Keebler Sandies Cookies (Copycat)

24 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Copycat Keebler Sandies Cookies are the melt-in-your-mouth buttery shortbread pecan cookies you love, easily made at home. Tastes like the original recipe!

We love making sweet Copycat Recipes just as much as savory. These fresh baked pecan-filled Shortbread Cookies taste even better than the store-bought Keebler Cookies!

Keebler Sandies Cookies stack

Keebler Pecan Sandies are an old-fashioned and well-loved classic cookie that has been around since the 1950s. If you’ve never enjoyed a Keebler Pecan Sandie, you are in for a real treat. These crispy shortbread cookies are full of toasty pecan flavor and practically melt in your mouth. While they might not be as popular as say Oreos, one bite and you’ll have no doubt why they’ve been a hit for 70 years.

As tasty as the packaged cookies are, you can’t beat a freshly baked cookie. Since there are no real Keebler elves baking in trees, we’ve recreated their Pecan Sandies recipe for you to make at home. All you need are some common baking ingredients, like powdered sugar, flour, and butter, plus some chopped pecans. 

Keebler Sandies Cookies collage

These Pecan Sandies aren’t your usual sugar cookie, instead of white sugar, they use powdered sugar. Powdered sugar in this cookie recipe makes these cookies extra dense, for a crumbly thick cookie that still melts in your mouth thanks to the cup of butter. Using this type of sugar may be your new favorite way to make cookies!

Keebler Pecan Sandies are easy to make all year round, but they make an especially good Christmas cookie recipe. Include Pecan Sandies on your holiday cookie platters or wrap them up to add to your gift baskets. For an extra special cookie, dip half the Pecan Sandies in Chocolate Ganache or drizzle with Salted Caramel Sauce. Allow toppings to cool and harden before enjoying with a cup of coffee or Cocoa!

Keebler Sandies Cookies shaping cookies on baking sheet

Tips for Making Keebler Sandies Cookies

  • To keep the dough from spreading while it is baking, chill dough for about 30 minutes to an hour before shaping, pressing, and baking.
  • If you don’t want to roll dough into balls and use a glass to flatten, roll dough into one log and refrigerate until firm. Slice chilled dough into rounds and bake as usual.
  • For smooth, even-textured cookies and to prevent over-mixing, be sure to sift the powdered sugar and flour (separately) so there are no clumps.
  • Out of powdered sugar? Make your own by grinding granulated sugar in a food processor or coffee grinder. You can also just swap in an equal amount of white sugar or brown sugar.

EASY HOLIDAY COOKIE CLASSICS:

Make Keebler Pecan Sandies Cookie Dough Ahead

This is a big batch, and you can make this cookie dough ahead of time and freeze or refrigerate until you are ready to bake. Form the cookie dough into a log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Refrigerate cookie dough for up to 1 week. Bake sliced dough from frozen or thaw and shape into balls.

Keebler Sandies Cookies stack on serving platter

VARIATIONS ON KEEBLER SANDIES COOKIES

  • Nuts: Instead of pecans, you can use any other nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, or pistachios. Try toasted pecans by heating the nuts in a pan until they are toasted for more flavor.
  • Dried Fruit: For a holiday cookie, add chopped dried cherries or cranberries. Other dried fruit to try are apricots, golden raisins, strawberries, mangos, or raspberries.
  • Chocolate: Fold in some mini chocolate chips, chopped chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, or semi-sweet chocolate chips for extra sweetness. You can also use other baking chips like peppermint chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips.
  • Candy: You can add small candy pieces to your cookie dough like M&Ms, rainbow chips, mini chocolate nonpareils, caramels, or peppermint candies.
  • Flavoring: Use almond extract instead of vanilla extract, or add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, or Pumpkin Spice Blend. For a caramelly flavor, use brown sugar instead of powdered sugar.
Keebler Sandies Cookies inside of cookie

MORE DELICIOUS COOKIE CLASSICS:

HOW TO STORE KEEBLER SANDIES COOKIES

  • Serve: Keebler Pecan Sandies Cookies can be kept in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 
  • Store: Store Keebler Pecan Sandies Cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. You can refrigerate the unbaked dough for up to 1 week wrapped in plastic wrap.
  • Freeze: Cool Keebler Sandies Cookies to room temperature and freeze for 1 hour on a baking sheet. Transfer frozen cookies to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

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Keebler Sandies Cookies

Copycat Keebler Sandies Cookies are the melt-in-your-mouth buttery shortbread pecan cookies you love, easily made at home. Tastes like the original recipe!
Yield 24 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cups pecans , chopped
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Add butter to your stand mixer on medium speed until well creamed, about 30 seconds.
  • Add in powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract and mix until light and fluffy.
  • Sift the flour then add it to the stand mixer on the lowest setting until just combined.
  • Stir in the pecans.
  • Roll 1 inch balls of dough then press down slightly with a glass dusted with powdered sugar 2 inches apart.
  • Bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges just barely start to brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword: Keebler Sandies Cookies

 

Keebler Sandies Cookies collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

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