In my world, if the title of a recipe begins with butter and it’s immediately followed with pecans you know it’s going to be scrumptious. A buttery homemade cookie dough embellished with pecans and toffee bits turns these cookies into an out of this world snack with a glass of cold milk. A couple of Butter Pecan Cookies for a treat is the equivalent of angel food, in my book. It’s not a secret that we love pecans in the South and any excuse to use them will do. Whether you’re baking for a special occasion or elbow deep in holiday baking these cookie won’t last long in your cookie jar.
Cookie Making Tips
For the best result, this cookie dough needs to be chilled before baking. Chilling the dough allows the butter to solidify which results in a chunky, thick and chewy cookie. If you bake these butter pecan cookies immediately after preparing the dough, the taste will be good but, they spread and become thin and crispy. It’s best to chill the dough for at least one hour which will yield a chewy cookie that’s crisp around the edges. If you’d like to go a step further, sprinkle the tops with additional toffee bits prior to baking to give the cookies a little extra toffee crunch.
Warm Butter Pecan Cookies
My favorite way to enjoy this cookie is slightly warm. The caramel flavor of the dough is rich and buttery and you can’t go wrong serving them warm. When using the freshest of dairy, you can keep this cookie dough in the fridge for up to 3 days prior to baking them for a great time saver and it freezes well, too. I bake these cookies for my family year-round. Take them up a level and serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel for a butter pecan caramel sundae. That turns these cookies into a company worthy dessert. For more butter pecan goodies to love try this Butter Pecan Layer Cake or Butter Pecan Pancakes for a special weekend brunch.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter softened [2 sticks]
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecan pieces
- 2/3 cup bits-o-brickle [English toffee bits]
- Additional bits-o-brickle for the tops [optional]
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together the softened butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. until fluffy and light beige in color, around 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl periodically. After all of the flour has been added beat for 1 minute.
- Mix-in the pecan pieces and bits-o-brickle by hand until evenly distributed in the dough.
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- To prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 2 oz ice cream scoop to divide the dough. Place onto the cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake in batches for 16-18 minutes until golden. [Keep the dough chilled between batches.]
- Cool on the pan for 3 minutes then remove to a cooling rack.
Lynds says
November 11, 2015 at 8:36 pmLovely cookies. Will it make a big difference to the cookie result if I exclude the toffee bits, As where I live don’t sell it here. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks!!
Melissa says
November 12, 2015 at 9:37 amIt will make a bit of a difference but they will still be tasty.
Janet Snyder says
April 10, 2016 at 8:02 amYou can use a toffee candy bar broken up into tiny pieces instead.
Trish says
August 17, 2017 at 3:42 pmOMG!!! These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever had! I used two small bags of chopped up pecans and 1 whole bag of the bit-o-brickle. They are DEVINE!!
Melissa says
August 17, 2017 at 4:20 pmThanks Trish, I love these, too.
Vikky says
March 7, 2018 at 1:16 pmI made these gluten free and was told those were the best cookies ever eaten.
Barbara C. Hardison says
July 17, 2018 at 3:21 pmCan these cookies be rolled int a log and frozen untl ready to use
Melissa says
July 17, 2018 at 5:33 pmYes, they can.
Msrir says
December 9, 2018 at 2:55 pmDo you use salted butter or unsalted? The recipes never say and I’m too dumb to know without being told. Years ago my one and only attempt to make my dad’s favorite pecan pie I messed up terribly. My stepmom said it was because I used salted butter. I never looked. I just grabbed butter. So question #1 how do you know when to use salted butter or unsalted butter and question $2 do you ever use blue bonnet or parkay margarine instead? Funny those don’t come salted or unsalted they just come one way. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Melissa says
December 9, 2018 at 3:05 pmI always keep salted butter on hand so, that’s what I use. Bakers and cooks who prefer unsalted it’s generally because they want to be in complete control of the salt content. Either will work but, this recipe was made with salted butter.
Meeska says
December 10, 2018 at 9:40 amHi. I’ve used I cannot believe it’s not Butter and they came out just fine. Don’t see why you couldn’t use Parkay.
Melissa says
December 10, 2018 at 4:59 pmMargarine and butter aren’t the same and react differently to baking. If you used that and you were happy with the result, then that’s good and I’m glad it worked for you.
Lisa banzhaf says
December 16, 2018 at 4:14 pmMade these for Christmas gifts for the ladies at the office!!! They are delish!!!!
Thank you and Merry Christmas!!!!
Melissa says
December 16, 2018 at 7:31 pmHi Lisa, I’m delighted you ladies enjoyed these! Quite possibly my favorite cookie of all time. Merry Christmas!
Nancy says
December 20, 2018 at 12:35 amThank you for all your recipes…these cookies are awesome…a great addition to my christmas cookies this year,
Melissa says
December 20, 2018 at 8:09 amThanks Nancy!
Sherry says
December 22, 2018 at 9:32 pmI bought the Heath toffee bits will it be ok to use these?
Melissa says
December 22, 2018 at 9:34 pmYou can use them although adding chocolate will change the cookie flavor. If you’re OK with that then they’re fine.
Tiffany says
January 28, 2019 at 12:46 pmIf i made it with 1 oz of dough. 2 tbsp. And did one sheet at a time how long should I bake them for ?
Melissa says
January 28, 2019 at 3:50 pmIf you’re wanting to make smaller cookies generally speaking, half the size half the bake time although, please note this could vary. A smaller cookie may bake in 8-10 minutes. Know your oven and watch them checking around 8 minutes to be sure. One baking sheet as opposed to two won’t make a difference.
anne says
February 20, 2019 at 12:47 pmThese were REALLY good when they first come out of the oven but when the next day they were hard as rocks (still good, just really hard)..not sure what I did wrong.
Melissa says
February 20, 2019 at 5:04 pmThey were overbaked. Next time take them out of the oven sooner.
Karen Kaminski says
May 5, 2019 at 3:26 pmMy husband said its now his favorite cookie. I agree with him. When i had my sister, my sons and their families try them, they all thought so too. everyone thought they were better than even a chocolate chip cookie.
I lost this recipe and had a heck of a time finding it again. Thanks , we love it!!!
Melissa says
May 5, 2019 at 3:34 pmHi Karen, thank you so much I’m delighted your family loves these as much as we do!
Lory says
May 15, 2019 at 9:01 pmOne of the best cookies I’ve ever had! I have tried many types of cookies. This cookie recipe is bakery worthy. Absolutely delicious!
Melissa says
May 15, 2019 at 9:03 pmWow, I consider that high praise, ty!