These easy pecan shortbread cookies are a buttery, sweet bite and so easy to make. They aren't just for the holidays but perfect any day with a cup of tea or coffee.
Shortbread cookies are one of our favorite comfort treats that takes us to our happy place! This pecan shortbread cookie recipe contains just 5 ingredients - flour, sugar, salt, butter, and toasted pecans. They are SO. EASY. to make!
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A Few Pro Tips for Making Shortbread Cookies
- Make sure the butter is room temperature - not hard and not melted. If the butter is too soft or too hard, working with the dough can be a little tricky.
- Chill the dough after mixing, before cutting, and before baking if needed.
- Crumbly dough is okay. Since there is no liquid in the recipe, this dough might be crumbly but holds together when pressed and rolled. Creaming the butter and sugar completely and thoroughly mixing in the flour will help the dough hold together when pressed and rolled.
Basic Steps for Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Toast the chopped pecans. Toasting nuts only takes a few minutes and brings out SO much flavor! Do this on the stovetop in a skillet or in the oven. Whichever method you use, keep an eye on them as they can go from toasted to burnt very quickly.
- Cream sugar and room temperature butter together. We like using a hand mixer since there is not a lot of dough. If you scrape the sides of the bowl frequently, a stand mixer also works. Doing this by hand will work, it will just take some time and energy.
- Add flour and pecans. Mix until all of the flour is combined with the creamed butter and sugar. Unlike other cookie doughs, this dough may be a little crumbly. That's okay! The dough will come together when rolling it out.
Please use a kitchen scale if you have one! Measuring by weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring by volume (with cups) and will give you a more consistent baked good. There are many inexpensive kitchen scales available. We use this one.
- Prepare the dough for cutting. Press the dough together until it forms a ball. If using a cookie cutter, roll the dough flat until it is ¼ - ⅜ inch thick. If slicing into circles, roll the dough into a log that is about 1 ½ inches in diameter.
- Refrigerate dough. Wrap dough tight and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days. Wrap the dough airtight if storing longer than a few hours before baking.
- Remove dough and cut into cookies.
- Bake. Shortbread cookies do not brown like other cookies. Our 1 ½ inch round and ¼ inch thick shortbread cookies took 25 minutes to bake. The edges will JUST start turning a light golden color.
What Does Creaming Butter and Sugar Mean?
Creaming sugar and butter means you mix the butter and sugar together (usually at high speeds) until it is completely blended, light, and fluffy. It should be creamy and somewhat smooth with no visible sugar granules. An electric mixer, hand or stand, makes this much easier and faster. The dough can also be mixed by hand. We used a hand mixer for these cookies.
- Why do we cream the butter and sugar? First, it helps the sugar dissolve into the butter and makes sure it is evenly blended throughout the batter or dough. Second, it incorporates more air into the batter or dough and results in a lighter baked good.
- Use softened butter! This allows the sugar to mix evenly with the butter. Butter that is too hard, like straight from the fridge, won't break down enough to fully mix with the sugar. Too soft butter (like melted) will become greasy with too many air bubbles when it is mixed. To soften butter we remove it from the refrigerator about an hour before use. If short on time, these other methods will also work.
- How to properly cream butter and sugar. Add softened butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat at medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is completely combined and doesn't look grainy. If doing this by hand, start by mashing the butter into the sugar with a fork. Then use a wooden spoon and stir, stir, stir until the mixture is light, fluffy, and you no longer see any grains of sugar.
Cookie Cutter vs. Slicing
We cut these cookies using a cookie cutter and also rolling the dough into a log and slicing it into round cookies. Both ways work great. Rolling in a log and slicing is probably a little faster since you don't have to re-roll the dough scraps like you do when using a cookie cutter. Also, when slicing the dough roll the cookie has a tendency to become a little flattened instead of perfectly round. If you want a TRUE shape, we recommend using a cookie cutter.
NOTE: Because the dough is cold, we can usually roll and cut these cookies with very little extra flour. Too much extra flour can make the cookies heavy. If the dough gets too soft and is sticking, pop it back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up and then continue rolling and cutting.
If using a cookie cutter
We used a round cookie cutter but you could also use a square, heart, or rectangle cutter.
- Rolling dough. Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and place mixed dough on top. Press the dough together until it has formed a ball. Flatten the dough using your hand and a rolling pin until it is ¼ - ⅜ inch thick. It is much easier to flatten the dough before chilling it but you can also roll it out after it is chilled.
- Refrigerate. Cover with another piece of parchment paper, wrap tight, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Cut cookies. When ready to cut cookies remove the dough from the fridge and remove the top layer of parchment paper. Use a cookie cutter to cut the cookies. Re-roll the dough scraps and cut again. Continue until all dough is cut. When cutting cookies the dough will get soft if it has been out too long. Refrigerate the dough for 10 -15 minutes to firm up then resume rolling and cutting. Place the sheet pan with the raw, cut cookies in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up again before baking if they are not firm.
- Place cut cookies on a baking sheet leaving at least ½ inch between each cookie.
If slicing a dough roll into circles
- After mixing the dough turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Press the dough together into a ball until it holds together.
- Roll the dough back and forth on the parchment paper until you have a 'dough log' that is about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Wrap the dough tight and chill for at least an hour.
- When ready to bake cookies, remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap them. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into ¼ - ⅜ inch slices.
- Place each slice on a baking sheet leaving at least ½ inch between each slice.
