We are all so busy. Fall is such a fun sporting event and apple-picking time of the year.

Sometimes we don’t have time to bake something elaborate. Why not make a great soft cookie with chocolate chips and freshly-roasted pecans that is super easy?

This cookie recipe is a combination of the cookies with nuts my Mom-Mom would make for holidays and also my Poppy’s chocolate chippers he baked later in life.

This cookie recipe is great and a kid-friendly sweet to bake. You can use chocolate chips or chunks in these cookies, whatever you have on hand.

These cookies work out great for ice cream sandwiches. Warm them up a second or two and with iced coffee, hot tea or on your way out-the-door, this recipe is fun, fast and fantastic.

If you like flaky sea salt, sprinkle some on prior to baking.

Also, you can go on to make this recipe your own by adding different chips instead of chocolate ones.

Chocolate Pecan Cookies

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

1 cup light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

2 ounces lightly-toasted pecans, chopped

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Flaky sea salt, optional topping prior to baking

Chef’s note: To roast pecans, pour them on to a small baking sheet. Roast, for 5-8 minutes, at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, carefully watching them so they do not get too dark.

In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and sugars together and whisk. Add your eggs and vanilla next and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together all of your dry ingredients. Add your dry mix into the melted butter mixture and combine with a spatula.

Fold in chocolate chips and chopped pecans and gently mix, again with a sturdy spatula. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator until the dough is firm to even overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, ice cream scoop your chilled batter out evenly and create your cookies. Make sure you place them on the sheet far enough apart, as they will spread. If you are garnishing with flaky sea salt, sprinkle that on now.

Bake your cookies for 8-12 minutes, when the outside is set and the they are a bit pale in the center, not to over bake them. Allow the baked cookies to set a minute or two, to set up. Remove them with a spatula and place the hot cookies on a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container and they will last a few days.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (www.escoffier.edu). Sarah is currently working as a Sous-Chef and pastry chef at Ateira’s on First and has her own blog simplysarah.online. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.