Easy Butter Pecan Cookies are perfect melt-in-your-mouth cookies with chopped pecans and a delicious brown sugar flavor. Try them today!
This rich butter pecan-flavored Cookies Recipe has the perfect sweet, indulgent, and comforting balance of taste. The toasted pecans go perfectly with the rich and buttery flavor of the cookie base. Plus, the roasted nuts provided a delicious crunch making an excellent contrast with the rest of the chewy cookies. For more easy, tasty pecan desserts, try my Maple Pecan Bars and Bourbon Pecan Blondies.
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Sabrina’s Butter Pecan Cookies Recipe
Simple buttery cookies are an excellent dessert option for any occasion. Whether you need a cookie platter for a potluck, holiday cookie exchange, bake sale or just want a sweet treat for a normal day, you can’t go wrong with my freshly baked Butter Pecan Cookies. They are an easy to make cookie recipe with brown sugar, lots of butter, and crunchy pecans. The melt-in-your-mouth warm sweet cookies are sure to be a new favorite fall treat!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups Pecans: Roughly chopped pecans add a delightful crunch and nutty flavor to the cookies. Before making the dough, you can toast the pecans in the oven for a more aromatic nutty taste. You can substitute them with other nuts like walnuts or almonds.
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter: Softened butter provides richness and moisture to the cookies. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content in the recipe.
- 1 cup Brown Sugar: Using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar makes more decadent, chewy, and buttery cookies. You can mix granulated sugar with a teaspoon of molasses as a substitute if needed.
- 1 large Egg: Because the brown sugar and unsalted butter make a soft base, you only need 1 egg for these Butter Pecan Cookies.
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract gives the cookies a hint of incredible flavor with its aromatic and sweet notes. Be sure to use real vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- 2 cups Flour: Flour serves as the main ingredient for almost all cookies. You can use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder: Baking powder is the leavening agent that helps the cookies rise and become light and fluffy.
- ½ teaspoon Salt: Salt enhances the flavors. Adjust the amount to your taste preference. Leave out completely if using salted butter.
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Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- Stand Mixer: A stand mixer is ideal for creaming the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer or even mix by hand.
- Baking Sheets: You’ll need two baking sheets lined with parchment paper to bake the cookies evenly and prevent sticking. Make sure to place the cookies 2 inches apart to allow for expansion during baking.
- Cookie Scoop: A 2-tablespoon cookie scoop helps you portion the cookie dough into consistent cookie sizes. It also makes it easier to roll the dough in the toasted pecans. If you don’t have a scoop, you can use a spoon.
- Sifter: A sifter or fine-mesh sieve is essential for sifting together the flour, baking powder, and salt. This process removes lumps and aerates the dry ingredients, resulting in a smoother cookie dough.
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How to Make Butter Pecan Cookies
Time needed: 30 minutes.
- Step 1: Preheat and Toast Pecans
Preheat your oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the chopped pecans on one of the sheets and toast them in the oven for 5 minutes. Let them cool.
- Step 2: Prepare the Cookie Dough
Increase the oven temperature to 375. In a stand mixer, cream together softened butter and packed brown sugar until it’s light and fluffy, which takes about 3 minutes. Then, add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix until the mixture is smooth.
- Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add this dry mixture to the butter mixture on the lowest speed setting of your mixer until they are just combined.
- Step 4: Add Pecans
Stir in half of the toasted pecans into the cookie dough. Save the other half for rolling the dough in later.
- Scoop the Dough
Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the cookie dough.
- Coat with Pecans
Roll each portion gently in the remaining toasted pecans.
- Bake the Cookies
Place the pecan-coated cookie dough balls on the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes for soft cookies or 10 minutes for crunchy ones.
- Cool and Enjoy
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, enjoy your homemade Butter Pecan Cookies!
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Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans , roughly chopped
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- To one sheet add the pecans and toast for 5 minutes.
- Let cool.
- Raise temperature to 375 degrees.
- In a stand mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture on the lowest speed setting until just combined.
- Stir in half the pecans.
- Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, scoop the cookie dough into a bowl of the toasted pecans, rolling cookie dough gently into the pecans.
- Place on the cookie sheet, 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 8 minutes for soft cookies or 10 minutes for crunchy cookies.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet.
Nutrition
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Can The Dough Be Made Ahead?
Yes, you can make the cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage. When ready to bake, simply remove from the fridge or freezer, shape into cookies, and bake as directed in the recipe for fresh Butter Pecan Cookies.
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Nutritional Facts
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How to Store Cookies
Storing
Make sure you give the Chewy Butter Pecan Cookies a little time to cool after baking. Otherwise, the buttery cookies will easily fall apart. To keep them fresh, cover cool cookies in plastic wrap or transfer them to an airtight container. They can stay good at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Reheating Tips
To reheat Butter Pecan Cookies, toast them in the toaster oven or air fryer for 2-3 minutes. Alternatively, microwave individual cookies on a microwave-safe plate for 10-15 seconds. Avoid overheating for the best taste and to avoid burning the cookies.
Freezing
You can also seal and freeze the cookie recipe for up to 6 months. Let them cool, then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment paper between layers. When you’re ready to enjoy them again, thaw at room temperature or reheat as desired.
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Frequent Questions
The butter and eggs in this recipe do a good job of making delicious and chewy cookies. However, if you are struggling to get the results you want, there’s an easy trick to give cookies a chewier texture. Simply add ½ teaspoon cornstarch for every cup of flour in the recipe. This prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. As a result, you get a perfectly chewy cookie recipe with a delicious soft center.
This is a great recipe to prep in advance! To freeze the cookie dough, prepare the recipe as usual. Then place the unbaked cookie dough balls on a prepared cookie sheet. Freeze flat for 30 minutes to an hour. Then transfer the dough to a ziplock bag or another airtight container and keep frozen. When you are ready to bake, you’ll have to add a minute or two to the baking time to get the perfect cookie recipe.
Yes, you can substitute pecans with other nuts like walnuts or almonds.
While you can use salted butter, it’s recommended to use unsalted butter in the recipe to have better control over the salt content. Forego the added salt if using salted butter.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer or even mix the dough by hand with a wooden spoon. This is a great way to get the kids involved too!
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Variations
- Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies: If you’d like to make this into a chocolate chip cookie recipe, cut the number of pecans by half, and use 1 cup of chocolate chips. Depending on your preference, you can use semisweet, milk, dark, or white chocolate chips in the chocolate butter pecan cookies.
- Nuts: If you don’t have pecans, you can use toasted walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, or cashews instead.
- Butterscotch Cookies: Butterscotch chips would also taste delicious in these butter cookies. You can use 1 cup of butterscotch chips and 1 cup of pecans to give the buttery cookies a slightly caramel flavor. For salted butterscotch cookies, add flaky sea salt. You can sprinkle the coarse salt over the top of the cookies right after removing them from the oven.
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