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Pecan Sandies cookies are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and loaded with pecans. They’re not too sweet, which makes it so easy to just keep popping them in your mouth…absolutely delicious!
My husband recently tagged along with me to the grocery store. This never happens.
Mostly because back when the kids were younger he would get them all riled up in the store and I’d lose my mind. But also because do you know what he does sometimes? He grabs packages of cookies off the shelf and puts him in our cart and HOW DARE HE.
Obviously, this makes me feel as though I’m failing as a wife by not keeping the man stocked in cookies. Which is ridiculous, because we nearly always have a cookie jar full of homemade…something. Like our peanut butter banana cookies, Texas sheet cake cookies, or our chocolate peanut butter cookies.
Anyway, I put the package back on the shelf, came straight home, and angry baked him some pecan sandies. I sure showed him who’s boss.
What are Pecan Sandies?
Pecan Sandies remind me a bit of shortbread cookies with that buttery flavor and texture. They’re a simple cookie that’s not overly sweet, which I love because that means i can just sit and eat them like potato chips. 😉 Danger.
Y’all, these are good. Soft on the inside, that crunchy crispy crackly thing going on the outside thanks to the little roll in sugar before baking, and of course, they’re loaded with buttery pecans. Heaven!
Pecan Sandies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Slowly add to the butter mixture and mix on low until just combined. Stir in the pecans.
- The dough will be somewhat sticky, but roll it into 24 small balls and roll each ball in sugar.
- Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet 1 inch apart (they don’t spread much at all) and bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until the edges are golden.
- Cool on wire racks.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Ingredient Notes:
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Pecans – The key ingredient of this pecan sandies recipe! You’ll mix a whole cup of chopped pecans into the cookie dough.
Sugar – You’ll need granulated white sugar, packed brown sugar, and powdered sugar.
Cream of Tartar – Along with the baking soda this will help the pecan sandies rise. You’re only using half a teaspoon so it won’t add much of the tangy flavor that you’d get with snickerdoodle cookies.
Vanilla Extract – For a little extra flavor.
What We Love About THIS PECAN SANDIES RECIPE:
- Pecans: This one is kind of obvious, but the pecans are pretty amazing in these cookies. Especially if you toast them first! See more on that below.
- Texture: These cookies have an irresistible texture! A crackly sugary exterior and a soft, buttery interior that’s packed with crunchy toasted pecans.
- Holiday Cookies: We eat these sandies all year long but they also make great cookies for the holidays!
Toasted Pecans:
If you want to infuse some extra flavor into the pecans you can toast them first! It’s a simple way to get enhance the nutty flavor. It also makes your kitchen smell great.
Add the pecans to a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until they’ve taken on a toasted color and nutty fragrance.
You can also toast them in the oven. Just spread them out on a baking sheet and toast them at 350° for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
What Readers are Saying!
“Just made these and they are wonderful. A nice treat that isn’t too sweet, but just right. I’m sure I will be making these many more times. Thanks for a great recipe!” – Shasta
How to Make Pecan Sandies Cookies:
Wet Ingredients: Begin by by beating together butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar.
Beat in some egg and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Dry Ingredients: Mix in all the dry ingredients, excluding the pecans which we’ll get to in the next step!
My Favorite Hand Mixer!
It’s so easy to whip up dessert with this cute hand mixer. It doesn’t take up much space and is a must for any kitchen!
Pecans – Once the cookie dough has come together, add in your chopped pecans and give it a good mix until they are well combined with the dough.
Bake: Roll the dough into 24 equal sized balls and then roll each ball in a bit of granulated sugar. Bake your cookies for 12 minutes. The edges should just be beginning to brown.
Helpful TipS FOR BAKING PECAN SANDIES!
- Process: If you’re starting with whole pecans you can make quick work of chopping them if you’ve got a food processor! If you want smaller, finer pieces of pecan in the cookies a processor makes that easier too.
- Modify: You can use all kinds of other ingredients and mix ins including different chopped nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts. Dried fruit like cranberries or raisins, or chocolate chips, are also good choices!
- Mixing: Don’t overmix the cookie dough ingredients or it could lead to a tougher texture.
Let the pecan sandies cool before you start popping them in one by one. They’re not overly sweet, which makes it really easy to just sit and eat the whole batch. Ask me how I know. 😉
FAQs:
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and they should last for at least 4 to 5 days.
Yes, both the raw cookie dough and the baked cookies will freeze well. For best results flash freeze the dough or cookies first by portioning them out onto a baking sheet and freezing for a couple of hours before moving them to a freezer safe ziploc bag.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough:
Want to make these cookies ahead of time and bake them up warm and fresh? It’s so easy!
Dough: Make the dough as directed and scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Roll into balls and through the sugar.
Flash Freeze: Pop the cookie sheet into your freezer for about 1 hour. This will allow the dough to freeze around the outside so that the cookie dough doesn’t stick together.
Bag: Place the cookie dough balls in a freezer safe ziptop bag and press out the air as you seal the bag.
