Made with simple ingredients, these Pecan Sandies are a slice and bake cookie that is packed with toasted pecan flavor and crunch! The perfect cookie for any occasion.
One cookie that I have always been in love with was a good Pecan Sandy. They have this nice shortbread texture that is packed with pecan flavor and there is just something about them that makes them so irresistible.
I have had my fair share of cookies in my day, and I can tell you These Pecan Sandies are one of those cookies that are hard to bead. They don’t take too much work either.
Plus the ingredients are minimal. The hardest thing with these cookies is having to wait around for them to chill to slice and bake then. Trust me the whole process is absolutely worth it.
We love giving these out for the holidays. We usually do gift baskets or little tins filled with goodies and these ones have always been requested so they have somewhat become a tradition.
I love traditions and every year I really get excited when I get to make these. I love that we enjoy them, our family enjoys them, and that they are all around a great cookie recipe.
The store-bought version of these cookies was my grandma Helen’s favorites. We grew up eating them and I really had to create a recipe in her honor.
I say that you can never go wrong with a great cookie recipe and there are so many different variations of cookies that it is always to choose from, but these are always a g0-to.
Some of my other favorite cookie recipes we have on our site include: Meltaway Almond Cookies, Holiday Snowball Cookies and No Chill Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With very minimal ingredients, these are a recipe that is easy to put together.
- They are great to give as gifts during the holidays.
- They have a nice crunchy shortbread texture riddled with chopped pecans.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):
All-purpose flour
Pecans
Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar
Vanilla
Baking powder
Salt
HOW TO MAKE PECAN SANDIES:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread pecans out on a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes. Let cool.
- Add the pecans to a food processor and pulse until tiny pieces form. Set aside ¼ cup of pecans pieces.
- Add ¼ cup of flour to the food processor with the remaining pecans and blend until the pecans have a flour-like texture.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, baking powder, and salt to the butter mixture and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the remaining flour and the nut mixture and beat for 1 more minute.
- Shape the dough into a log on parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. The log should be 2 inches in diameter and about 18 inches in length. The dough is very soft so I recommend using the parchment paper to help you roll and shape it.
- Remove from the refrigerator and roll the dough log in the reserved pecan pieces.
- Slice the dough into ½-inch thick pieces and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. If your dough slices aren’t perfectly round, you can use your fingers to gently reshape them.
WHY DO I HAVE TO TOAST MY PECANS?
This is a really big step and one that is really important to the flavor and texture of the cookies themselves.
Toasting nuts bring out the oils in them which really intensifies their nutty flavor. This also gives them a deeper cooler, crunchier texture and when adding to the cookie.
The cookies in turn will have a better texture which will be crunchier, which we are going for and the flavor of pecans will really shine through without any help.
CAN I MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH AHEAD OF TIME?
The beauty of these Pecan Sandies is that you can make the dough ahead of time. Like if you are preparing for a big baking session, this dough can be made 4 days in advance.
It will need to be remained wrapped and in the refrigerator, but is ready for you to pull out, roll in nuts, slice, and bake after that. So it makes it a prime recipe to have on hand when you have some baking planned.
HOW TO STORE:
These Pecan Sandies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
These can also be frozen. Cook your cookies and then place them in a freezer container or bag and they will keep for up to 3 months. Let defrost on the countertops.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Make sure you toast your pecans, this is essential to the flavor and texture of the cookie.
- The dough can be made in advance, see my tips above.
- Double this recipe easily, roll into two logs. This is great for gift giving and holiday parties.
- If you want a more potent vanilla flavor, swap out vanilla bean paste 1:1 with the extract.
- You can use salted butter and omit the salt in the recipe.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
If you want that perfect old-school cookie that everyone falls in love with, then you have to make a batch of these delicious Pecan Sandies.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these PECAN SANDIES let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Pecan Sandies
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cup pecans
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread pecans out on a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes. Let cool.
- Add the pecans to a food processor and pulse until tiny pieces form. Set aside ¼ cup of pecans pieces.
- Add ¼ cup of flour to the food processor with the remaining pecans and blend until the pecans have a flour-like texture.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, baking powder, and salt to the butter mixture and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the remaining flour and the nut mixture and beat for 1 more minute.
- Shape the dough into a log on parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. The log should be 2 inches in diameter and about 18 inches in length. The dough is very soft so I recommend using the parchment paper to help you roll and shape it.
- Remove from the refrigerator and roll the dough log in the reserved pecan pieces.
- Slice the dough into ½-inch thick pieces and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. If your dough slices aren’t perfectly round, you can use your fingers to gently reshape them.
Notes
- Make sure you toast your pecans, this is essential to the flavor and texture of the cookie.
- The dough can be made in advance, see my tips above.
- Double this recipe easily, roll into two logs. This is great for gift giving and holiday parties.
- If you want a more potent vanilla flavor, swap out vanilla bean paste 1:1 with the extract.
- You can use salted butter and omit the salt in the recipe.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
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