Buttery, pecan-filled shortbread cookies that are crunchy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside—Perfect treat for any butter-pecan lover!
I have a slight obsession with anything butter pecan—From the amazing butter pecan-scented hand soap that I have from BB&B, to a big bowl of butter pecan ice cream, I love myself some butter pecan. 😀 Get the picture?
I also happen to have an unwavering love for shortbread—Why? It’s so simple and easy but so ‘dang good and downright sinful.
For those of you who haven’t seen my previous shortbread recipes, here’s the scoop about the amazing-ness of shortbread:
- Shortbread dough takes 5 minutes to whip up and MUST be chilled at least 2 hours before shaping into cookies (this prevents it from spreading too much while baking) While you’re waiting for the dough to chill, go sit on Pinterest….walk the dog….take a look at real estate apps…ect.
- Shortbread contains no leavening agents—These cookies get their softness and chewiness primarily from butter, coconut sugar, and flour. — Shortbread is definitely not diet food 😉
Basic ingredients are as follows:
- Butter
- Sugar (I use either coconut sugar or honey)
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Flour
Seriously, that’s it….Shortbread is soooo simple, yet so amazingly delish.
Of course, since these are butter PECAN shortbread cookies, we can’t forget the pecans! 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans rounds out these cookies perfectly and adds an amazing nutty flavor. It’s important that you use finely chopped pecans otherwise your cookies will turn into tough little rocks as they cool and will lose all of their softness and chewiness. For even more of a nutty flavor, I would strongly recommend toasting your pecans before adding to your shortbread dough: 5-8 minutes of roasting your pecans in a 400 degree oven will toast ’em up nicely.
Delightfully crunchy on the outside and perfectly soft and nutty on the inside, these cookies are life-changing. Melt-in-your-mouth buttery….Seriously, I had to protect them from my siblings who had every intention of eating the entire batch before I could snap pictures.
Butter Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans toasted
- 1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Place butter and coconut sugar in a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat mixture on medium speed until smooth and combined. Add salt, vanilla, pecans, and flour. Continue to mix on medium speed until mixture forms a soft dough. Divide dough in half and form each half into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill logs in refrigerator at least 2 hours.
- Remove chilled logs from refrigerator and using a sharp knife, cut logs into 1 in thick slices. Place shortbread cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake cookies at 350F 11-13 minutes, or until lightly browned (they should still be soft) Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Hungry for more shortbread? Check out these other recipes!
Pumpkin Oat Shortbread With Caramel
Lattice Black Raspberry Shortbread Bars
Shonda A. says
Can I use regular flour and plain sugar?
Sarah says
Hi Shonda, I haven’t tested this recipe with regular flour or just plain sugar, so I can’t promise that the results would be the same. However, you can certainly try it! Let me know how it turns out!