Freeze: Place the bag in the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
Bake: Remove as many balls of cookie dough as you’d like to bake from the freezer and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. Do not thaw. Bake frozen cookie dough for 1-2 minutes longer than the recipe calls for.
MORE FAVORITE COOKIE RECIPES!
This post was originally published in October 2012. It was updated with new photos November 2019.
Anna says
Husbands at the store! UGH. My husband does price comparison on the things I’ve been buying for eleven years now. Duh, I know the Kroger mac and cheese is cheaper than the blue box. Quit, already. And yet, I still take the kids, too.
I LOVE Pecan Sandies. My first thought was “NO, YOU DI-N’T” but I’m pretty sure I’ve already said that here. But yeah, pretty much like everyone else, the cookies were always at my granpa’s house, but I loved them.
Joanne says
I once went grocery shopping with my boyfriend and he dared to buy a JAR of tomato sauce. FOR SHAME. I threw a fit. Nuff said.
Freshly made cookies are always better than storebought. Truth. And I DO like pecan sandies…even though I’m only 25.
Karly says
@Joanne,
Please don’t yell, but I almost always buy jarred pasta sauce. I’m a bad girl.
Jen @ Savory Simple says
I loved these cookies when I was younger! I totally forgot about them but you’ve inspired me. MUST MAKE.
Katie says
Love pecan sandies! And I’m only 34! 🙂
Teresa says
They are like old people cookies but they are liked by all people. However, they are best seved as crust for French silk pie! I had an old boyfriend that made that for me just because sometimes. Yummmmm!
Karly says
@Teresa,
Do what now?? Pecan Sandies as crust for pie? You’re a genius.
Joni says
I take offense at the “these cookies are for AARP members”. : ) I’ve loved these little bites of goodness for years, and I’m “only” 42! By the way – they are delicious crumbled up on chocolate ice cream.
I will definitely have to try your recipe – they look fantastic.
Karly says
@Joni,
Nooooo! Now I have to make another batch just for ice cream!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
It’s totally ok to like grown up cookies! These sound lovely!
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Yeah, old people know their cookies. These look yummy.
Karly says
@shelly (cookies and cups),
Good point. If the old people like it, it’s probably good. Then again, old people drink a lot of prune juice and I don’t think I’d go for that. (You should know that it’s taking all my strength to not make a joke about how actually, yeah, I would “go” for that.)
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Love that you have a perhaps new-fave cookie! The brown sugar makes me instantly want to try them b/c the flavor is just awesome I bet with the pecans. Mmmm!
Jocelyn says
I have to admit I have never eaten one of these cookies, even though I saw them all the time at my grandpa’s house. But since you are such a young chicken I am taking your word on this and I will try one the very next time I see an open package…or I’ll just make my own because I bet those taste a whole lot better than the package!!!
Karly says
@Jocelyn,
Try one from the package and then make this recipe. The homemade version is so much better!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
31, 30, 89… age is but a number not assigned to a prepackaged cookie, young grasshopper. Okay, so my grandma TOTALLY stockpiled these cookies all.the.time when I was a kid and I grew up loving them. SOWHAT. I was 7 going on 79 and uh, still have the habits (early bedtime, like soap operas, eat dinner at 430) to prove it. Also, I can NEVER shop with anyone else. Even my own parents drive me insane while we’re shopping.
Jackie says
My grandma always has a package of these when I go over to her house so I too have always thought of them as “old people cookies”. But, I love them (and so does my husband and daughter) and because my grandma always has them they are a comfort food to me! Can’t wait to make some!
Karly says
@Jackie,
Enjoy!
Emily B says
I disagree that these are old people cookies!! I LOVE them and have been eating them since I was little… That may or not be because my dad ate them. And ok… he may have been like really old to me when I was like 6. And now he’s totally in AARP.
Damn.
Anyways… I totally love these cookies and I can’t wait to make them at home.
Oh and I totally age myself a year, especially the closer it gets to my birthday. It’s not on purposed but it happens.
Alison says
My roommate had these delicacies sitting around the kitchen. I was hungry & all it took was one bite before I realized I’d scarfed down, oh, quite a few. I don’t know where you get your information, but these are definitely not just for the AARP crowd, as she and I were only 21! Of course, NOW we’re both of AARP age (56). We’re no longer roommates (35 years), but I imagine these sandies are still wonderful. It’s almost as tho’ we did things in reverse. Bottom line, I plan to bake these & just relive my youth thru “YUM”! Thanks for the memory. Alison
Cookbook Queen says
So when I saw this recipe in my reader I thought “Oh, look!! My mother in law’s favorite cookies!! ”
Then I saw what you said about AARP. So yes, you are correct. However, they ARE quite tasty, I do have to agree.
Also, my husband does the same thing with my kid. OR he will say he’s coming to help but then they go off to look at hunting equipment and return just in time to add like fifty things to the cart that I know they will never eat.
Karly says
@Cookbook Queen,
Best for the boys to just stay at home and leave us be with our grocery shopping.