Opt for Our Butter Pecan Cookie Recipe Instead of Pie

Pecan pie is a beloved American dessert classic, often reserved for holiday feasting. The combination of buttery crust and sweet pecans wrapped in a soft, gooey filling feels comforting and luxurious with every bite. If you want to capture that nostalgic taste without the labor of baking the pie, these pecan pie-inspired cookies are just the solution. Recipe developer Julie Kinnaird shares her ultra-buttery and nutty take on pecan pie flavors all wrapped up in a butter pecan cookie. 

The key to this recipe is in making a brown butter, which enhances the rich and nutty flavor and perfectly complements the sweetness of the brown sugar. Chopped pecans are steeped in the brown butter while it is still warm, which both softens their texture and brings out their nutty flavor. The cookies are topped with whole pecan halves that are glazed in butter and maple syrup, layering in even more sweet buttery goodness.

The dough for these cookies comes together quickly with a hand or stand mixer, but requires a bit of chilling before baking. Chilling the dough helps the cookies to keep their shape in the oven and allow the butter to melt slowly, rather than seeping out. The result is a cookie with a nice crispy and golden brown edge, but a soft and almost gooey middle. Make sure not to over-bake the cookies so that you can keep that softness in the center that will really remind you of pecan pie.

The star ingredient for these butter pecan cookies is, of course, the pecans. Use fresh pecans so you can to ensure a really rich and sweet flavor. You will finely chop some of the pecans to be part of the dough, and glaze enough halves with butter and maple syrup to top each cookie. Select a good quality sweet cream unsalted butter for making both the brown butter and pecan glaze. All-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt make up the dry ingredients. Cornstarch acts as a special ingredient here, giving the cookies a texture that is soft and chewy rather than crispy. You will also need light brown sugar to give the cookies a caramel flavor, one large egg, and a bit of vanilla extract to enhance the sugar and nut flavors.

Melt ¾ cup butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, until it becomes foamy and develops a deep amber color and nutty aroma (about 5 minutes).

Transfer the butter to a large heat-proof mixing bowl.

Add the chopped pecans and stir to coat. Cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the chopped pecans from the brown butter and place them in a separate bowl.

Add the brown sugar to the brown butter and use a hand or stand mixer to combine on medium-low speed.

Add the egg and vanilla and increase the mixer speed to high, beating until the mixture is smooth and light in color.

Using medium-low speed, mix in the dry ingredients into the brown sugar/butter mixture, followed by the chopped pecans, until the dough comes together.

Use a medium cookie scoop or your hands to form 24 balls from the dough, placing them on a plate once rolled.

Cover the plate with plastic and refrigerate the dough balls for at least 1 hour.

While the dough is chilling, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter and the maple syrup in a small saute pan over medium heat.

Once the butter and maple syrup are foamy, add the pecan halves and stir to coat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the chilled dough on the baking sheets in 3 rows of 4 balls and use a press or bottom of a glass to slightly flatten each ball.

Top each cookie with one of the glazed pecans.

Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, on the middle rack of the oven for 9 to 10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown but the centers are still slightly soft. Be careful not to over-bake.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Serve the cookies immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Browning the butter for these butter pecan cookies is not absolutely necessary, however this extra step enhances the nutty richness of the cookies in a way that straight melted butter cannot. Making brown butter can seem a bit tricky, as the timing is everything. Once you have mastered the technique you can put it to use in an array of sweet and savory dishes beyond cookies. The trick to making the perfect brown butter is keeping the heat at a steady low temperature and a constant eye on the butter as it changes. The melted butter will start to foam and make popping sounds as it cooks. This is a sign of the water evaporating from the butter. Swirling the pan will help the foam subside. Gradually, the butter will start to take on an amber color, indicating that the milk solids are starting to caramelize. Now is an important time to watch. You definitely want a small portion of browned bits in the butter, as this caramelization gives the toasty and nutty flavor and aroma. Once you have achieved a deep brown pecan color in the solids at the bottom of the pan and an intense nutty aroma, remove the brown butter from stove to a heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking. 

If you just don’t have time for this step or don’t want to risk your butter going from melted to burnt, plain melted butter will still work for these cookies. One thing to note is that if you are substituting brown butter for regular butter in any recipe, you may need to adjust the amount of brown butter to make up for that slight loss of volume with evaporation.

This butter pecan cookies recipe has several steps that can be done in advance. First, the dough can be mixed, wrapped tightly with food wrap, and stored (refrigerated) for up to five days before rolling into balls. The dough could also be frozen for up to three months as long as it is wrapped well and stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag. Frozen dough should be thawed under refrigeration before using. If you want to make the dough and then pause after rolling it into balls, keep them covered with food wrap in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days until ready to bake.

The buttery glazed pecans can also be prepared in advance. Once they have cooled, store them in a single layer at room temperature on a plate wrapped with foil for up to three days. Once your butter pecan cookies have baked and cooled, they will stay fresh at room temperature for about five days. They also freeze beautifully if stored in an airtight container in layers with parchment or waxed paper in between the layers. You can give the cookies a quick thaw in a microwave for about 10 seconds. This will warm them and bring back their soft texture.

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