Butter Pecan Cookies are soft, buttery treats loaded with roasted pecans and topped with even more for extra crunch and flavor. I don’t feel guilty at all for enjoying one of these cookies with my morning cup of coffee! If you love the rich, nutty flavor of these Butter Pecan Cookies, you’ll definitely want to try my Butter Pecan Fudge next—a creamy, indulgent treat that brings out the best in buttery, toasted pecans!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pecans: The first thing to do for this recipe is to roast (toast) the pecans. It only takes a few minutes and does add a lot of nutty flavor to each bite of cookie! Let them cool a bit before adding them to the cookie dough. And, don’t forget to save some for the tops of the cookies!
- Butter: Cold unsalted butter is used in these Butter Pecan Cookies to make them softer and thicker. When you mix cold butter with sugar, it doesn’t blend completely, which helps the dough keep its shape and prevents the cookies from spreading too much. This makes the cookies chewy and soft with a slightly puffy texture. If using salted butter, you may want to lessen the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Sugar: Using both brown sugar and granulated sugar in these cookies makes them taste better and have the perfect texture. Granulated sugar helps the cookies spread and get crispy on the edges, while brown sugar keeps them soft and chewy with a sweet, caramel flavor. Together, they make the cookies just right!
Do I Have to Roast the Pecans?
YES! I mean, no. You do not have to. But, it really does add a depth of nutty flavor to this cookie that will set it apart from the rest (and, it’s super easy). To roast pecans:
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with two sheets of parchment paper, crisscrossed.
- Add pecans to the dish and bake for about 7-8 minutes at 350°F.
- Remove and set aside while you prepare the dough.
How to Store Butter Pecan Cookies
To store Butter Pecan Cookies, place them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for about 3-4 days. If you want them to last longer, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week. When I am ready to enjoy a cookie, I wrap one in a paper towel and microwave it for 15-25 seconds. This will give you that chewiness and softness you want from this cookie.
Can I Freeze Butter Pecan Cookies?
Definitely! In fact, you could freeze these butter pecan cookies after they have been baked or freeze the cookie dough. To freeze after being baked, first, let the cookies cool completely. Then, store in a freezer-safe container. Be sure to label and date. They should last 3 months as cookie dough or fully baked.
Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (163.5 g) chopped pecans, roasted*, cooled, divided
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add cold butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time. After fully incorporated, add the vanilla, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- With the mixer off, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined.
- Mix in 1 cup pecans, reserving the rest for the topping.
- Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, drop dough onto the lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Add a few pecan pieces to the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are set. They will be puffy and not appear wet.
Notes
- Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with two sheets of parchment paper, crisscrossed.
- Add pecans to the dish and bake at 350°F for about 7-8 minutes.
- Remove and set aside to cool.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Recipe says chill time 3hrs 20 mins at the top. But there’s no mention of it in the instructions to do so, was this a mistake?
Yes, sorry about that. No chilling time. Will adjust.
can salted butter be used?
Delicious! A nice soft cookie. I baked for about 9 1/2 minutes. Mine were lighter in color than the picture. The only thing I had trouble with was getting the pecans to stay on top of the round ball. I had to mash then in which flattened the cookie more than the picture. I’m on the fence about the sea salt. Bake one cookie with and one without before you commit to the whole recipe. I like that you can make the batter ahead to bake later.
I have got a lot of recipes off of you here thank you very much
I have been trying to find the bloglovin app for android but the message keeps saying can’t find. Have tried the play store. Am I missing something?
Can I triple the recipe without altering the ingredient amounts?
Thanks!
I just did this! 🙂 Because it was such a large batch I chilled the dough between scooping onto the cookie sheets. The cookies were a bit flatter. So my best guess is that yes, tripling is not a problem, and there is no chilling necessary. It should be easy peasy.
How many cookies does 1 batch make?
My family loves cookies so I’m always searching for new recipes. This will surely be on my list for valentines Day. Thanks so much for sharing.
These were delicious, simple to make my husband and I just enjoyed baking this cookies
So glad, Nichole!
Hi Amanda…thanks for this recipe! Will surely give it a try!