Pecan Butter Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
Tips: Cookies may be coated with confectioner's sugar if desired (see recipe description for details).
These melt-in-your-mouth Pecan Butter Cookies are as delicious and crumbly as they look! This simple shortbread cookie recipe (shortbread cookies are made without any leavening agents) is a quick and easy cookie to make, requiring only a little time in the fridge to allow the cookie dough to become firm enough to slice.
These cookies are sweetened with brown sugar rather than the traditional white sugar often used with shortbread cookie recipes, giving them a richer flavor, while the pecans add their own natural sweetness! (Tip: The fastest, easiest and best way to grind pecans is by using a food chopper, but if you don't own a mini food processor, you can also use a coffee grinder, grinding as many as will fit in the coffee grinder for each grinding. Make sure you wipe out the coffee grinder before grinding the pecans.) These cookies on their own are incredibly delightful and full of flavor, but if you'd like to add a little final sweet touch, you can coat them with some confectioner's (powdered) sugar, either by gently moving them around in a brown or plastic bag of confectioner's sugar, or place some confectioner's sugar in a bowl and coat them manually. Whether plain or coated with powdered sugar, these Pecan Butter Cookies are fabulous!
Recipe▼
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted and coarsely ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
In an electric mixer bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, ground pecans and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture and mix until a soft dough forms, scraping sides and bottom of bowl to incorporate all ingredients.
Transfer dough to a work surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into 8-inch-long rolls. Wrap each dough roll in wax paper or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cut 1/4-inch-slices from each chilled cookie dough roll and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges have lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to completely cool. (Note: If you plan to coat with powdered sugar, make sure cookies are completely cooled before coating.) Store in an air-tight container.
Transfer dough to a work surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into 8-inch-long rolls. Wrap each dough roll in wax paper or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cut 1/4-inch-slices from each chilled cookie dough roll and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges have lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to completely cool. (Note: If you plan to coat with powdered sugar, make sure cookies are completely cooled before coating.) Store in an air-tight container.
