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. These Butter Pecan Cookies feature a buttery homemade cookie dough embellished with pecans and toffee bits. That combination 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 no 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 from Taste of Home for a special weekend baking project.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter softened [2 sticks]
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecan pieces
- ⅔ 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 bake: 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 14-16 minutes or until golden. [Keep the dough chilled between batches.]
- Cool on the pan for 3 minutes then remove to a cooling rack.
My name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.
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Renee'
Melissa, can I use Self-Rising Flour, omitting the baking powder and baking soda for these cookies?
Melissa
Yes, you could but, omitting the baking soda will change the texture a bit. The recipe will still work but, won't be the same. You should also omit the salt.
Mague Saucedo-Cardenas
Enjoyed making these cookies. They turned out well and tasted delicious thanks for sharing g your recipe
Melissa
Thanks so much!
Jane
Today was a day I guess I shouldn't have tried baking. These sound delicious so I gave them a try. My scoop must be a bit smaller - or my oven runs a bit hotter. First sheet in the oven was slightly over baked by 14 minutes. No big deal, they still tasted yummy. Second sheet, for some reason my timer didn't beep....by the time I smelled them I ran to the oven to find a sheet of burnt to a crisp cookies. Third sheet I made darn sure not to leave the kitchen, reduced the time to 12 minutes and FINALLy a great batch of cookies! At least close to half of them survived and were edible lol.I will try these again and next time I'll be a bit more careful with the bake!
Melissa
Ah, we've ALL been there Jane! Ovens can vary wildly, kudos for knowing how yours performs.
Georgia
So, I chilled the dough overnight and then put it on the counter for 30 min. to warm up. My first batch melted together and had to be cut apart to cool. Next batch - smaller balls. All cookies spread and looked more like pancakes. Should I have added more flour?? I used salted butter as well as salt in the recipe. I can definitely taste the salt. The cookies are so thin that they crumble when you take a bite. All said, not my best bake.
Melissa
I think you missed the boat when you brought the cookie dough to room temperature. It's also important to allow enough space between these, or any cookie, to allow for spreading.
Becky
I have made these several times and they received rave reviews. Since it is raining today in the Midwest, our grandsons and I will make these . Keep the good recipes coming!
Melissa
Thanks so much!
Bree
Tried this recipe for first time last Nov. And have made them several times since. They are my favorite cookie. My sister agrees. Love how they are chewy but crunchy around the edges.
Melissa
Thank you so much!
LaTanya
I made these cookies and they are so yummy! I omitted the toffee though. Finding toffee is hard in the store. Mostly chocolate covered toffee is readily available. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks Melissa!
Melissa
Hi LaTanya, I'm so happy you loved these, thank you!
Linda
want to make these..........is there a sugar free substitute for the toffee? Is omitting it make a big change in the taste?
Melissa
I'm not aware of a sugar free toffee for baking. You can omit it, if preferred.
Debra Johnson
Delicious cookies. Next time I would increase tiger, decrease pecans and decrease baking time a few minutes.
Lory
One of the best cookies I've ever had! I have tried many types of cookies. This cookie recipe is bakery worthy. Absolutely delicious!
Melissa
Wow, I consider that high praise, ty!
Karen Kaminski
My 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
Hi Karen, thank you so much I'm delighted your family loves these as much as we do!
anne
These 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
They were overbaked. Next time take them out of the oven sooner.
Tiffany
If 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
If 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.
Sherry
I bought the Heath toffee bits will it be ok to use these?
Melissa
You can use them although adding chocolate will change the cookie flavor. If you're OK with that then they're fine.
Nancy
Thank you for all your recipes...these cookies are awesome...a great addition to my christmas cookies this year,
Melissa
Thanks Nancy!
Lisa banzhaf
Made these for Christmas gifts for the ladies at the office!!! They are delish!!!!
Thank you and Merry Christmas!!!!
Melissa
Hi Lisa, I'm delighted you ladies enjoyed these! Quite possibly my favorite cookie of all time. Merry Christmas!
Msrir
Do 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
I 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
Hi. 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
Margarine 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.
Barbara C. Hardison
Can these cookies be rolled int a log and frozen untl ready to use
Melissa
Yes, they can.
Vikky
I made these gluten free and was told those were the best cookies ever eaten.
Trish
OMG!!! 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
Thanks Trish, I love these, too.
Lynds
Lovely 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
It will make a bit of a difference but they will still be tasty.
Janet Snyder
You can use a toffee candy bar broken up into tiny pieces instead.