Made with simple ingredients, these Pecan Sandies are a slice and bake cookies that are packed with toasted pecan flavor and crunch! The perfect cookie for any occasion.
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.