Butter Pecan Cookies

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The Method

  1. While the brown butter’s cooling, grab a big bowl and whisk together your flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Don’t skip the cornstarch – it makes these cookies extra tender.
  2. Once your browned butter’s cooled down a bit (still liquid but not hot), stir in both sugars until well combined. The mixture might look a bit grainy, but that’s perfectly fine. Add your vanilla and eggs one at a time, mixing just until they’re combined.
  3. Gently fold in your dry ingredients – I usually do this in three batches so everything mixes evenly. Then fold in those buttery toasted pecans. Your dough will smell incredible at this point!

The Important Wait

Now comes the hard part – waiting! Cover your bowl and let it chill in the fridge for 4 hours. I know it’s tempting to skip this, but trust me, it makes a huge difference. This time lets the flavors develop and helps your cookies keep their shape while baking.

Time to Bake

Heat your oven to 375°F – slightly hotter than usual for cookies, but it gives us those perfect crispy edges. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop the dough into 3-tablespoon balls (I use a large cookie scoop). Space them about 3 inches apart – these spread a bit. Press a pecan half on top of each one if you’re feeling fancy.

Bake one tray at a time for 10-11 minutes. They should be golden around the edges but still look slightly underdone in the middle – they’ll set up as they cool. If the edges spread too much, just gently push them back with a spatula right when they come out.

Tips From My Kitchen to Yours

  • Store your pecans in the fridge – they stay fresher way longer
  • Don’t overbake! They might look a bit underdone at first but will firm up perfectly
  • Room temperature eggs really do make a difference here
  • These freeze beautifully – you can freeze the dough balls or baked cookies

These cookies stay fresh for 3-4 days in an airtight container, but honestly, they’ve never lasted that long at my house! Perfect with coffee, as an afternoon treat, or slightly warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Butter Pecan Cookies Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10-11 minutes per batch
Chill Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 16 large cookies

Ingredients

For the Buttered Pecans:

  • 1¼ cups pecan halves, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Cookie Dough:

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 16 pecan halves for decoration (optional)

Storage Instructions

Keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The dough can be refrigerated for 48 hours before baking. For longer storage, scoop the dough into balls and freeze for up to 2 months – just add an extra minute to the baking time when cooking from frozen.

Perfect Pairings

These cookies are wonderful on their own but try them:

  • With afternoon coffee or tea
  • Crumbled over vanilla ice cream
  • As the base for ice cream sandwiches
  • Alongside a cold glass of milk

Nutrition Information

(per cookie)

  • Calories: 325
  • Total Fat: 18g
  • Saturated Fat: 8g
  • Cholesterol: 52mg
  • Sodium: 185mg
  • Total Carbohydrates: 38g
  • Fiber: 1.5g
  • Sugar: 22g
  • Protein: 4g

Note: Nutrition values are approximate and will vary based on specific ingredients used.

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