. It immediately became a family favorite, so I want it here for easy access.

This chocolate cookie is chewy and quite delicious, with or without the pecan pie filling topping.

1. Prepare the filling:

2 Tbl. melted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all together in saucepan and cook over medium heat until just thickened to the consistency of pudding. Set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3. Mix dough for cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten

2 - 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt

Sift dry ingredients together. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs well. Stir in the dry ingredients.

4. Bake

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets, 12 per sheet. Bake at 375 F for 8 minutes, remove from oven and drop one tablespoonful of pecan filling on each. Return cookies to oven and bake for another 4 minutes.

Let cool on baking sheets. If freezing, to keep them from sticking together, place cookies in a single layer and freeze solid before placing in freezer bags.