Butter Pecan Cookies
Soft, chewy and fluffy, these Butter Pecan Cookies have absolutely amazing flavor and will be the hit at your holiday cookie exchange!
BUTTER PECAN COOKIE RECIPE
If you love anything with the flavor of butter pecan then you are going to love these cookies! They are full of flavor and are chewy, soft and have a little crunch from the pecans. I prefer soft cookies over crunchy so if the same applies to you, then these are the cookies you’ll want to make! Rolled in sugar and topped with a pecan, these aren’t just tasty they are also so pretty! If you are looking for that special, easy, show-stopping cookie recipe, then you need to try this Butter Pecan Cookie recipe!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
They are soft and chewy cookies with a warm buttery and brown sugar flavor and filled with crunchy chopped pecans.
The main purpose of adding cornstarch to cookie recipes is to keep them soft and chewy. We love adding cornstarch when we want our cookies to be thicker and chewier. If you haven’t ever tried adding it to your chocolate chip cookie recipes, I promise it will make a huge difference. Give it a try!
The dough needs to be chilled at least 2 hours before baking but I usually end up just leaving it overnight. I’ve just found that the longer the dough chills with this recipe, there is less spread and the cookies are puffier.
This is a personal choice. You can chop them as small or large as you’d like. It all depends on how much crunch you want in each individual cookie. The pecans are hard to fold into the dough itself but that is okay, they will get incorporated when you are rolling them into balls.
This can be found in the baking aisle next to your other extracts. This really amps up the flavor of the cookies themselves. If you cannot find it you can just add a little extra vanilla but they won’t have the more potent butter flavor we are going for.
You do not need to top with a pecan if you do not want to. This gives it a nice presentation and extra pecan flavor. It is like topping a peanut butter blossom cookie with a Hershey’s Kiss chocolate.
It’s just larger sugar granules. You can usually find them near the cake decorating tools in your grocery store. But if you can’t find them, no worries. Just roll in regular sugar!
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. These can also be frozen. To do that, let the cookies cool and place in freezer container or freezer bag where they will keep for up to 3 months. Let defrost on the countertop until soft.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- all-purpose flour
- cornstarch
- baking soda
- salted butter
- light brown sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- butter extract
- pecans
- decorators sugar (larger sugar crystals)
HOW TO MAKE BUTTER PECAN COOKIES:
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.
Add the egg, vanilla, and butter extract, whisk until combined and smooth.
Add the flour mixture to the bowl and stir it in until combined with no dry patches. This may take a few minutes.
Fold in the pecans.
Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, or heaping tablespoon-sized dollops, portion the cookie dough and place them, not touching, but close together on the parchment paper. Cover and place in the refrigerator for two hours, up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper. Take the cookie dough balls and roll them between your hands to form a smooth ball, they will be hard at first but will soften up. Roll them in the decorators sugar.
Place them on the sheet trays 2 inches apart. Gently press the pecan halves on to the tops of the cookies, if using.
Bake for 9-10 minutes until the cookies are puffed, the tops are not shiny, and they are slightly browned. Let them cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup salted butter melted
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon butter extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
For garnish:
- ⅓ cup decorators sugar (large sugar crystals)
- pecan halves optional
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and butter extract, whisk until combined and smooth.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl and stir it in until combined with no dry patches. This may take a few minutes.
- Fold in the pecans.
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, or heaping tablespoon-sized dollops, portion the cookie dough and place them, not touching, but close together on the parchment paper. Cover and place in the refrigerator for two hours, up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper. Take the cookie dough balls and roll them between your hands to form a smooth ball, they will be hard at first but will soften up.
- Roll them in the decorators sugar.
- Place them on the sheet trays 2 inches apart. Gently press the pecan halves on to the tops of the cookies, if using.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes until the cookies are puffed, the tops are not shiny, and they are slightly browned.
- Let them cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Topping with pecans is optional but makes a great presentation and texture contrast.
- Do not skip the chilling, this is essential for the cookies to turn out (it keeps them from spreading too much)
- If you cannot find butter extract you can use all vanilla.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Easily double this recipe to have more on hand, for gatherings, cookie exchanges or to freeze for later.
- If you only have unsalted butter, you will need to have 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Can’t find decorators sugar? Just roll in regular sugar.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This cookie sounds wonderful. If I buy butter extract for this recipe, what else can I use butter extract in?
You could use it in a lot of recipes where you want to amp up the butter flavor. If you search for my other butter pecan recipes on here, I use the butter extract in those. Its wonderful in pound cakes too 🙂