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+ servings
A pile of pecan cookies, some with icing and chopped pecans on them and some with coarse sugar sprinkled on them, set on a parchment lined rack.

Pecan Cookie Recipe

Catherine
This Pecan Cookie Recipe produces delicious cut-out cookies that are speckled with pecans and can be topped with a simple cinnamon icing for an extra flavorful treat! This recipe is easy to do and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine World
Servings 30 cookies
Calories 69 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1/2 cup ground pecans (about 3/4 cups to 1 cups pecan halves)
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour + more for flouring the work surface
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk*
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • coarse sugar or sanding sugar for decorating, optional. Omit if you are going to ice these cookies instead.

Cinnamon Icing (Optional)

  • 1 1/2 cups icing sugar aka confectioner's sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • chopped pecans optional, to decorate

Instructions
 

  • Place the pecan halves in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. You should end up with 1/2 cup of ground pecans. [Note: you do not want small pieces of pecan in the cookies so you are aiming for a pecan meal that is finely ground.]
  • In a large bowl, mix flour, ground pecans, and salt. Set the flour mixture aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), cream butter and sugar with medium speed for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and blend until combined.
  • With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.
  • Shape the dough into a 1 inch thick disk. Wrap it up in the plastic food wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until the dough is chilled and firm.
  • Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Remove the plastic wrap from the dough disk and transfer it to a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookie shapes and transfer them to the parchment lined cookie sheet. Leftover dough scraps can be re-rolled to make more cookies.**
  • If the dough becomes soft while working with it, pop the entire baking tray into the fridge to set it up again. [Chilled dough will prevent the cookies from spreading and losing their shape.]
  • Sprinkle the cookies with coarse sugar or sanding sugar (if you are not going to ice these. If you are icing the cookies, skip this step). Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  • If you are icing the cookies with the cinnamon icing, whisk together the icing sugar and cinnamon until incorporated. Then add the water, whisking until it comes together and adding more water as needed to reach the correct consistency (I aim for a toothpaste-like consistency).
  • Use a teaspoon to add some icing into the center of the cookie and then use the back of the spoon to spread it out, leaving a bit of border around the cookie. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, if desired. Allow them to set before serving.

Notes

*Note: This recipe uses 1 egg yolk. If you are doubling the recipe, you can use 1 whole egg instead of 2 egg yolks.
**Note: Leftover dough scraps can be re-rolled to make more cookies.
 
Nutritional information is an estimate only and does not include the icing or coarse sugar toppings, as they are optional. If accurate nutritional information is important to you and your diet, please calculate it using a nutritional calculator for your specific ingredients.

Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.

Nutrition

Calories: 69kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 20mgPotassium: 15mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 104IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 0.3mg

The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.

Keyword christmas cookies, cookies, cut out cookies, pecans, tea cookie
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