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 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.
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!
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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