Pecan Shortbread Cookies

My Nana Jeanie married the most incredible man a girl could ever hope to call Grandpa. I adored my Papa so much. He was gentle, sweet and always had me in giggles with his humor. I can still hear him jingling the ever present change in his pocket and belting out Frank Sinatra tunes around the house. The man also seriously loved his Pecan Sandies. They were his favorite cookie in the world and I grew up loving them too. So I made a homemade version of amazing pecan shortbread cookies! I adapted this recipe from a recipe in the New York Times, who in turn had adapted it from a recipe by my baking hero Dorie Greenspan. The dough came together easily!

The dough for the pecan shortbread cookies came together easily! It was a simple mixture of butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, corn starch, flour and ground pecans. I used finely ground pecans, otherwise the cookies would have fallen apart.
I gently formed the dough into a long, square log on a big sheet of plastic wrap. The log measured roughly 12-13 inches long, while the square measured roughly 2 inches on each side. I chilled the log for 2 hours in the refrigerator to let it harden again. That way it became easy to slice.
20 of the pecan shortbread cookies fit nicely on my sheet tray, so I filled two of them up. I yielded 40 cookies total from the dough, which was perfect. A fork made the perfect signature marks classic shortbread always has.

The pecan shortbread cookies baked for about 20 minutes to become gorgeously golden. I didn’t want them to get too brown though. While they were still warm I dusted them generously with powdered sugar just to finish them nicely. Oh my goodness, when I bit in I was instantly transported to snacking on Pecan Sandies and milk with my Papa as a little girl. He would have loved this homemade version. Hope you all do too! xoxo

Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
5 from 4 votes
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Dough Chilling Time
2 hrs
Total Time
50 mins
 

These pecan shortbread cookies are so buttery with a great depth of flavor from brown sugar, spices and ground pecans! They're incredible with tea. 

Course: Dessert
Keyword: Cookies, Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Servings: 40 cookies
Calories: 148 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu's Kitchen
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 sticks butter softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup finely ground pecans
  • powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
  1. First, prepare the easy dough. Whisk the flour, corn starch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl to aerate them. Set the bowl aside. Set up a stand mixer and combine the butter and sugar in its bowl. Beat them together until fluffy, pushing the sides down occasionally. Turn the speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients just until they are combined in. Finally, add in the ground pecans and let them just get combined in.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and gently form it into a long, square log. The square should be roughly 2 inches on each side and the log should be about 12-14 inches long. Wrap the log in the plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. When the time is up, pre-heat the oven to 350 and line 2 sheet trays with silicone mats or parchment paper.
  3. Slice the log into roughly 1/2 inch thick cookies and lay them out evenly on the sheet trays. Leave a little room between each of them, about 20 should fit well per sheet. This recipe yields about 40 cookies. Use a fork to pierce each cookie twice to make the signature shortbread tine marks, then bake them for about 20 minutes. They should be golden but not brown. Let them cool for a few minutes on the sheet trays and dust them with powdered sugar. Then transfer them to racks to finish cooling. Store them in airtight containers until you are ready to serve them!
Nutrition Facts
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Amount Per Serving (2 cookies)
Calories 148 Calories from Fat 88
% Daily Value*
Fat 9.8g15%
Saturated Fat 5.9g37%
Cholesterol 24mg8%
Sodium 75mg3%
Potassium 23mg1%
Carbohydrates 14.4g5%
Fiber 0.4g2%
Sugar 5.4g6%
Protein 1.2g2%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Pecan Shortbread Cookies

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22 thoughts on “Pecan Shortbread Cookies”

  1. 5 stars
    I haven’t tried to make short bread cookies before. These look divine and perfect to have with tea.

  2. 5 stars
    Your recipes are always so wonderful! I’m pinning this one to make for my mom because she loves both shortbread and pecan pie so this is the perfect combination.

  3. I can’t get enough of pecan and these cookies look delicious! I bet they would be perfect with a hot cup of coffee!

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