Melt-in-your-mouth buttery Pecan Sandies are a classic sweet treat, not just for the holidays but for all year round.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored on behalf of #ChristmasCookies. Our generous sponsors have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.
I have wonderful memories of time with my dad’s mom when I was growing up. We would spend our weekends crafting (she liked to paint birdhouses or do something with those teeny tiny seed beads) or gardening (her backyard was 5 massive garden beds). We swam in a neighbor’s pool and go for walks around the neighborhood. We baked and are coffee ice cream… it’s some of my favorite memories from childhood.
Truthfully, I don’t remember what I used to bake with her – apart from fudge – but this recipe reminds me of her. These crunchy little morsels, packed with pecans and topped with a dusting of sugar, pair beautifully with a cup of tea. The cookies just feel like something we would have made together. Or maybe she kept a stash of them from the store, which would also explain the nostalgic feeling of these cookies. Either way, these feel like a little piece of Grandma.
Today, I love watching my daughter build the same memories with my mom, and my other surviving grandma – that special time at the craft table (for them, it’s sewing and knitting), going to the beach rather than the pool, making homemade ice cream all summer, and baking all year round. We have our Christmas traditions (Polish fried dough cookies from my family, peanut butter balls and Oreo Truffles from my husband’s family) but it’s the everyday moments that I especially love watching them build together.
So with those (unexpectedly) sentimental thoughts these cookies inspired, I hope you enjoy today’s recipe, and enjoy building some of your own memories with your loved ones this holiday season.
Recipe Notes for Pecan Sandies:
- I used pecans from our sponsor, Millican Pecan Company, in this recipe. You can use pecan halves or chopped pecans, but if you used the chopped, I’d still recommend chopping them a little smaller for these cookies.
- Most of my recipes use cups/teaspoons/tablespoons as measurements. However, this is one of the few cases where it really would be better to weigh your ingredients, as the cookbook recommends. I did weigh ingredients while measuring, and didn’t get an exact match for what the recipe called for.
Pecan Sandies
Melt-in-your-mouth buttery Pecan Sandies are a classic sweet treat, not just for the holidays but for all year round.
Ingredients
- 250 g. all-purpose flour
- 80 g. coarsely chopped pecans
- 170 g. unsalted butter at room temperature (6 oz.)
- 90 g. confectioners sugar plus more for dusting
Instructions
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Set oven racks to upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat and set aside.
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In a small bowl, toss pecans and flour. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add confectioners sugar. Beat on low until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
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Scrape down sides of the bowl again, and add flour-pecan mixture. Beat on low speed until well combined, at least 1 minute. The dough will be dry and will not come together, but rather, be in small clumps.
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Use a 1 1/2 Tbs. cookie scoop to portion out dough onto clean hands. Gently roll dough into a ball, placing on prepared baking sheet at least an inch apart. After all dough is portioned out, press the tops of each cookie gently, flattening into a 2-inch disc.
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Bake in preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cookies are ready when they're set and starting to brown on edges.
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Remove from oven and allow to cook on baking sheets for 5 minutes, before moving to wire racks to cool completely. Once cooled, if desired, use a fine mesh sieve to dust cookies with additional confectioners sugar (you won't need more than a tablespoon or two.)
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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
This recipe was adapted from Bouchon Bakery, p. 10.
Thank you to Ellen of Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting #ChristmasCookies Week. And a huge thank you to our sponsors Adams Extract and Millican Pecan Company for supporting the bloggers and events like Christmas Cookies Week.
Check out today’s Christmas Cookies Recipes:
- Black Forest Stuffed Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Bourbon Molasses Cookies by Cookaholic Wife
- Cake Mix Chocolate Peppermint Cookies by Love and Confections
- Candied Pecan Lace Cookies by Food Above Gold
- Caramel Butter Pecan Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Chocolate Pecan Thumbprint Cookies by Intelligent Domestications
- Coconut Grinchy Christmas Breakfast Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Cinnamon Pecan Snickerdoodles by Blogghetti
- Dark Chocolate Pecan Croissant Cookies by Daily Dish Recipes
- Easy Snickerdoodle Cookie by Everyday Eileen
- Fruitcake Cookies by Red Cottage Chronicles
- Gluten Free Hungarian Rugelach by Frugal & Fit
- Goat Cheese & Rosemary Thumbprints with Cherry Jam by The Spiffy Cookie
- Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- No Bake Chocolate & Marshmallow Stained Glass Cookies by Hardly A Goddess
- Pecan Butterscotch Shortbread Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Pecan Sandies by Books n’ Cooks (above!)
- Peppermint Blossom Cookies by Family Around the Table
- Speculaas Stars by Palatable Pastime
- Triple Chocolate Mint Cookies by Sweet Beginnings
Prize 1 – Millican Pecan Tower of Treats Gift Tins
Originally founded as the West Texas Pecan Nursery in the late 1800’s, Millican Pecan is now in 5th generation ownership. Located in San Saba, TX, the family continues the tradition of pecan farming while also branching the business into the online world. The family also enjoys educating people about pecans. One winner will receive The Tower of Treats Gift Tins. The tower includes 3 decorative gift tins stacked on top of each other. The bottom tin includes our 2 lb. Chocolate Pecan Sampler, the middle tin is our Flavored Pecan Sampler and the top tin is a 8 oz. tin of Milk Chocolate Caramillicans (similar to Turtles). An $80 value.
Prize 2 – Adams Extract Prize Pack
Adams traces its beginnings back to Battle Creek, Michigan, when John A. Adams began making and selling his Green Plant Sarsaparilla extract, Adamur, in 1888. In 1905, he moved his family to Beeville, TX. At the time, most vanilla sold to pharmacies and was often labeled “Do not bake or freeze.” John A. Adams’ wife yearned for a flavoring that wouldn’t bake or freeze out. He announced that he could produce a better vanilla than the one his wife was currently using. Working with just $6.71 worth of materials on top of an old icebox, John A. Adams discovered the formula he wanted. To test this product, his wife whipped up a cake for the family to try. “John, this is the BEST flavoring I have ever used,” she announced. “Well, that’s old man Adams BEST,” he responded.
Update: The Rafflecopter was removed in February 2021, after the giveaway had closed, for improved reader experience.
Disclaimer: Two (2) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners have 24 hours to respond once notified by email, or they forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be chosen. The #ChristmasCookies bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members living in the household cannot enter or win the giveaway. Entries will be verified. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter giveaway. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #ChristmasCookies posts or entry. Thank you to our sponsors Millican Pecan, Adams Extracts and Flavorings and for providing prizes.
What is it about a cookie covered in powdered sugar that just makes you sigh with happiness? Especially around the holidays!!!
Goodness gracious those look so, so good. They also remind me so much of my precious Nana, who would of loved these! I would have to say I love a good macadamia nut cookie!
Oh, I haven’t made macadamia nut cookies in so long – those are delicious!
Can’t wait to try this Pecan Sandies recipe. I have loved the store bought kind since I was a little girl. I’m sure these will be even better. Thanks for the recipe.
These look like THE best Pecan Sandies I’ve ever seen, & I’ve looked at a bunch of them throughout my life! (Can’t wait to bake them for Christmas)….. But my main reason for writing this is because of your story about your grandma. What beautiful memories you have of her. Loved the crafting story!I especially liked the sentence where you wrote “……but this recipe reminds me of her.”