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Pecan Sandies are the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies that disappear from my cookie jar the fastest, with toasted pecans baked right into every tender, crumbly bite. If you love a simple, buttery cookie like our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, these homemade pecan sandies are about to become a year-round favorite.
They are rich, buttery, lightly sweet, and packed with toasted pecan flavor in every crumbly bite.
Pecan Sandies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 12 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 4 hours 27 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 30 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 121kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery, nutty, lightly sweet
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a simple slice-and-bake like our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies
Quick Answer
Roast the pecans, then pulse most of them with a little flour into a fine meal. Cream the butter and powdered sugar, mix in the vanilla, baking powder, and salt, then beat in the flour and pecan meal. Shape the soft dough into a log, chill at least 4 hours, roll in reserved pecan pieces, slice, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Toasting the pecans deepens the flavor. A quick roast brings out the pecans natural oils and gives the cookies a rich, nutty taste.
- Ground pecans go right in the dough. Blending pecans into a fine meal with the flour means toasted pecan flavor in every single bite.
- Powdered sugar makes them tender. Using powdered sugar instead of granulated gives these cookies their signature sandy, melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
- Chilling the log is essential. The dough is very soft, so chilling firms it up enough to slice into clean, even rounds.
- A pecan crust on the edges. Rolling the dough log in chopped pecans gives every cookie a pretty, crunchy border.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are buttery and tender with that classic sandy, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread texture.
- Toasted pecans in the dough and on the edges give them rich, nutty flavor all the way through.
- They are a simple slice-and-bake cookie, just like our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies.
Key Ingredients
Just seven simple ingredients make these buttery pecan sandies. Here is what each one does.
- Pecans: The star of the cookie. Toast them first for the deepest, richest nutty flavor.
- Butter: Softened and creamed for that classic buttery, tender shortbread base.
- Powdered sugar: Gives the cookies their signature sandy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Flour: Some goes into the dough and some blends with the pecans into a fine meal.
- Vanilla and salt: Round out the flavor and make the buttery, nutty notes pop.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These pecan sandies are a classic, but here are a few fun ways to change them up.
- Dip them in chocolate: Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted chocolate for a fancy finish.
- Add cinnamon: A little cinnamon in the dough gives them a warm, spiced flavor.
- Swap the nuts: Use walnuts or almonds in place of the pecans.
- Make them mini: Slice the log thinner for bite-sized cookies, perfect for a cookie tray.
- Try another shortbread: Our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are another buttery, simple favorite.
How to Make Pecan Sandies
- Roast the pecans for 8 minutes, let cool, then pulse in a food processor until tiny pieces form. Set aside a quarter cup of the pieces.
- Add a quarter cup of flour to the remaining pecans and blend until they reach a fine, flour-like texture.
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar for about 2 minutes, then mix in the vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the remaining flour and the ground pecan mixture and beat for 1 more minute to form a soft dough.
- Shape the dough into an 18-inch log on parchment, chill at least 4 hours, then roll the log in the reserved pecan pieces.
- Slice the log into half-inch rounds and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes. Reshape gently if needed.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Toast the pecans for the best flavor. It only takes 8 minutes and makes a big difference.
- Do not skip the chill. The dough is very soft, and a firm log is the only way to get clean slices.
- Use parchment to shape the log so the soft dough is easy to roll into an even cylinder.
- Slice with a sharp knife and rotate the log as you go to keep the cookies round.
- Reshape if needed. If a slice squishes, just gently press it back into a round before baking.
- Do not overbake. Pull them when the edges are just set for that tender, sandy texture.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These pecan sandies are made for a cup of coffee or a tall glass of cold milk. Their buttery, crumbly texture makes them the perfect afternoon treat.
They are a beautiful addition to any holiday cookie tray, with their nutty edges and tender crumb fitting right in with Christmas baking.
Serve them alongside our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies for a pretty pair of buttery, slice-and-bake cookies.
They keep well, so make a big batch and tuck some into a tin for an easy homemade gift any time of year.
Pecan Sandies FAQs
Pecan sandies are buttery, crumbly shortbread cookies made with toasted pecans. They get their name from their sandy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The dough is naturally soft because of all the butter. That is why chilling the log for at least 4 hours is essential before slicing and baking.
You do not have to, but toasting brings out the pecans natural oils and gives the cookies a much richer, deeper flavor.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They also freeze well for up to 3 months.
Yes. The dough log freezes beautifully. Wrap it well, freeze, then slice and bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Soft dough that was not chilled enough is the usual cause. Make sure the log is firm before slicing, and gently reshape any slices that flatten.
In a baking mood? Our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are another buttery, easy cookie to try next.
Pecan Sandies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup pecans
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 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.1¼ cup pecans
- 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.1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for 2 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- Add the vanilla, baking powder, and salt to the butter mixture and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.2 teaspoons vanilla, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 1½ teaspoons salt
- 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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