Description
Irresistible pecan delight cookies combine Southern charm with sweet nutty flavors. Rich buttery dough studded with toasted pecans creates a classic homestyle treat you’ll want to share with friends and family.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks / 1 lb / 454 g), room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsps cold water
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract (optional)
Instructions
- Oven Preparation: Preheat oven to 325F and line baking sheet with parchment paper for effortless cookie removal.
- Butter Transformation: Cream butter and granulated sugar using medium-speed mixer until achieving a light, fluffy consistency, approximately 3 minutes.
- Sugar Integration: Carefully blend confectioners sugar into the creamed mixture at reduced mixer speed to prevent powdery dispersion.
- Liquid Infusion: Introduce cold water and vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly until ingredients seamlessly combine.
- Flour Incorporation: Gently fold all-purpose flour into the creamy base using low-speed mixer, ensuring smooth integration without overworking the dough.
- Pecan Embellishment: Delicately fold chopped pecans into the mixture using a flexible spatula, embracing the slightly crumbly texture.
- Chilling Process: Form dough into a compact log, wrap securely in plastic, and refrigerate for one hour to enhance flavor and structural integrity.
- Precise Cutting and Placement: Remove chilled dough, slice into uniform 1/4-inch discs, and arrange strategically on prepared baking sheet with ample spacing.
- Baking and Finishing: Bake for 15-17 minutes until bottom turns golden-brown and edges remain delicately pale, then transfer to wire cooling rack and optionally dust with confectioners sugar for an elegant presentation.
Notes
- Chill for Flavor: Refrigerate dough for at least one hour to intensify taste and improve cookie texture, allowing ingredients to meld perfectly.
- Prevent Overmixing: Mix flour gently and briefly to avoid tough cookies, stopping when ingredients are just combined for tender, melt-in-your-mouth results.
- Watch Baking Time: Monitor cookies closely during last few minutes of baking to achieve golden-brown bottoms without burning, as ovens vary in temperature and performance.
- Cooling Technique: Let cookies rest on wire rack immediately after baking to prevent soggy bottoms and maintain crisp edges, ensuring perfect texture and crunch.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 201
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 33 mg