Storing Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Unbaked cookie dough
- Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap. While we don't usually recommend using a single use plastic, if you are refrigerating for longer than a few hours before baking we recommend wrapping the dough in plastic wrap for a tighter seal.
- Store in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to a month. If frozen, let dough thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling or cutting.
- Freeze individual cut cookies. Cut cookies and freeze them on a sheet pan. Once frozen transfer the individual cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. Bake them straight from the freezer (add a few minutes to the baking time) or thaw them first and bake as directed.
- Baked cookie dough
- Store in an airtight container on the counter up to 5 days or in the fridge up to 10 days.
- Freeze cookies. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen transfer to an airtight container and freeze up to a month.
Favorite Riffs
- If slicing the cookies you can roll the dough log in chopped pecans before chilling for some extra pecan crunch. Form the log, roll in toasted pecans, wrap tight, and refrigerate.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the tops of the cookies once they cool.
- We like our shortbread cookies without additional flavoring and find adding it doesn't really add anything to the cookies but feel free to add a dash of vanilla if you like.
- For a crispier cookie bake cookies for 1-2 minutes more or roll (or slice) the dough thinner. If slicing thinner, you may need to reduce the baking time by a few minutes so they don't dry out.
Other Favorite Cookie and Dessert Recipes
FAQ's
Yes! Press the dough into the parchment lined pan you want to use. We like to 'score' the cookies before baking. Using a fork or knife, gently 'cut or perforate' the dough into the sizes you want the cookies to be. Bake as directed. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and use the parchment paper to lift the cookies out of the pan. While still warm, use a knife to cut the cookies along the perforation marks made before baking the cookies.
We got 24-30 1 ½ inch round cookies. We got the same amount whether we used a cookie cutter or sliced them. Cut into sizes and shapes that work for you. Squares, rectangles, triangles, circles all work great. The key is to make sure the dough is between ¼ - ⅜ inch thick and even all around. Thinner than ¼ inch and the cookies are crispy. Much more than ⅜ inch and the cookies can become too crispy outside in order to get the inside baked through.
Shortbread cookies are not the same as a sugar cookie. Sugar cookies usually have eggs, more sugar, and a leavening agent which will make them lighter and sweeter. Shortbread cookies will be denser, less sweet, and more buttery flavored.
📖 Recipe
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 24-30 1 ½" cookies 1x
Description
This easy pecan shortbread cookie is absolutely delicious - and did we mention EASY! The perfect balance of buttery flavor, crisp bite, and subtle sweetness combined with toasted pecans.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar (67 grams)
- Pinch of salt OPTIONAL
- 1 ¼ cups flour (150 grams)
- ½ cup pecans, chopped (60 grams)
Instructions
TOAST THE PECANS
- Place the chopped pecans into a skillet and heat on medium-high heat stirring frequently until the pecans are lightly toasted, about 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the pecans as they will go from not toasted to burned quickly.
- Remove from the heat and let cool.
MAKE THE COOKIES
- Place room temperature butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) cream butter and sugar together until completely mixed.
- Add flour and mix slowly until all the flour is completely incorporated into the creamed mixture.
- Stir in toasted pecans and mix until combined.
- Turn dough out onto a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour and press together until it forms a ball.
If using a cookie cutter - pat and roll (with a rolling pin) the dough flat until it is ¼ - ⅜ inch thick.
If slicing cookies - roll the dough into a log that is about 1 ½ inches in diameter by pulling the sides of the parchment up and rolling the cookie dough log back and forth across the parchment to form a smooth log. Flatten the ends of the log. - Wrap the dough with parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 5 days. While we don't usually recommend using a single use plastic, if you are refrigerating for longer than a few hours before baking we recommend wrapping the dough in plastic wrap for a tighter seal.
- When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 300°F.
- Remove wrapped dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and place on a cutting board.
- If using a cookie cutter - cut the cookies, re-roll the dough scraps and cut again. Continue until all the dough is cut. See notes below for more info if using a cookie cutter.
If slicing cookies -Use a sharp knife to cut the dough log into slices about ¼ - ⅜ inch thick. - Transfer cookies to a lined baking sheet.
- Place in 300°F oven.
- Bake 24-26 minutes. Cookies should be firm but not brown. The edges may be JUST starting to brown.
- Remove from the oven, cool for 4-5 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
When using a cookie cutter for the cookies the dough may get soft if it has been out too long. If the dough starts sticking or becomes hard to work with, refrigerate for 10 -15 minutes to firm up then resume rolling and cutting. Place the sheet pan with the raw, cut cookies in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to chill before baking if they are not firm.
For a crisper cookie bake them 1-2 minutes longer or roll (slice) them a little thinner.
Butter and salt. We use unsalted butter for this recipe, but salted will also work. If using salted butter, omit the pinch of salt. Make sure the butter is room temperature before creaming with the sugar. We found there was not a noticeable difference if we added the salt or not.
Storage. Well wrapped, raw shortbread dough will last a week in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer. Baked shortbread cookies in an airtight container will last a week on the counter or up to 10 days in the fridge. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to a month.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Inactive Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 78
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Sodium: 50.6 mg
- Fat: 5.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.3 g
- Protein: 0.8 g
- Cholesterol: 9.4 mg
Dev D says
These shortbread cookies are a perfect bite! They were a hit during the holidays and pair well with tea
Team Appetizer Bliss says
We're so happy to hear these cookies were a hit! We love the idea of pairing them with tea, too!