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Soft, chewy, butter pecan cookies made with lightly toasted pecans and crunchy toffee bits. These are buttery and delicious and there’s no mixer or chilling required!
Aren’t easy cookie recipes the best? They make a quick and easy sweet treat for my family. We can never get enough! A few more of my favorite cookie recipes (that you’ve GOT to try) are these red velvet white chocolate chip cookies, banana cream pudding cookies, and white chocolate Oreo cookies!
Butter Pecan Cookie Recipe
Butter pecan is one of my favorite dessert flavors. (This butter pecan cake is a must-try!) I decided to try it out in cookie form! Many butter pecan cookie recipes tend to be crisp and a little too dry for my liking. For this recipe I knew I wanted a soft, thick, chewy cookie, and these cookies deliver! I know you’re going to love it as much as I do.
They’re packed with rich, buttery flavor and crunchy bits of toasted pecans and toffee that make every bite a delight. And the best part? They’re super easy to make! I toasted my pecans for a little extra flavor, but you can skip this step if you’re short on time! So go ahead, indulge in some butter pecan cookie goodness – your taste buds will thank you!
Ingredients Needed
These Butter Pecan Cookies are some of my favorites to make at the last minute because I usually have most of the ingredients ready to go in my pantry. Check out the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Unsalted Butter: Makes the cookies soft and tender!
- Dark Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar, giving it a rich and complex flavor.
- Sugar: Just regular granulated sugar is fine!
- 1 Large Egg + 1 Egg Yolk: Binds the ingredients together. I added an extra yolk so the cookies turn out more rich and tender.
- Vanilla Extract: Deepens the flavor of the butter pecan cookies. Use pure vanilla extract if you have it!
- All-Purpose Flour: The base of the cookies.
- Cornstarch: Acts as a thickener.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: You’ve got to add both so these cookies rise properly and have a tender crumb.
- Salt: Works as a flavor enhancer!
- Pecan Halves: The star of the show! These give the cookies the best texture and buttery flavor.
- Heath Toffee Bits: (Optional) I love adding Heath bits because of their added crunch and caramel flavor. You can leave them out if you want!
How to Make Butter Pecan Cookies
These butter pecan cookies are so easy to make. And they’re ready in less than 30 minutes, which is a plus! Because they come together in a snap, it’s the perfect last-minute dessert for parties and get-togethers.
- Preheat Oven, Prep Pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Toast Pecans: Spread pecan halves evenly over cookie sheet and bake on 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes.
- Chop: Remove from oven and coarsely chop (do not turn off your oven). Then set aside.
- Sugar Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, combine melted, cooled butter and sugars. Stir well.
- Add in Wet Ingredients: Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.
- Flour Mixture: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine: Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients until completely combined.
- Mix-Ins: Add chopped pecans and toffee bits (if using) and then stir well.
- Add to Pan: Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and drop butter pecan cookie dough by heaping 1 1/2 tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing at least 2″ apart.
- Bake: Transfer to oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow the butter pecan cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying!
Tips for Making Butter Pecan Cookies
These butter pecan cookies are pretty straightforward to make, but I did want to include a few tips for you! Here’s how you can make them turn out as tasty as possible. I know they’ll be a hit wherever they go! You can’t go wrong with buttery, homemade cookies. They have the best buttery, toasty flavor!
- Toast Pecans: Toasting your pecans is optional, but I really recommend it for this butter pecan cookie recipe. It takes less than 5 minutes and enhances the flavor and crispness of the pecans!
- Toast Before Chopping: Make sure you toast your pecan halves before chopping them. This will ensure even toasting (no burnt or under-done pieces this way!) Just make sure you let them cool before chopping them!
- Cool Butter: Let your butter cool for at least 10 minutes before adding the sugar. If your butter is too hot, it will end up melting your sugar and you’ll have a runny cookie dough that will spread all over your cookie sheet when you go to bake it.
- Adding Toffee: The toffee bits add a nice extra dimension of flavor and texture to these cookies, I can’t enjoy butter pecan cookies without them anymore!
- Don’t Over Bake: I like to take my butter pecan cookies out of the oven while they’re still a little soft. They’ll continue to cook on the baking sheet for a minute or two. This way, they end up perfectly soft and chewy!
Storing Leftovers
Butter pecan cookies never last long in my house. They’re just too good! If you’re lucky enough to have some left over, here’s how to keep them tasting fresh and delicious.
- At Room Temperature: Store any leftover, cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Can Butter Pecan Cookies Be Frozen?
Yes! Butter pecan cookies can be frozen and enjoyed later. To freeze them, make sure the cookies are completely cool and place them in a single layer in an airtight container or freezer bag. Also, separate the layers with parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking together. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, take the cookies out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature. This can take a few hours, or you can speed up the process by placing them in the fridge for an hour or so. Once they’re at room temperature, they should be just as tasty as when you first made them!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
These delicious cookie recipes are the best addition to any dessert lineup! They’re super easy to make and always a hit with everyone. If you love cookies as much as I do, you’ll have to check out my full list here for more ideas! There’s a recipe for every flavor and craving, whether you’re wanting something chocolatey, fruity, or something in between!
