Soft Butter Pecan Cookies 🍪🧈 Buttery soft dough with big chunky pecans in every bite! Salty-and-sweet and so hard to resist!!
Easy Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookie Recipe
- I loved this cookie dough so much that it was hard to even bake it because I just kept nibbling on it. But I’m so glad I did.
- The butter pecan cookies are super soft, buttery, full of rich pumpkin flavor and there are plenty of pecans in every bite.
- I used a dough base I haven’t used since I made Candy Corn Cookies last fall. I’ve also used it for Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies and Maraschino Cherry White Chocolate Cookies. It calls for 2 tablespoons of cream or half-and-half. The cream really tenderizes the dough and it just melts in your mouth.
- The dough is slightly sweeter, creamier, and tastes more buttery than my trusty chocolate chip cookie dough base and is the perfect contrast to the crunchy, preservative-free Fisher Pecans I used.
- Between the pumpkin pie spice and the scent of pecans baking, you’ll be ready for fall in no time. Salty-and-sweet, soft and chewy, and so hard to resist. I loved these. One of my personal favorites of the year.
Ingredients in Butter Pecan Cookies
- Unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and cream: These create rich, soft, chewy cookies with plenty of buttery flavor. Brown sugar adds a deeper caramel-like flavor that pairs perfectly with the pecans.
- All-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt: These dry ingredients give the cookies structure, softness, and warm spiced flavor. Cornstarch helps keep the cookies tender.
- Fisher Pecan Halves: Use raw pecan halves, not roasted salted pecans, so the cookies do not become too salty and the pecans toast properly as the cookies bake.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Butter Pecan Cookies
- Cream together the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla, then add in the dry ingredients. Fold in the pecans last.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Once the dough has had time to chill … Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough? Yes! Do not bake with unchilled dough because the pecan cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Bake until the edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center.
Buttery Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cream or half-and-half
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste (if your nuts are already salted, keep this in mind when adding salt)
- 2 cups Fisher Pecan Halves
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the cream, and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, corn starch, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the pecans, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 14 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. ** (see tips below)
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Fall Cookie Recipes:
Soft and Puffy Pumpkin Spice Honey Cookies — Super soft cookies that just melt in your mouth! You’re going to love these puffy cuties!
Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips in every bite! They’re thick, hearty, perfectly chewy, and not at all cakey.
Candy Corn and White Chocolate Softbatch Cookies — These Halloween cookies are PACKED with candy corn and white chocolate chips. They’re easy to make and are always a hit with the kids!
Sea Salt Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies – Super soft, perfectly chewy, SALTY-AND-SWEET chocolate chip pecan cookies that are AMAZING!! An EASY, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe!!
Chai Snickerdoodles — The chai spices give the cookies so much depth of flavor. Cozy, comfort-food cookies that warm you up inside.
Soft and Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies — Dense and not at all cakey, with the perfect balance of chewy edges and soft, tender, pillowy centers!
Soft & Chewy Molasses Gingerdoodles — These soft molasses cookies taste like a cross between chewy gingerbread cookies and crinkly snickerdoodles. An unbeatable holiday cookie recipe!
This post was brought to you by Fisher Nuts. Recipe, images, and opinions expressed are my own. #thinkfisher
Is there any other spice I can substitute? I don’t like anything pumpkin
If you’re not a fan of pumpkin spice, you might want to consider a bit of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg. Really whatever you like. It should be noted though that all of those spices can often be found in what we typically refer to as “pumpkin spice” as individual spices although a dash of cinnamon is probably just fine.
great
I hope you don’t mind, but I enjoyed your pumpkin recipe so much, that I put a link to it on my new blog. I can’t wait for Autumn :) http://www.frolicinflorida.com
Thanks, glad you enjoyed these!
Hello Averie, the buttery pecan recipes are divine. My only regret is that I didn’t triple the batch. They are PERFECT.
I was wondering if I can use the same recipe minus the pecans for a chewy gingerbread man? will it work?
Thanks for the delicious recipe. Perfect for the Holidays… and every day :)
So glad you like these and that they were perfect for you! If you’re looking for a soft and chewy gingerbread cookie, I just posted these today and they’re amazing. I haven’t tried rolling out the dough and so not sure how they would work as ‘men’ but as cookies, they are amazing! https://www.averiecooks.com/soft-chewy-molasses-gingerdoodles/
Hey Averie, I just wanted to tell you that I wanted to play it safe and I made this recipe (minus pecans) for gingerbread man. They turned out AMAZING. I got awesome feedback from my daughter’s school and my colleagues. I made the same exact dough, minus pecans and added1/4 cup molasses. I let the dough stay in the fridge for 2 days, and they turned out heavenly. Soft and tasty, exactly like a gingerbread man cookie should be. I have no issue rolling out the dough and cutting it into shapes. Again, thanks for your wonderful recipes.
Keep blogging and we’ll keep baking!
Glad these came out great for you and rollout molasses gingerbread men cookies! They sound heavenly and thanks for all the details as it will help someone I’m sure who reads the comments! Happy holidays and if you still don’t have enough gingerbread cookies, I posted this recipe a few days ago :) https://www.averiecooks.com/soft-chewy-molasses-gingerdoodles/
Oh, I forgot to mention that I tripled the recipe! they made about 70 gingerbread men rolled into 1/4 inch. I put 1/4 cup molasses on the tripled quantity.
Thanks again!
Hello Averie, the buttery pecan recipes are divine. My only regret is that I didn’t triple the batch. They are PERFECT.
I was wondering if I can use the same recipe minus the pecans for a chewy gingerbread man? will it work?
Thanks for the delicious recipe. Perfect for the Hoildays… and every day :)
Love the flavor. Perfect cookie. But, I did have bake them longer than written. And then I over baked the second baking sheet…all this to say, watch the cooking time.
All ovens, baking sheets, climates, and ingredients vary and with cookies 1-2 minutes can make a difference so yes you do have to find that sweet spot in your own oven. Glad you loved the cookies!
Buttery with pumpkin pie spice – delicious! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Tracy!
These cookies look dangerously delicious, girl! :) I wouldn’t have been able to stop nibbling on them either! Yum!
I love buttery pecans, perfect fall cookie!
Oh wow, my husband, mom and grandma and I all love pecans so I made these this weekend for all of us. Holy cow, they were amazing! I couldn’t stop eating the dough, it was SO good. And those cookies once they were baking, oh wow delicious. I will be making these again very soon, thanks!
Thanks for trying the cookies and so glad you and your whole family are big pecan fans and that these were a hit with everyone!
What a great combination with pumpkin, these cookies look and sound delicious!!! Going to be on my fall sweet tooth menu most definitely.
Cookie dough this delicious is dangerous. But I guess you know that better than anyone (lucky you). GREG
I hoarded these. Ok, I hoarded the dough :)
Ooh, the dough does sound amazing to snack on… Love how you used pumpkin pie spice in the cookie instead of pumpkin puree! And I’m sure the small additions of cream and cornstarch really make for an excellent cookie:)
They really do make a difference and yes to not having to use actual puree since that always changes the texture of things!
Ohhh I just love this! Pecans and pumpkins go so well together! I bet the house smelled amazing while these were baking! yay for fall!
Totally amazing scent, yes!