High altitude tested homemade pecan sandies are buttery and crumbly like pecan shortbread cookies. These simple cookies may look a little plain, but they’re so flavorful with nutty toasted pecans and a pinch of flaky salt. Make them for the holidays and add them to your Christmas cookie boxes for a treat everyone will love!
You might also love these recipes for pecan snowball cookies, soft and chewy brown sugar pecan cookies, and cranberry pecan shortbread cookies with orange icing.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make. The dough comes together quickly and easily in a food processor. And if you don’t want to roll out the dough to cut cookies, see the FAQ section below for a slice and bake option.
Bake in Advance, Freeze for Later. If you want to make the cookies in advance, they freeze beautifully until you’re ready to serve them or put together your Christmas cookie boxes.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. Today’s pecan sandies will work at any altitude without adjustments, though.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Pecans. For a deeper, nuttier flavor, toast the pecans first. The nuts will be finely ground in your food processor to incorporate them into the cookie dough, as well as for sprinkling over the cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour. Provides structure and strength to the cookies.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens the cookies, of course, and the fine texture makes a soft, tender cookie.
- Brown Sugar. A touch of brown sugar adds a bit more sweetness, since these cookies are unfrosted, and a slightly more rich, deep flavor.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor the pecans. I also like to sprinkle the tops of the baked cookies with some flaky finishing salt, such as Maldon.
- Unsalted Butter. Adds richness, moisture and flakiness for a classic pecan shortbread flavor and texture.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Milk. The milk helps to bind the dough together, without adding something like an egg, which would leaven the cookies and make them puff up and lose their shape.
- Egg White. To help the chopped pecans sprinkled on top of the cookies to stick, I brushed the cookies lightly with egg white first, before baking them.
Instructions
Toast the Pecans
- First, toast the pecans. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and place the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 5-7 minutes, until fragrant, but don’t let them burn.
- Let the pecans cool completely before adding them to the dough. You don’t want hot pecans that will melt or soften the butter in the dough.
Make the Cookie Dough
- In your food processor, combine 3/4 cup of the toasted, cooled pecans with the flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar and salt, and pulse for about a minute until the pecans are very finely ground.
- With the processor running, drop in the pieces of cold butter, one at a time. Pulse until well distributed.
- Add the vanilla and milk, and pulse just until the crumbs come together into a dough.
- Dump the dough out, and knead a few times with your hands, just to incorporate any stray floury bits, until you have a soft, supple dough. Shape into a flat disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Cut the Cookies
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough (dusting with a little more flour as needed), to just under 1/4 inch thick. Cut as many cookies as you can with your cookie cutters, and place the cut cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Gather up the dough scraps, roll again, and finish cutting all of the dough. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, you should be able to cut around 20 cookies.
- Lightly brush the tops of the cookies with the egg white. Finely grind the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans in your food processor, and sprinkle them over the cookies.
- Set the baking pan in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour, or in the freezer for 30 minutes. Chilling helps prevent the cookies from spreading while baking.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the chilled cookies on the center oven rack for about 12-14 minutes. They should be pale golden, with flaky edges. When turned over, you shouldn’t see any wet or raw dough underneath.
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store pecan sandies?
Cooled cookies should be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week. They can also be baked in advance, and frozen for 3-6 months.
Can the cookie dough be frozen?
The cookie dough can also be made in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for 3-6 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature until pliable enough to roll out.
How do I make slice and bake pecan sandies?
For a slice and bake option, shape the dough into a log, measuring 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until the dough is very firm. This way, the dough will maintain its cylindrical shape when you cut it. When you’re ready to bake your cookies, use a sharp knife to cut 1/4 inch thick cookies, then bake as instructed.
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Homemade Pecan Sandies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Rolling Pin
- 2 – 2 1/2 inch Round Cookie Cutter or Biscuit Cutter
Ingredients
- 1 cup toasted pecans, divided
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp light or dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 egg white
Instructions
Toast the Pecans
- First, toast the pecans. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and place the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 5-7 minutes, until fragrant, but don't let them burn.
- Let the pecans cool completely before adding them to the dough. You don't want hot pecans that will melt or soften the butter in the dough.
Make the Cookie Dough
- In your food processor, combine 3/4 cup of the toasted, cooled pecans with the flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar and salt, and pulse for about a minute until the pecans are very finely ground.With the processor running, drop in the pieces of cold butter, one at a time. Pulse until well distributed.Add the vanilla and milk, and pulse just until the crumbs come together into a dough.
- Dump the dough out, and knead a few times with your hands, just to incorporate any stray floury bits, until you have a soft, supple dough. Shape into a flat disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Cut the Cookies
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough (dusting with a little more flour as needed), to just under 1/4 inch thick. Cut as many cookies as you can with your cookie cutters, and place the cut cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Gather up the dough scraps, roll again, and finish cutting all of the dough. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, you should be able to cut around 20 cookies.
- Lightly brush the tops of the cookies with the egg white. Finely grind the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans in your food processor, and sprinkle them over the cookies.
- Set the baking pan in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour, or in the freezer for 30 minutes. Chilling helps prevent the cookies from spreading while baking.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the chilled cookies on the center oven rack for about 12-14 minutes. They should be pale golden, with flaky edges. When turned over, you shouldn't see any wet or raw dough underneath.
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Cooled cookies should be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- They can also be baked in advance, and frozen for 3-6 months.
- The cookie dough can also be made in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for 3-6 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature until pliable enough to roll out.
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