Pecan Sandies
I feel like we’re having a Christmas (Eve?) in July moment right now. Traditionally, I always expect at least a few Pecan Sandies on my cookie tray every December (and they’re definitely worthy a spot on my Best Christmas Cookies list!). But… but, we’re all adults here, right? We can make Pecan Sandies any time of the year that we like, and this summer they’ve been super popular in my kitchen. They’re such an easy cookie to make with just a few ingredients, no chilling, and a brief baking period. If you’re going to bake cookies in the summertime, why not make it these?? Pecan Sandies have a delicate crispness at first bite (beneath that snowy powdered sugar coating) and a deliriously buttery, melt-in-your-mouth interior. They’re similar to my shortbread cookies, or even more similar to my snowball cookies, only disc-shaped rather than snowball shaped, and loaded with pecan chips rather than chocolate ones.
This recipe for Pecan Sandies varies a little bit from others you might have tried or tasted in the past. Rather than sticking strictly to powdered sugar, we’re using a blend of powdered and just a touch of brown sugar. The brown sugar enriches the cookie, adds a subtle but oh-so-good depth of flavor, and just plain puts them over the top. I’ve also notched up the vanilla extract just a tad, and added cornstarch to keep those cookie centers insanely soft.
Tips for Making Pecan Sandies
You can absolutely 100% chop your own pecans, but recently I’ve been lazy and have been buying pre-chopped “Pecan Chips”. Saves a few seconds of prep time! If you’re opting to chop your own pecans, you might want to go the extra mile and toast them, too. Toast your pecans before chopping them, spread pecan halves evenly over a baking sheet and cook on 350F for about 5 minutes or until you can smell the nuts roasting. Let them cool completely before chopping and adding to your cookie dough. Toasted pecans add even more flavor to pecan sandies! The sugar on top is optional. In the grand scheme of things, this recipe really doesn’t use that much sugar, so I didn’t think that these cookies would be sweet enough without a generous dusting of powdered sugar. However, my picky taste testers (AKA Zach and my siblings) liked the un-sugared cookies just as much as the sugared ones. Do your own taste-testing and decide which you like best!
Can You Freeze Pecan Sandies?
Yes! These pecan sandies can be frozen. My personal preference is to freeze the dough rather than the baked cookies (because who doesn’t love warm out of the oven cookies). Scoop, roll, and flatten the dough and then freeze in an airtight container. You may need to bake an additional minute or so if baking from frozen. If you’d like to freeze the baked cookies, that will also work so long as you freeze in an airtight container. I don’t recommend adding the powdered sugar before freezing, though, wait until after thawing to do so.
Enjoy! More Recipes You Might Like:
Butter Pecan Cookies (soft and chewy!) Thumbprint Cookies Biscotti Or find more favorite cookie recipes!
Let’s bake together! Be sure to check out my video at the bottom of the recipe where I’ll show you exactly how I make these Pecan Sandies in my own kitchen! If you enjoy watching, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded over 150 recipe videos that you can watch for free!
