These Pecan Sandies are a great, lighter cookie recipe!
This tin of Pecan Sandies makes the perfect treat to make during the holidays. They’ve always been a favorite, classic Christmas cookie recipe. And they’re also a good one for a cookie exchange party or for displaying on your own cookie platters to share with friends and relatives over the holiday season.
Substitution for the Pecans:
These cookies may also be made with chopped almonds or chopped walnuts in place of the pecans. They’re delicious made all ways. If making them with chopped almonds, you can substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract.
How to make Pecan Sandies:
Combine the flour, pecans and salt in one bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine the sugar, butter and vanilla in another bowl. Then you’ll add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until a dough forms.
They may seem a little strange to make as the dough is a mass of crumbs, but they all come together when you form the dough into balls. If you have any problem at all with the crumbs not sticking together, it’s okay to add several drops of water or milk until you get a better consistency. You should be able to form 34 balls of dough- using about 1 tablespoon per ball.
Pecan Sandies bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until they are lightly browned. While they are still hot, give them a sprinkle of powdered sugar to coat the tops.
If you try to eat them while warm, they will crumble apart- they need time to set. So let them cool completely, and they will be perfect for eating. They will have a crisp and somewhat crumbly texture with a sweet coating. Pecan Sandies are much like a pecan shortbread cookie.
Store them in a covered container, and they will be good for several days. You may also store them in a covered container in the freezer, and they’ll be fine for several weeks. Enjoy!
Here are a few more pecan themed recipes you might like to try:
- Butter Brickle and Pecan Cookies
- Caramel Pecan Bars with Chocolate Drizzle
- Brown Sugar Pecan Tassies
- Caramel Pecan Brownies
- Pecan Pie
- Candied Pecans
- Pecan Sticky Buns
- Pecan Pie Bites
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Pecan Sandies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- 9 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pecans, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Beating at low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, and beat just until combined (mixture will be crumbly). You should be able to form the dough into balls. If the mixture is too crumbly, go ahead and add several drops of milk or water until the mixture comes together more easily.
- Shape the dough into 34 (1-inch) balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Place the dough balls 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- While the cookies are still hot, sift powdered sugar evenly over the tops. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire racks.
Notes
- It is important for your butter to be soft when you prepare the dough so it will hold together nicely when you shape it into balls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were great fresh from the oven but later they turned hard as rocks! What could have happened?
They still taste great, just more challenging to eat.
I love pecan sandies. Can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Is the butter for this recipe salted or unsalted? If I use unsalted butter do I need to add more that 1/8 tsp salt?
You could increase it to 1/4 teaspoon if you’re using unsalted butter.