Sweet and buttery, this slice-and-bake pecan shortbread is a riff on the classic with rich chopped pecans added to a traditional shortbread base. It's nutty, with that classic crumbly shortbread texture and a brown sugar base. You need just 6 ingredients, and only 15 minutes chilling time! This makes a fairly small batch so feel free to double or triple.
For some more delicious shortbread variations, try our slice-and-bake earl grey shortbread cookies, zesty cranberry orange shortbread, or cranberry pistachio shortbread.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Brown sugar: use light or dark brown sugar for this recipe.
- Salted butter: no additional salt is added to the cookie dough. If you only have unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt along with the flour.
- Pecans: walnuts are a good substitution.
- Sanding sugar: this is optional and is used to coat the outside of the cookies. Use any coarse sugar.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Method
Step 1: beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Step 2: mix in the dry ingredients. The dough will be crumbly.
Step 3: roll the dough into a log, then carefully coat in sanding sugar.
Step 4: chill in the freezer, then slice into rounds.
Step 5: place the cookies on a lined baking sheet and optionally top with pecan halves.
Step 6: bake until lightly golden and cool before serving.
Top Tips
- Try toasting: if you want a stronger pecan flavour, toast the pecans in a dry frying pan until golden and fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Roll before chilling: the sugar won't stick as well to chilled dough, so it needs to be rolled in sanding sugar before going in the fridge. If you forget, don't worry, the cookies are just as good without the sugar.
- Use the freezer: chilling the dough in the freezer cuts down on the waiting time needed by a lot. If you don't have access to a freezer, chill the dough in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Recipe Notes
Shortbread dough is always crumbly and seems dry. It comes together when pressed and will hold after chilling – this is due to the high butter content and it's completely normal.
If you don't coat the cookies in the sanding sugar, you might like to use a glaze or frosting of some kind to add a little more sweetness. Try this rum buttercream for something a little different or go for a simpler flavour with royal icing.
How to Store
Unbaked Dough: a rolled log of cookie dough will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to two months. Just slice and bake as many as you want or need.
Storage: keep the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezing: place fully cooled cookies in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
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Pecan Shortbread
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Hand or stand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- 2 baking sheets
- sharp knife
- Spatula
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- Sanding sugar, optional
- Halved pecans for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Next, add the flour and continue to mix just until combined. The cookie dough will be quite crumbly at this point.
- Add the chopped pecans to the bowl and mix to combine.
- Tip the dough out onto a work surface and gather it together with your hands. Gently press and mold the dough into a log shape, about 9-inches (23-cm) long, and 2-inches (5-cm) in diameter. Wrap the log in parchment paper, then carefully roll it on the work surface to even out the shape, making it rounder.
- Optional step - Once rolled, gently unwrap the cookie dough log then carefully roll it sanding sugar to coat the outside. Roll the dough back up in the parchment paper.
- Chill the pecan shortbread log in the freezer for 15 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150C°). Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough log from the freezer and gently unwrap it from the paper. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into 1⁄4-inch (6-mm) thick rounds. Place the cookies on the prepared baking trays. Top each cookie with a pecan half, if using.
- Bake the cookies for 28 to 30 minutes, or until golden. Cool the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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