Pecan sandies cookies are a classic shortbread recipe with a crumbly texture that practically melts in your mouth! Roasted, crushed pecans are mixed into the dough for a delightfully nutty cookie that isn't overly sweet. They're one of my all-time favorite Christmas cookies, but they are a tasty addition to any holiday or party!
Pecan Sandies Cookies
Pecan sandies are a classic Christmas cookie and one of my favorites to bake because they're incredibly simple yet so full of flavor. Plus, mixing finely chopped pecans into the dough gives them a soft and sandy texture that is hard to resist!
Jump to:
For more fun holiday baking, you should try out my 12 days of Christmas cookies or 24 days of Christmas cookies! I have an extensive collection of holiday pie recipes, too!
🥘 Pecan Sandies Ingredients, Notes, & Substitutes
- Pecans - 1 ¼ cups of pecans (divided into ¼ cup and 1 cup portions).
- All-Purpose Flour - 2 cups of all-purpose flour or an all-purpose flour substitute (spooned and leveled).
- Butter - 1 cup of softened, room-temperature butter or a butter substitute.
- Confectioner's Sugar - ½ cup of powdered sugar or a confectioner's sugar substitute. Note that a combo of confectioners and brown sugar can be used for a richer depth of flavor.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Water - 1 tablespoon of water.
- Vanilla Extract - ½ tablespoon of vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or a vanilla extract substitute.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Pecan Sandies
Pecan sandies are a super easy cookie recipe for beginning bakers. Grab your measuring utensils, a baking sheet, a mixing bowl, a silicone spatula, and an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) to get started!
This recipe makes about 24 cookies. I usually save a dozen for home and give a dozen away!
Roast The Pecans
Step 1: Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4).
Step 2: Roast the pecans. Once the oven is hot, place 1 ¼ cups (123.75 grams) of pecans onto a baking sheet and toast them for 7-8 minutes. Then, set them aside to cool completely. *Removing the pecans from the hot pan helps to stop the roasting process and cool more quickly.
Mix The Cookie Dough
Step 3: Chop. After your pecans have cooled, pulse them in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Remove 3 tablespoons to ¼ cup (28.1 grams to 37.5 grams) and set it aside.
Step 4: Pulse with flour. Into the food processor with the remaining pecans, add 2 cups (250 grams) of all-purpose flour, then pulse a couple of times to mix everything together.
Step 5: Cream butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together 1 cup (227 grams) of butter and ½ cup (50 grams) of confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Then, mix in ¼ teaspoon (1.42 grams) of salt, 1 tablespoon (14.8 milliliters) of water, and ½ tablespoon (7.4 milliliters) of vanilla extract.
Step 6: Mix in the pecan flour. Gradually add the pecan and flour mixture into the butter, mixing only until just combined.
Portion, Bake & Serve
Step 7: Portion and roll in pecans. Scoop the dough into balls that are about 1 inch in size and use your hands to flatten them slightly. Roll the sides in the pecans you had reserved earlier and then place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. *Or shape into a log for slice-and-bake cookies.
Step 8: Bake. Bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 10 minutes.
Step 9: Cool. Remove the baked cookies from the oven, let them cool completely, and serve as-is or dusted with more confectioners sugar.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- While you could skip toasting the pecans, I don’t recommend it. Toasting them adds a ton of extra flavor to these cookies!
- You can also toast your pecans in a skillet over medium heat while stirring frequently. Once toasted, remove the nuts from your skillet to stop the cooking process (and prevent burning).
- Alternatively, you can roll your cookie dough into a log that is 2 inches thick, roll it in the reserved pecans, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Chill it in the fridge for about 4 hours, and then slice the log into cookies to bake them. This is my best and preferred method.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the pecans by hand (starting with chopped pecans rather than whole or halved pecans will help to speed up the process)!
- Alternatively, place the pecans in a heavy-duty freezer bag with the excess air removed, cover them with a kitchen towel, and crush them using a meat mallet, heavy pan, or rolling pin.
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
🥡 Storing
If you want to prepare these cookies in advance, you can chill the dough for up to 1 day. Bake it straight out of the fridge, but you might need to add an extra minute or two in the oven.
You can keep any leftover cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Make the most of leftover cookies by transforming them into other tasty treats. See ideas for what to do with leftover Christmas cookies here!
Freezing Pecan Sandies
Freeze your baked cookies in a heavy-duty freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months.
Additionally, you can freeze the unbaked dough (already portioned into balls) for up to 3 months. Bake them straight from frozen.
See my guide to freezing Christmas cookie dough for more thorough instructions!
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Subscribe to the newsletter today (no spam, I promise)! Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Pecan Sandies Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups pecans (divided)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Roast The Pecans
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4).
- Once the oven is hot, place 1 ¼ cups pecans onto a baking sheet and toast them for 7-8 minutes. Then, set them aside to cool completely. *Removing the pecans from the hot pan helps to stop the roasting process and cool more quickly.
Mix The Cookie Dough
- After your pecans have cooled, pulse them in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Remove 3 tablespoons to ¼ cup and set it aside.
- Into the food processor with the remaining pecans, add 2 cups all-purpose flour then pulse a couple of times to mix everything together.
- In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together 1 cup butter and ½ cup confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Then, mix in ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon water, and ½ tablespoon vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the pecan and flour mixture into the butter, mixing only until just combined.
Portion, Bake & Serve
- Scoop the dough into balls that are about 1-inch in size and use your hands to flatten them slightly. Roll the sides in the pecans you had reserved earlier and then place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 10 minutes.
- Remove the baked cookies from the oven, let them cool completely and serve as-is or dusted with more confectioners sugar.
Notes
- While you could skip toasting the pecans, I don’t recommend it. Toasting them adds a ton of extra flavor to these cookies!
- You can also toast your pecans in a skillet over medium heat while stirring frequently. Once toasted, remove the nuts from your skillet to stop the cooking process (and prevent burning).
- A combo of confectioner's sugar and brown sugar can be used for a deeper flavor.
- Alternatively, you can roll your cookie dough into a log that is 2 inches thick, roll it in the reserved pecans, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Chill it in the fridge for about 4 hours, and then slice the log into cookies to bake them.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the pecans by hand (starting out with chopped pecans rather than whole will help to speed up the process)! Alternatively, place the pecans in a heavy-duty freezer storage bag with the excess air removed, cover them with a kitchen towel, and crush them using a meat mallet, heavy pan, or rolling pin.
- If you want to prepare these cookies in advance, you can chill the dough for up to 1 day. Bake it straight out of the fridge, but you might need to add an extra minute or two in the oven.
- You can keep any leftover cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freeze your baked cookies for up to 3 months.
- Additionally, you can freeze the unbaked dough (already portioned into balls) for up to 3 months. Bake them straight from frozen.
Comments
No Comments