This Pecan Sandies Recipe makes the perfect buttery cookie. Classic shortbread is studded with butterscotch chips and chopped pecans for a rich, nutty treat.

Delicious and easy cookie recipes are the name of the game during the holidays! Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cranberry Bliss Bar Cookies, and these Pecan Sandies are all perfect recipes to help fill up your cookie jar!

pecan cookies on a cookie sheet

There is a lot to love about these cookies.

Most importantly, they are melt in your mouth delicious. So much rich, buttery flavor, with the perfect amount of crumbly texture. Yum.

a hand holding a cookie

Next, they are so easy to make and have very few ingredients.

They are also the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of coffee or tea. They also make a delicious treat for gift-giving during the holidays or for gracing your next cookie exchange or dessert spread!

This Pecan Sandies Recipe is also the same as shortbread cookies. You may have heard one or the other tossed around, but they are one in the same.

pecan sandies cookies on a cookie sheet

What is Shortbread?

Shortbread is a type of cookie or biscuit made from a 1:2:3 ratio of sugar, butter, and flour. There are no eggs or leavening ingredients in shortbread. Its beauty is in the simplicity of its ingredients and therefore it’s important to use ones that are good quality for best results and flavor.

Ingredients for Pecan Sandies Recipe

  • unsalted butter
  • vanilla extract
  • all purpose flour
  • salt
  • powdered sugar
  • milk
  • butterscotch chips
  • chopped pecans

How to Make This Pecan Sandies Recipe – Step by Step

Step 1: Mix

Add the softened butter and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the butter is smooth and creamy. 

a mixing bowl of cookie dough

Step 2: Add dry ingredients

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. If the dough is too dry (if it doesn’t hold together when you squeeze it), add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the dough resembles a dry cookie dough. It shouldn’t be sticky, but just wet enough to hold together if you shape it into a ball. 

Step 3: Chill dough

Next, add the butterscotch chips and pecans and fold them into the cookie dough. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes – 1 hour. While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 

a mixing bowl of cookie dough

Step 4: Cut out cookies

Once the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to ¼” thick. Cut out your desired shape (I used a 2.5” round cookie cutter) and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. 

cookie dough on a sheet pan

Step 5: Bake

Bake for 14-18 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool fully on the baking sheet. Then transfer any leftover cookies to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to five days. 

pecan sandies on a cookies sheet

Tips and Notes for Pecan Sandies Recipe

Chilling the Dough

Giving the dough time to chill is a very important step. Without proper time to chill, the dough will spread when baked and no one wants a flat pecan sandie cookie! Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes up to 1 hour in the fridge before baking.

Toasting the Pecans

Toasting the pecans is an optional step, and I don’t always do it, but it can add some depth to the flavor of the nuts if you have a few extra minutes. Just heat your oven to 350 degrees and place the pecans on a sheet pan. Roast for about 5-10 minutes, shaking the pan every few minutes to ensure the nuts don’t burn.

shortbread cookies on a cookie sheet

Freezing the Dough

The dough can easily be frozen for later use. Once you’ve rolled the dough into a large disc, wrap tightly and securely with plastic wrap. Place in a freezer zipper bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the frozen dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.

Storing and Freezing Cookies

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days. To freeze fully baked pecan sandies recipe cookies, place in a freezer zipper bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies on the counter before serving. 

More Pecan Recipes You Might Enjoy!

pecan sandies on a cookies sheet
5 from 33 ratings

Recipe: Pecan Sandies Recipe

Yield: 20 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
This Pecan Sandies Recipe makes the perfect buttery cookie. Classic shortbread is studded with butterscotch chips and chopped pecans for a rich, nutty treat.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk, only if needed
  • 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions
 

  • Add the softened butter and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the butter is smooth and creamy.
  • With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. If the dough is too dry (if it doesn’t hold together when you squeeze it), add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the dough resembles a dry cookie dough. It shouldn’t be sticky, but just wet enough to hold together if you shape it into a ball.
  • Next, add the butterscotch chips and pecans and fold them into the cookie dough. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes up to 1 hour.
  • While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Once the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to ¼” thick. Cut out your desired shape (I used a 2.5” round cookie cutter) and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake for 14-18 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool fully on the baking sheet. Then transfer any leftover cookies to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to five days. 

Notes

  • Chilling the Dough: Giving the dough time to chill is a very important step. Without proper time to chill, the dough will spread when baked and no one wants a flat pecan sandie cookie! Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes up to 1 hour in the fridge before baking.
  • Toasting the Pecans: Toasting the pecans is an optional step, and I don't always do it, but it can add some depth to the flavor of the nuts if you have a few extra minutes. Just heat your oven to 350 degrees and place the pecans on a sheet pan. Roast for about 5-10 minutes, shaking the pan every few minutes to ensure the nuts don't burn.
  • Freezing the Dough: The dough can easily be frozen for later use. Once you've rolled the dough into a large disc, wrap tightly and securely with plastic wrap. Place in a freezer zipper bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the frozen dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
  • Storing and Freezing Cookies: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days. To freeze fully baked cookies, place in a freezer zipper bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies on the counter before serving. 

 

Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Calories: 166kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 98mg, Potassium: 23mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 290IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Let me know! Mention @TheBelleoftheKitchen on Instagram or tag #BelleoftheKitchen.