Pecan Sandies

Homemade Pecan Sandies are as easy as they are delicious!

Studded with crunchy pecans, this light, and buttery shortbread cookie is the perfect dessert to make!

Pecan Sandies have a fine, crumbly texture that makes them a melt-in-your-mouth delicious treat anytime.

A stack of pecan sandies with a bite on a wood board

What Are Pecan Sandies?

“Sandies” is a cookie made with basic ingredients, similar to a sugar cookie or shortbread cookie.

Love pecans? Pecan Sandies are a shortbread-style cookie recipe loaded with crushed pecans for a nutty crunch.
A food processor quickly mixes and chops all the ingredients.
If you love snowball cookies, you’ll love the texture of these pecan sandies. And you can shape them like snowballs, too!
Make the dough ahead of time, store it in the fridge or freezer, and bake when you’re ready.
Serve plain or dust with powdered sugar and serve as a dainty tea party dessert.

ingredients to make Pecan Sandies on a baking shee

Ingredients in Pecan Sandies

Pecan Sandies are made from a simple butter-based dough much like shortbread.

Pecans – To add an extra layer of flavor, make sure to use whole pecans that can be toasted before using them in the recipe.
Flour – This cookie recipe calls for all-purpose flour.
Butter – To ensure consistent results, I recommend using unsalted butter and adding your own salt. Different brands contain different amounts of salt.
Powdered sugar – For a crumbly texture, use powdered sugar which is finer than granulated sugar and blends easily.
Vanilla extract – A little bit of vanilla extract goes a long way in adding flavor to these cookies.

How to Make Pecan Sandies

Homemade Pecan Sandies are so easy to make!

Toast pecans, cool, and pulse in a food processor per the recipe below.
Cream butter & sugar until smooth; add in the pecans and flour.
Chill for a couple of hours (or days!).
Form into cookies

Pro Tips for Pecan Sandies

For the best flavor, use unsalted butter and add your own salt.
To save time on grinding the pecans (or if you don’t have a food processor), start with chopped instead of whole pecans. They can still be toasted in a small non-stick skillet over medium heat until fragrant.

To make these delicious Pecan Sandies without a food processor, start by very finely chopping the pecans before adding them to the dough.

You can chop them by hand, or you can add a few pecans to a blender or food processor and pulse them until they’re finely chopped. Then, use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in the butter and mix the dough. Remember, the dough will be crumbly but should come together when you roll it into balls.

How to Store Sandies

Keep Pecan Sandies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. The dough can be frozen in a zippered bag for up to 3 months. To bake a few cookies at a time, simply freeze unbaked slices and then put them in a zippered bag, then only bake what you need.

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Made with simple ingredients, these buttery shortbread cookies are packed with toasted pecan flavor!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 27 minutes

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place pecans on a pan and cook for 7-8 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool completely.
Place the cooled pecans in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Remove 3 tablespoons of the pecans and set aside.
Add flour and salt to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy. Mix in water and vanilla.
Add the flour and pecans a bit at a time until incorporated.
Scoop the dough into 1″ balls and lightly flatten. Roll the edges in the reserved pecans.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Cool the cookies completely and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Toasting pecans is optional, but it adds lots of flavor to these cookies.
The texture of these cookies is crumbly, much like a shortbread cookie.
The dough can be chilled and baked from chilled, you will need to add about 2 minutes baking time.
Instead of forming individual cookies, the dough can be rolled into a 2-inch thick log, chilled for 4 hours, and sliced before baking.
No Food Processor? Start with chopped instead of whole pecans, and if needed chop them more finely before using. To toast chopped pecans, place them in a small skillet over medium heat and cook while stirring until fragrant.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

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