Pecan Cookies
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Scrumptious for Christmas but equally delightful any season of the year, these Pecan Cookies are easy to make, perfect for freezing, and a wonderful accompaniment to tea or as an afternoon pick-me-up!
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Ingredients for Pecan Cookies
You will find ingredient measurements in the recipe card below, but here is a quick list of the mostly pantry ingredients you will need:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder plus baking soda for leavening
- Butter: Salted or unsalted
- Sugar: Both granulated and brown sugar, I prefer dark brown sugar
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Pecans: You will need finely chopped pecans and pecan halves to top each cookie.
How to Make Pecan Cookies
The cookie dough is quick and easy to make. It’s important to chill the dough for at least 15 minutes for the best texture. Here’s how to make them:
- Whisk the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then, beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Add flour to the wet ingredients and fold in the pecans.
- Shape the dough into a cylinder, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment.
- Sliced chilled cookie dough into 1/4-inch circles. Bake until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes.
Pecan History
November is the height of the U.S. pecan harvesting season. With more than $445 million in exports to primarily Canada and the U.K. for shelled pecans and Hong Kong for in-shell pecans, Georgia leads the nation in pecan production and harvesting… by far.
Since November is Pecan Month — enjoy a little history with your pecans:
- Early settlers exchanged pecans for trinkets and tools.
- Thomas Jefferson planted pecan trees around Monticello.
- By 1871, several large pecan groves had been planted in most of the southeastern United States, including Georgia.
- Georgia’s commercial pecan production began during the late 1800s.
- By 1948, Georgia’s pecan production reached 40 million pounds.
More Pecan Recipes to Try
Pecan Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar I prefer dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pecans finely chopped
- 35 pecan halves (one for each cookie)
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture, a bit at a time, until thoroughly blended. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Shape the dough into an even cylinder approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter it.
- Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough into slices approximately 1/4 inch thick. Place the slices on the baking sheet (leave room for them to spread) and lightly press a pecan half into the center of each. Bake until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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These cookies always appear on our holiday cookie tray, and I love having a few in the freezer for snacks with tea. They are so simple to make with a buttery crumb, slightly sweet, and the pecan on top is like icing on the cake!