Pecan Sandies are shortbread cookies full of chopped pecans. The ingredient list is short and simple, and the nuttiness of the pecans shines through in these cookies. The combination of pecans with the soft and crumbly dough is just magical. They are perfect for any cookie platter and a must for holiday baking.
You will see that the basic recipe is the standard shortbread recipe that I have used for other recipes- Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread and Rose Pistachio Shortbread. The only difference is the amount of sugar used in this recipe. Pecan Sandies are not coated in chocolate or have sweetened fruit like cranberries, so I thought they needed a bit more sugar.
These Pecan Sandies are so insanely easy to make and delicious that you have to include them in your holiday baking this December.
Ingredients used to make Pecan Sandies
- 1 cup, 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1-2 tablespoons milk (optional)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Since shortbread-style cookies have such few ingredients, use the best ingredients available to you.
How to make shortbread-style Pecan Sandies
Follow these steps to make The shortbread-style Pecan Sandies
- Chop the pecans into small pieces and place them on a cookie sheet. Toast the pecans in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 4-5 minutes till fragrant, keeping a close eye on them to prevent burning. Set aside to cool while you prepare the dough.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and salt for 1-2 minutes till well combined.
- Add vanilla extract and flour and mix to combine. The dough should come together nicely, but if it does not, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
- Add the chopped toasted pecans and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the dough into two and form 2 logs. Wrap the logs in saran wrap and refrigerate for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- When ready to bake, slice the shortbread log in ½ inch circles. Don’t worry, if the circles are a little crumbly. Just put the pieces back together. Place about 12 cookies on 1 cookie sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 18-20 minutes. The edges of the cookies should be slightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool the cookies completely on a cookie rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Slice and bake Pecan Cookies
This recipe is for slice-and-bake cookies. It is such a time saver during the holidays when we all have a million things to do. You can make the shortbread dough up to a month in advance, tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. When ready to bake cookies, remove the logs from the refrigerator an hour prior, slice, and bake. How easy is that! You can make shortbread cookie doughs of different flavors and refrigerate them whenever you have time at the end of November or early December. Such a huge time saver!
When cutting the cookie logs, they tend to flatten and or crumble a little. I just reshape the cut cookie discs with my fingers and put the crumbs back together.
- Logs formed from the dough.
- Logs are sliced after being refrigerated.
- Cookie discs are placed on a cookie sheet.
- Baked cookies cooling off.
Recipe tips to make Pecan Sandies
- Toasting pecans is an extra step in this recipe but is needed to give the pecans the nutty flavor and crunch, so don’t be tempted to skip it!
- Once you form the logs, it is important to refrigerate it for at least 45 minutes. If you refrigerate it any longer than 1 hour, you may have to leave it at room temperature for a bit before you can cut it in.
- It is important to cool the cookies off on a cookie rack before storing them in an airtight container.
FAQs- Pecan Sandies
Yes absolutely! Use vegan butter and any plant-based milk to make this recipe vegan-friendly.
Once baked, they will last for a week at room temperature but are freshest for a couple of days.
The dough, tightly wrapped will stay for a month in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer. When ready to bake cookies, remove the logs from the refrigerator an hour prior, slice, and bake. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.
Other shortbread-style cookies to try
Recipe Card- Pecan Sandies
32-35
servings20
minutes24
minutes45-60 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup White Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups All purpose Flour
1-2 tablespoons Milk (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Raw shelled Pecans
Method
- Chop the pecans into small pieces and place them on a cookie sheet. Toast the pecans in a 350 F degree oven for 4-5 minutes till fragrant, keeping a close eye on them to prevent burning. Set aside to cool while you prepare the dough.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and salt for 1-2 minutes till well combined. Add vanilla extract and flour and mix to combine. The dough should come together nicely, but if it does not, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Add the chopped toasted pecans and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Divide the dough into two and form 2 logs. Wrap the logs in saran wrap and refrigerate for 45-60 minutes. - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
When ready to bake, slice the shortbread log in ½ inch circles. Don’t worry, if the circles are a little crumbly. Just put the pieces back together. Place about 12 cookies on 1 cookie sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 18-20 minutes. The edges of the cookies should be slightly golden brown. - Remove from the oven and cool the cookies completely on a cookie rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Tips
- You can refrigerate the shortbread logs (before baking) for up to a month. When ready to bake cookies, remove the log from the refrigerator an hour prior, slice, and bake.
