Pecan Shortbread Cookies - make, freeze, bake, store. You can make this recipe well ahead or at the last minute.
Brown sugar and nuts give it a bit of caramel-like depth.
They are quite firm. They don't spread or rise much on the baking sheet so you can place them fairly close together like a half-inch apart.
If you want that warm cookie, heavenly smelling kitchen experience - the dough log can be frozen and thawed when ready to bake. I defrosted my log one day and then I got busy. So I stuck the log in the fridge to defrost and bake the following day. They were totally fine. Nice to have such a forgiving recipe!
The cookies store well in an airtight container at room temperature. I am sure the baked cookies would also freeze and defrost well.
I think this is not a new recipe but it is new to me. Shortbread in my house growing up was always white, usually out of a cookie press in the shape of wreaths and Christmas trees.
So.. I came late to the party and only discovered them when a girlfriend served them. I was sold at the first bite...all buttery, nuttiness!
Easy and versatile - what more can you ask for?
FAQs
You can use salted butter but the flavour will be slightly different. Many shortbread recipes use salted butter so it is a familiar taste to some.
Walnuts would be great in this recipe.
You certainly could freeze the cookies after baking them, sealed airtight.
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Pecan Shortbread
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Save Print Pin FacebookIngredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
Instructions
- Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine.
- Stir in the flour till well mixed. Fold in chopped pecans.
- Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a 3" diameter log using the plastic wrap and rolling on the counter. Seal the dough and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Cut the dough into ½" rounds. Place the cookies on the baking pan. They don't spread so they can be fairly close together but not touching.
- Bake cookies 12-14 minutes until just slightly golden brown. Allow to cool on and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Dough log can be frozen. Thaw and cut into ½ inch rounds then bake as per above.
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