These Butter Pecan Cookies are perfect for any time of the year with their buttery, nutty, soft, and chewy goodness. The flavor is bursting with butter and pecan; with a brown sugar-based cookie, you just can’t go wrong with these cookies! They would be well-loved on a holiday platter of cookies for sure. Everyone loves butter pecan cookies, so you know they will be a hit!
For more delightful cookies, try our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Better Than Dad’s Copycat Oatmeal Cookies, Kitchen Sink Cookies, or Best Rugelach.
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Full Sheet Aluminum Baking Sheet Pans, Set of 2
What Goes into Butter Pecan Cookies?
To make this butter pecan cookie recipe, the ingredients are easy to find except maybe butter extract; this item is optional though.
I added butter extract, which you can find at most grocery stores in the baking aisle, to really amp up the butter flavor and make this recipe easier. I have seen other recipes coat the pecans in melted butter or even toast them in butter in a saute pan, these are also options, but I have not tested this recipe using those methods. The additional butter may affect the cookie dough. What I have tested is the butter extract, and if you can easily find it, it is great in these cookies!
You will also see cornstarch here in our recipe, which is something a bit different. The cornstarch keeps the cookies soft, which is key to this type of recipe.
We also use brown sugar for this recipe instead of granulated sugar to give the cookies extra flavor. The outside has the pretty decorator’s sugar.
Ingredients
All-purpose flour
Cornstarch
Baking soda
Fine sea salt
Unsalted butter, melted
Light brown sugar, packed
Large egg
Vanilla extract
Butter extract, optional
Chopped pecans
For garnish:
Decorator’s sugar
Pecan halves, optional
How to Make Butter Pecan Cookies
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and butter extract, whisk to combine, and smooth. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and stir it in until combined with no dry patches. This may take a few minutes. Fold in the pecans.
Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, or heaping tablespoon-sized dollops, portion the cookie dough and place them, not touching but close together on the parchment paper. Cover and place in the fridge for two hours, up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper. Take the cookie dough balls and roll them between your hands to form a smooth ball; they will be hard at first but will soften up. Roll them in the decorator’s sugar and place them on the sheet trays 2 inches apart. Gently press the pecan halves onto the tops of the cookies if using.
Bake for 9-10 minutes until the cookies are puffed, the tops are not shiny, and they are slightly golden brown. Let them cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
The dough is very stiff, and folding in the pecans may be difficult. This is like when I make my Snowball Cookies each year, but don’t worry because when we form the cookie dough balls, this is when you get the pecans to really stick in the dough.
I like to chill the dough overnight. I find the cookies puff up better when I do so.
For presentation, I like to add the pecan halves on top to about half of the cookies for a contrasting look, but you can add them to all the cookies, or none!
How to Store Butter Pecan Cookies
Butter Pecan Cookies, once they are baked and cooled completely, can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I always like to layer the cookies between wax paper to keep them from sticking to each other. You can also store them in the refrigerator to extend their time to at least a week, but heck, these are not going to last that long for sure.
Can you Freeze Butter Pecan Cookies?
Once your cookies are baked, cooled, and properly packaged with wax paper layers in an airtight container, you can store them in the freezer for months. Label them with the date you put them in, as no one remembers that. Let the cookies defrost at room temperature before eating.
You can also freeze the balls of dough and have cookies waiting and ready to be baked at any time. Once your cookies have been formed into balls, freeze them on parchment-lined cookie sheets in a single layer. They can be frozen close together, closer than you would bake them but don’t overlap them. Leave them for a few hours, and once firm, then place them in a zipped storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Again write the date and even baking instructions on the outside of the bag for a quick reference.
When you want to bake the cookies, then thaw completely. At this point you can roll them in the decorator’s sugar and place them on the sheet trays 2 inches apart. Gently press the pecan halves onto the tops of the cookies if using, and bake.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 & 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon butter extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- For garnish:
- 1/3 cup decorator’s sugar
- pecan halves optional
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and butter extract, whisk to combine, and smooth. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and stir it in until combined with no dry patches. This may take a few minutes. Fold in the pecans.
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, or heaping tablespoon-sized dollops, portion the cookie dough and place them, not touching but close together on the parchment paper. Cover and place in the fridge for two hours, up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper. Take the cookie dough balls and roll them between your hands to form a smooth ball; they will be hard at first but will soften up. Roll them in the decorator’s sugar and place them on the sheet trays 2 inches apart. Gently press the pecan halves onto the tops of the cookies if using.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies are puffed, the tops are not shiny, and they are slightly golden brown. Let them cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Comments & Reviews
Teresa says
Can you freeze these cookies
Tara Noland says
Yes you can, keep them in an air-tight container between layers of wax paper.