Butter Pecan Cookies (2024)

Published: by Abeer Rizvi · This post may contain affiliate links · 67 Comments

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Easy, soft and chewy butter pecan cookies recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Loaded with toasted pecans and toffee bits. Great for Christmas and Thanksgiving parties!

If you love everything to do with Fall and Thanksgiving, then today's recipe is for you! It combines warm cinnamon flavors with nutty pecans in the most perfect way possible. My family enjoys them just as these Fall Cookies (Leaf Cookies) and Cinnamon Cookies or these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

Butter Pecan Cookies (1)

How to make butter pecan cookies recipe from scratch?

  1. Cream butter and sugar- Until light and fluffy.
  2. Add eggs and vanilla- And mix until smooth.
  3. Prepare dry mixture- By mixing together flour, cornstarch, and baking soda.
  4. Mix wet and dry mixture- Until combined.
  5. Add pecans- And mix until evenly distributed.
  6. Chill- For 30-45 minutes.
  7. Make cookie balls- And place them on a cookie tray.
  8. Bake- Until the cookies are golden brown and firm along the edges.

Storage

Room temperature- Store them in a cookie jar for up to 3 days.

Refrigerate- In a sealed container for up to 5 days.

Freeze- Cookie dough can be frozen for up to 1 month and defrosted overnight in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing baked cookies since the nuts lose their crunch when they thaw.

Variations

Pecan shortbread cookies- Incorporate finely chopped pecans into my Best Shortbread Cookies recipe. Please note that the recipe below cannot be modified to a shortbread.

Chocolate chip pecan cookies- Mix in any flavor chocolate chips into the dough such as semi-sweet, dark chocolate or white chocolate chips.

Pecan snowball cookies- Check out my Snowball Cookies recipe and add chopped pecans instead of walnuts. Once again, the recipe below cannot be modified to a shortbread.

Add coconut- Add ½ cup shredded coconut to the dough. Toasting it first will enhance the flavor.

Add oatmeal- Reduce the amount of flour by ⅓ cups and replace that with quick cooking oats. This will make the cookies slightly chewy.

Add toffee bits or butterscotch chips- Their flavor compliments very well with pecans.

Use browned butter- If you have the time, brown butter first and let it cool and then use that in this recipe for a lovely nutty flavor and color.

Stuff it with caramel- Stuff the cookies with caramel, prior to baking for an ooey gooey surprise.

Add bourbon- Mix in about 2 tablespoon bourbon into the cookie dough.

Cookie bars- Spread the dough in a rectangular pan and bake. Slice them into bars with a very sharp knife, once baked. Let them cool completely before removing from pan.

Butter Pecan Cookies (2)

Tips and Techniques

Why add cornstarch? When cornstarch is added with flour, it softens the harsh proteins of the flour, which makes the cookies very soft and tender.

All ingredients must be at room temperature- Because this will allow them to blend together smoothly and evenly.

Why did my cookies spread? This is probably because the dough was not chilled before baking or too much liquid was added to the recipe.

Chilling the cookie dough is very important- Do not skip this step because it allows the cookies to hold their shape while they bake and prevents them from spreading.

Use unsalted butter and unsalted pecans- Because that prevents this treat from becoming too salty.

Use toasted pecans- Because they have an enhanced nutty flavor.

Don't replace butter with oil- Because the texture of the cookies will change entirely.

Use both granulated and brown sugar- Because they create the best flavor profile.

More Pecan Desserts

  • Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns
  • Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
  • Easy Pecan Pie

Butter Pecan Cookies (3)

Butter Pecan Cookies

Abeer Rizvi

Easy, soft and chewy butter pecan cookies recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Loaded with toasted pecans. Great for Christmas and Thanksgiving!

4.91 from 63 ratings

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Chill time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30 Cookies

Calories 172 kcal

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Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

  • Add eggs, vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

  • Add flour, cinnamon powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined.

  • Mix in pecans and toffee bits until evenly distributed.

  • Chill dough for 30-45 minutes to make it easier to handle.

  • Scoop out small portions of the dough and roll into balls. The chilled dough will seem a bit crumbly but the warmth of your hands will help bring the dough together into small balls.

  • Optional: Roll each cookie dough ball in a bowl of granulated sugar, if you like. I don't usually do it but my Mom does it.

  • Place them on a cookie tray, lined with parchment paper.

  • Bake at 350 degrees F for about 11-14 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and firm along the edges. They will be "poofy" in the center and deflate as they cool. If they don't deflate fully to your liking, you can press down gently with the back of a spoon. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Read all my tips above.
  • Leftovers can be stored in a cookie jar at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 97mgPotassium: 47mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 208IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Evelyn Ruth

    Excellent recipe. I used this recipe with some pecan cookie crumbs. They turned out great. This will be one of my new additions to my cookie list.Butter Pecan Cookies (8)

    Reply

    • Abeer Rizvi

      You must use all-purpose flour.

      Reply

  2. Carolyn

    How do you measure the brown sugar? Should it be packed or loose? Light or dark brown sugar?

    Reply

    • Abeer Rizvi

      Light or dark doesn't matter. You can use whatever you have in the pantry. My recipes always use packed ingredients in measuring cups unless otherwise indicated. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  3. Ginger

    Just wondering if how I could add a little maple flavor to these cookies. I have a daughter-in-law who loves maple pecan flavor. Thanks

    Reply

    • Abeer Rizvi

      Use maple extract. It works amazingly well!