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Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled at least 10 minutes (226g)
- 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar tightly packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk room temperature preferred*
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 heaping cups pecan halves
- 1/2 cup Heath Toffee bits optional, but recommended!
Instructions
Toast the Pecans
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread pecan halves evenly over cookie sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and coarsely chop (do not turn off your oven). Set aside.
Bake the Cookies
- In a large bowl, combine melted, cooled butter and sugars. Stir well.
- Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients until completely combined.
- Add chopped pecans and toffee bits (if using) and stir well.
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and drop cookie dough by heaping 1 1/2 Tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing at least 2″ apart.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying!
- Store any leftover, cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made several batches of these cookies and they were so good! No problems at all. Question: I’d like to make some for someone who can’t have nuts. The toffee has no nuts, right? If I skipped the pecans and increased the toffee bits by another cup, would that work? I wondered about adding chocolate chips for extra volume, but with the toffee mix I doubt they’d need it. Your thoughts?
GREAT RECIPE!! Simple & delicious, definitely a keeper! The family loved them on Christmas. I followed the instructions exactly & included toffee bits. Since I always use salted butter in my recipes, I reduced the salt to 1/4 teaspoon & whisked it up before adding the sugars as it tends to separate. I was confused by those who claim it’s “too crumbly” of a mixture…I found it perfect. When measuring flour, it’s best to scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon, before leveling off the top. Forcing the measuring cup into the flour to scoop it out, packs it in & adds more flour to recipe. I’m guessing this may be why some found this recipe unsuccessful. Thanks for a new family favorite!
May I suggest to,those who said the mixture was crumbly, to change the measurement to ounces or grams then you’re sure to get the mixture right. Never put all your flour in at once, flour can become quite dry especially in warmer or hot weather as the moisture is dried out of it and you just may not need the last little bit.
Hope this helps.
I made four batches of this and finally realized that if i remixed the butter that had seperated after cooling makes a huge difference in the smoothness of the batter! Also, I live in Northern AZ and I had to cook the cookies around 14 minutes. I also had to form the cookies by hand. The cookies turned out amazing!
That is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing! XOXO
These were so good and yes mine were soft. Make sure you dont pack in your flour or you’ll have dry dough and dry cookies. Tried to leave 5 ***** rating but it won’t let me leave more than 2
My dough also came out “crumbly”. They dough did not melt down at all while baking, leaving me with crumbly, dry cookie lumps. They sounded so good. What happened?
Oh no! I am so sorry that they did not turn out for you. There are several different variable that could have happened. My first thought is the flour and mixing it. It is a very sensitive recipe. Hope you will try it again! Thanks for following along with me! XOXO
using electric oven will i need to adjust baking time
No, you should be okay! Thanks for choosing one of my recipes to make! XOXO
Does the Butter Pecan Recipe only make 20 cookies? At top of recipe it says serves 20 cookies.
Depending on the size of cookies that you make it will be about 20-24 cookies. These are very delicious! XOXO
I made these for my annual Christmas cookie exchange and I’m so sad to say that they did not turn out. The dough was dry and crumbly and the cookies baked up too hard. I tried again by reducing the baking time, but still the same result. Oh well, plenty of other superb cookies on your site! Merry Christmas!
This recipe love oks yummy
Just finished making the batter and it is so dry and crumbly that it falls apart. What should I add to make it soft, another egg?
I would recommend another egg or less of the flour mixture. This recipe is a bit particular and needs lots of attention when making it. Enjoy! XOXO
Can I make these 4 days ahead of time abs freeze the dough?
Yes, that sounds great! Enjoy! XOXO
Loved these cookies! The Best
The butter pecan cookie dough was dry and crumbled. I measured everything carefully. Is that how it is suppose to be? Should flour be 3 cups?
It should not be too crumbly. The butter mixture and egg is a key part to making this not as crumbly. Hope that helps and your cookies turn out! They are a delicious treat! XOXO
Just made these cookies they are to die for turned out perfect I just added 2 2/3 flour.Not hard or to soft.Thank you for this recipe.
These were tasty but definitely not soft. When cooled they are hard as bricks.
On the ingredient list, at the end of the line that list eggs there is an asterisk but no explanation as to what it is in reference to. Please explain and/or correct recipe. The cookies sound really good. I’d like to know why that’s there before I try the recipe.
Was so excited to make these, but the mix was nothing but dry, crumbly mix. Looked like a bowl of brown flour. I added almost 1/2 cup of milk till consistency was right. Baked beautifully at 12 minutes
Hi! Will I need to adjust anything if I live at a higher altitude (Colorado)? These look delicious and I don’t want to mess them up. Ha!
I added a 1/4 cup milk baked at 370 for 10 minutes. They turned out great!