Description
These Soft and Chewy Butter Pecan Cookies are irresistibly buttery, tender, and packed with deliciously toasted pecan flavor. Made with softened butter, a rich combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar, pure vanilla extract, and generous amounts of golden toasted pecans, these homemade cookies feature delicately crisp, golden edges and wonderfully soft, chewy centers. Every bite delivers a perfect balance of caramel-like sweetness, rich buttery goodness, and satisfying nutty crunch. Perfect for holiday cookie trays, Christmas baking, homemade gifts, afternoon treats, or enjoying slightly warm with a comforting cup of coffee or tea!
Ingrédients
Scale
- For the Butter Pecan Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- For the Nutty Inclusion:
- 1 1/2 cups (170 g) chopped pecans, toasted and cooled completely
Instructions
- Toast and Cool Pecans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the 1 1/2 cups (170 g) of chopped pecans evenly across a baking sheet and toast for 5–7 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and wonderfully fragrant. Remove the pecans from the oven and allow them to cool completely before adding them to the cookie dough. Line two large baking sheets with fresh parchment paper.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar together on medium-high speed for approximately 3 minutes until the mixture becomes light, pale, fluffy, and creamy.
- Incorporate Eggs and Vanilla: Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the pure vanilla extract and continue mixing until the wet ingredients are smooth and fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and fine salt until evenly blended and free of lumps.
- Form Cookie Dough: Gradually add the prepared dry flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar base. Mix on low speed just until a soft, thick, cohesive cookie dough forms and no dry flour streaks remain. Avoid overmixing to maintain the cookies’ wonderfully tender, chewy texture.
- Fold in Toasted Pecans: Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the completely cooled toasted pecans into the cookie dough until evenly distributed throughout. Make sure the nuts are fully cooled so they do not soften or melt the butter in the dough.
- Portion and Space Cookie Dough: Scoop approximately 1.5-tablespoon portions of cookie dough (~35 g each) and gently roll them between your palms into smooth balls. Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading. For extra-thick, bakery-style cookies, optionally refrigerate the shaped dough balls for 20–30 minutes before baking.
- Bake Until Golden Edges Form: Bake the butter pecan cookies at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes, or until the outer edges turn lightly golden brown while the centers remain soft and slightly underdone. Avoid overbaking to preserve the deliciously chewy interiors.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the warm pans for 5 minutes so their centers can finish setting from the residual heat. Carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Serve slightly warm for wonderfully soft cookies or let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container!
Notes
- Always Cool Pecans Before Adding: Never add warm or hot toasted pecans directly to the cookie dough. Hot nuts can melt the surrounding butter fats and cause the cookies to spread excessively thin during baking. Let the pecans cool completely after toasting.
- Use Softened, Not Melted, Butter: Use unsalted butter softened to room temperature, ideally around 65°F–68°F (18°C–20°C). Properly softened butter creams with sugar to incorporate air, creating light, tender cookies. Melted butter can produce flatter, greasier cookies.
- Pull Right at 10–12 Minutes: Remove the cookies from the oven when their edges are lightly golden brown but the centers still appear slightly soft. Residual heat from the warm baking sheets will finish setting the centers while preserving their wonderfully chewy texture.
- Temps de préparation: 20 minutes
- Temps de cuisson: 19 minutes
- Catégorie: Dessert
- Méthode: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Portion: 1 cookie
- Calories: 170
- Sucre: 10g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Graisse: 9g
- Graisse saturée: 4g
- Graisses insaturées: 4g
- Gras trans: 0g
- Glucides: 21g
- Fibres: 1g
- Protéine: 2g
- Cholestérol: 23mg