Description
Pecan pie cookies blend Southern charm with classic cookie comfort, creating a delightful dessert that marries traditional pie flavors in a bite-sized treat. Crunchy pecans and sweet caramel nestled on buttery cookie bases promise a delicious escape you’ll savor with every mouthful.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Sweet Components:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
Binding and Flavoring Ingredients:
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare the oven at 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for optimal cookie performance.
- Whip softened butter and granulated sugar until achieving a light, airy texture, then incorporate egg yolk and vanilla extract, blending thoroughly.
- Gently fold flour and salt into the wet mixture, creating a slightly crumbly dough that coheres when pressed together.
- Form tablespoon-sized dough portions into uniform balls, positioning them evenly on the prepared baking sheet with adequate spacing.
- Create a gentle depression in the center of each dough ball using your thumb or the back of a spoon, forming a perfect pocket for filling.
- Craft the pecan filling by combining chopped pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, and a hint of salt, stirring until achieving a cohesive, sticky consistency.
- Carefully spoon the prepared pecan mixture into each cookie’s center indentation, ensuring a generous but precise fill.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, watching for delicate golden edges that signal perfect doneness.
- Rest cookies on the baking sheet momentarily, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling, allowing the filling to set and flavors to stabilize.
Notes
- Ensure butter is at room temperature for easy creaming and smoother cookie texture.
- When creating thumb indentations, moisten your thumb with water to prevent sticking and create clean, even wells.
- To prevent overly sweet cookies, use unsalted butter and adjust corn syrup quantity slightly if needed.
- For gluten-free adaptation, replace wheat flour with a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking blend to maintain cookie structure.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 118 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 38 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg