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You’re going to love this pecan sugar cookies recipe. The brown sugar pairs with molasses, maple syrup, cinnamon, and more, for a deliciously rich flavor in every bite. Whether you’re looking for melt in your mouth cookies to make for the holidays or you just love sugar cookies and pecans, this recipe might just tick all your boxes. You won’t regret making these!
Brown sugar pecan cookies are soft, sweet and spiced. This is an extra-special cookie boasting toasted pecans, vanilla extract, sugar and more, for rich, festive flavors.
Also try Christmas mug cake, amaretto cream pie, cheese Danishes, monkey bread, or easy chocolate pistachio eclairs!
Why You’ll Love It
Delicious: There are plenty of tasty sugar cookie recipes but they all have one thing in common, and that’s they are all delicious!
Festive: The warm spices in these sugar cookies make them perfect for the holidays, whether you plan to gift them, enjoy them or both!
Simple to make: You don’t need any special skills or special equipment to make these pecan sugar cookies. It’s basically just about mixing the ingredients together, cutting out the cookies, baking them, and then adding a glaze or frosting if you want to.
Pecan Sugar Cookies Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Butter: You need a whole stick of butter (8 tablespoons).
Sugar: Use light brown sugar as well as powdered sugar for sweetness.
Maple syrup: Also for sweetness and to add a lovely maple flavor.
Vanilla extract: Adds a light, delicate taste.
Ground cinnamon: For an earthy, warm flavor.
Pecans: For crunch.
How to Make Pecan Sugar Cookies
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Start the cookie batter: Mix the butter, both kinds of sugar and maple syrup, then add the vanilla and egg.
Add the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and pecans together in a medium bowl, then combine this with the butter mixture.
Chill the dough: Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for half an hour at least.
Cut out the cookies: Roll the dough out on a floured surface about 1/4-inch thick, then cut the cookie dough into cookie shapes with a cookie cutter.
Bake the cookies: Bake cookies on a baking sheet in a preheated oven until golden brown at the edges, then let them cool completely and glaze or frost if liked.
Substitutions and Variations
Spices: You might like to add a pinch of apple pie spice (here) or nutmeg to the dough.
Add frosting: Use royal icing on top, brown butter icing or your favorite kind of frosting from the store. You don’t have to frost, glaze or top these unless you want to.
Butter: If you don’t have salted butter, use unsalted butter with a pinch of salt in your cookie dough instead.
Serving Suggestions
As a sweet treat: If these aren’t frosted, you can spread some strawberry jam on top before serving. If you’re serving a selection of cookies, you might also like frosted cranberry cookies or baci di dama Italian cookies.
With a drink: Enjoy pecan cookies with a Starbucks copycat pink drink, iced gingerbread latte or banana mango smoothie.
How to Store Sugar Cookies with Pecans
Store: These will keep for about a week at room temperature in an airtight container.
Freeze: Freeze them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for a couple of hours, then transfer them into a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and enjoy within 3 months.
Top Tips
Use a hand mixer: An electric mixer makes light work of combining the ingredients.
Use a Danish dough whisk too: This is a great tool for the dough because it’s quite thick to work with.
Chill your dough: This stops the cookies spreading out on the pan while they cook.
Pecan Sugar Cookie FAQs
If you don’t want to use homemade or store-bought frosting, or leave these plain, you can mix a cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk or cream, adding a splash of vanilla extract too if you like.
Yes it is, which is why you might like to use a dough whisk. Another idea is to work on the dough using your hands, like you would with bread dough, since sugar cookie dough is pretty thick and can be hard to work with.
Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies Recipe
Pecan Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- ^^^ NOT GINGERBREAD MAN
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons salted butter, 1 Stick, at room temperature
- ½ Cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ Cup powdered sugar
- ¼ Cup maple syrup
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 ¼ Cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- ½ Teaspoon baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ Cups pecans, chopped
Optional Glaze:
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- vanilla extract, to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter, light brown sugar, powdered sugar, and maple syrup together.
- Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add the vanilla extract, and the egg. Mix until incorporated. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt, and chopped pecans.
- Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. Mix well in between each addition.
- The dough will be thick, I would suggest using a Danish dough whisk or a mixing spoon.
- Once you have a dough ball, no more dry flour, wrap it in a plastic film, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Put 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour on a working surface and roll the dough, ¼ inch thick.
- Note: If, like me, you have a hot kitchen, separate the dough in half and keep the other half in the refrigerator.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough and place it on a cookie sheet.
- Place the cookies on the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges will be set and slightly golden.
- Cool in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Repeat steps 8 to 11 until you have used all the dough.
- Keep the cookies unglazed or once the cookies are cooled, you can glaze them. Whisk the glaze ingredients together and use that,
Notes
Use a Danish dough whisk too: This is a great tool for the dough because it’s quite thick to work with.
Chill your dough: This stops the cookies spreading out on the pan while they cook.
Nutrition
Pecan brown sugar cookies offer all the wonderful flavor sugar cookies are known for along with a pecan hint. The texture falls somewhere between shortbread and a classic sugar cookie. They are easy to make and you can choose whether to frost or glaze them. Maybe you want to make a second batch of these delicious sugar cookies with toasted chopped pecans and give them as a gift. They also freeze well. Whether you choose to add these to your regular cookie rotation or make some as a festive treat, everyone is going to love the rich, sweet taste.
Other Recipes to Try
- If you’re craving a classic dessert with a twist, try Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie.
- Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip is another sweet treat to fall in love with!
- Indulge in the rich and gooey goodness of Double Chocolate Pecan Blondies.
- Candied Pecans are sweet and crunchy. Try them in a strawberry spinach salad.
- For a cozy treat for any occasion, whip up Cinnamon Lattice Cookies!
- Enjoy the ultimate chocolate lover’s dream with Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
ARE YOU SURE THIS RECIPE CALLS FOR 12 TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER. SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF BUTTER?
Oops, it’s supposed to be 8 tablespoons, which is 1 stick of butter.
We love this recipe—it’s become our new favorite!
This one exceeded my expectations! So flavorful! 🙂
The pecan and the sugar is such a wonderful combo. The best cookies I’ve made recently.
Could you please email me the recipe for the glaze you used on the Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies. Thanks
Glaze recipe
● 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk (or cream).
● You can add a vanilla extract.