      Reply

  4. Sonji

    Hello!! I am really looking forward to making these cookies. Do you know if they would work using Land O Lakes SWEET CREAM BUTTER??

    Reply

    • Abeer Rizvi

      Yes, that will work. It just needs to be unsalted.

      Reply

  5. Sharon

    Can you freeze these cookies?

    Reply

    • Abeer Rizvi

      Yes, you can freeze them in a sealed container for up to 1 month.

      Reply

  6. Ruth

    If there is no salt in the dry ingredients, could salted butter be used. Thank you Ruth

    Reply

    • Abeer Rizvi

      I would suggest adding a little salt in the dry ingredients instead of using salted butter.

      Reply

  7. Tanya

    These cookies are AMAZING and easy to makeButter Pecan Cookies (9)

    Reply

  8. Mell

    Very easy to makeButter Pecan Cookies (10)

    Reply

  9. Lindsey Roberts

    Light brown sugar or dark brown for this recipe?

    Reply

    • Abeer Rizvi

      Either will work well.

      Reply

    • Lora

      Can these be made with a 1:1 gf flour? Or how would you convert the recipe to gluten free?

      Reply

      • Abeer Rizvi

        I haven't tried that to know how the recipe would need to be adjusted.

        Reply

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Butter Pecan Cookies (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you use melted butter instead of softened for cookies? ›

It all makes a difference. Our control cookie, as with most cookies, uses softened butter, and this recipe tends to be a bit cakier. A cookie made with the same amount of melted butter will give you a fudgier, chewier cookie. It helps it spread out more and gives you some nice divots to catch more chocolate.

What gives butter pecan its flavor? ›

Simply put, butter pecan is a flavor that merges the nutty notes of pecan with rich butter and a hint of sweet vanilla extract. The distinctive flavor of the pecan is hard to pinpoint – even for experts – but is perhaps best described as having sweet, fat, and roasted undertones.

What happens to cookies without enough butter? ›

Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.

Why is butter pecan so good? ›

The Natural Flavor of Fresh Pecans

Butter pecan is a flavor combination of pecans, butter, and pure vanilla flavoring, making this a sweet treat you want to bite your teeth into. Pecan pralines are another popular treat option using pecans.

How to turn melted butter into softened butter? ›

To quickly cool down partially melted butter, we mixed in a few ice cubes. After less than a minute of stirring, the butter had cooled to a softened stage—right below 70 degrees—so we extracted the ice and prepared a couple of recipes.

What is the secret to soft chewy cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

Is butter pecan the same as butterscotch? ›

Is butterscotch the same as butter pecan? No, they are not the same. Butterscotch is a sauce made by mixing brown sugar and melted butter together and cooking until it achieves a caramel-like consistency. It doesn't have any nuts.

What's the difference between butterscotch and butter pecan? ›

Butterscotch Involves Brown Sugar And Butter

This gives butterscotch a richness in common with butter pecan, but the flavor profile is totally different owing to a lack of nuts. Unlike butter pecan, we have a much clearer sense of where butterscotch came from: 19th century England, possibly as early as 1817.

What is the difference between butter pecan and pecan praline? ›

For An Extra Dose Of Sugar, Opt For Praline-Flavored Treats

So, if you're looking for more of a sugar rush, a praline flavor is the way to go. Butter pecan, however, is perfect for those who prefer to take it a little easier on the sugar and enjoy something more nut-forward.

What happens if I don't cream butter and sugar for cookies? ›

Undermixed butter and sugar looks gritty and chunky, which can lead to dense cookies and cakes. It is possible to overmix the butter and sugar. If you overmix, the butter will separate out of the mixture and it will be grainy and soupy. Be sure to stop once your butter becomes light and fluffy.

What makes cookies fluffy and not flat? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

Is butter pecan an old person flavor? ›

In contrast to millennials, older generations tend to stick with what they know and love. Vanilla remains a firm favorite among many in this demographic, followed closely by butter pecan - a classic ice cream flavor that offers just enough complexity without straying too far from tradition.

Is butter pecan healthy? ›

Pecan butter is not only a delicious and versatile nut butter but also a nutritional powerhouse. Its impressive combination of healthy fats, protein, vitamins and minerals make it a valuable addition to a balanced diet.

Did Dunkin get rid of butter pecan? ›

Fans Asked, Dunkin' Answered: Butter Pecan Swirl Secures Permanent Spot on Dunkin' Menu. BOSTON (April 14, 2023) – Pecan lovers, rejoice! Dunkin' is honoring National Pecan Day today with a delightful surprise, announcing the return of Butter Pecan Swirl to Dunkin' restaurants nationwide starting April 26.

What happens if you melt the butter in a cookie recipe? ›

Melted butter is important in cookie making because it helps create a unique texture and flavor that cannot be achieved with solid butter. During the melting process, the butter's water content evaporates, leaving only fat behind. This results in a more concentrated flavor and a softer texture in your cookies.

Does melted butter cause flat cookies? ›

The Problem: The Butter Is Too Soft

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

Does butter need to be softened for cookies? ›

Most people think the butter should be so soft that it's broken down, but the most important thing is that you want a little bit of give to the butter.” If you want to get technical, she says the precise temperature should be between 63 and 68 degrees — where it's cool to touch, but your finger can leave an indent.

What makes cookies chewy vs crunchy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

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