These Easy Old Fashioned 2-Bite Pecan Sandies are delightfully buttery and tender. Brown sugar and vanilla give this classic cookie subtle caramel notes. These cookies are packed with pecans and perfectly balanced with a touch of salt.
During picnic season, these cookies are the perfect take-along treat.
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Sandie or Sablé? A Really Good Cookie Either Way.
Pecan sandies are a type of shortbread cookie that use just a few simple ingredients – butter, sugar, flour and a touch of flavoring. Sometimes they are enhance by nuts, zest or spices. In this easy pecan sandies recipe, I use a touch of vanilla and brown sugar instead of the traditional white granulated sugar to develop subtle caramel notes.
Old fashioned pecan sandies are a type of shortbread. They get their name for their “sandy” delicate, crumb texture.
If you ask where pecan sandies originate from you may get two different answers. Sablé cookies can trace their French heritage back to the 1600s. However, the melt-in-your-mouth, old-fashioned cookies that we think of today in America, have strong roots in Southern Texas that go back to the 1800s.
If neither of these origin stories stir a memory for you, perhaps you can connect to the iconic yellow, rectangular package of “Sandies Pecan Shortbread Cookies” by the Keebler Company. Growing up, these were a regular cookie in our house.
Simple and Elegant Easy Old Fashioned 2-Bite Pecan Sandies
There’s something lovely about a recipe with just a few simple ingredients and equally simple steps. This is one of those recipes that uses ingredients you likely already have in your baking cupboard, comes together in just a few minutes and deeply satisfying every time you make it. It’s an old-fashioned recipe that’s familiar, yet timelessly classic in its presentation and taste. It’s what we all know as a “keeper’ recipe.
Don’t skip the salt
The process is simple. Butter is whipped with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Pure vanilla and a touch of salt is added to round out the flavor. Please don’t be tempted to leave out the salt. Salt elevates the natural flavors in food and brings balance to the sweetness of this and other baked goods. Even though it’s a small amount, it’s an important ingredient in this recipe.
Don’t skip toasting your pecans
Really? Yes, really. I know you may be thinking they’ll get plenty toasty when they’re in the oven baking along with the other cookie ingredients, but they don’t. The moisture in the batter keeps nuts somewhat insulated from the heat of the oven. As a result, they never really “toast”. Toasting nuts before using them in a baking recipe enhances the flavor and texture of the nut. In this easy pecan sandies recipe, the act of using toasted, cooled nuts delivers a richer pecan flavor and overall better nut crunch.
If you have the time to spare, spread the nuts out evenly on a baking tray and toast them at 350 degrees F. for 7 – 10 minutes. Ovens can vary in temperature, so start with 7 minutes and work your way up to 10 if the full time is needed. Once done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature before adding to this cookie recipe. Don’t add the nuts to the cookie dough before allowing them to cool as the extra heat will cause the butter to melt prematurely and the cookies won’t set up properly.
If you don’t have the time to spare, that’s OK. Look for a pre-toasted, unsalted version in your local grocery store, but if you can’t fine one, rest assured I’ve tested this recipe both ways and you can still get a good cookie with a normal chopped pecan.
Don’t over mix your batter
In this easy pecan sandies recipe, the flour and toasted pecans are added to the wet ingredients and mixed until just incorporated. I use the phrase, “mix until just incorporated” a lot in my recipes. The reason being that unless you’re trying to build gluten structure – like with bread making – gluten development in other baked goods is not your friend generally. We want tender cookies, muffins and cakes – not unpleasantly firm or chewy bakes. For this reason, I caution you not to be tempted to over mix your cookies.
Old Fashioned Can Still Be Flavor-Forward
I love to experiment with food and flavors, but I also like to hold on to old recipes that stand the test of time. There’s a reason why a cookie that can trace in genealogical roots back to 1600 France has stood the test of time. I know I’m partial, but at it’s foundation, what makes this the best pecan sandies recipe is its familiar taste and texture.
I hope you will give this recipe for Easy Old Fashioned 2-Bite Pecan Sandies a try. If you’re looking for other cookie recipes that use old-time ingredients, give my recipe for Brown Butter Sorghum Cookies a try. These delicious cookies are reminiscent of old fashioned molasses cookies – delightfully chewy and perfectly spiced.
I find that both these Sorghum cookies and old fashioned pecan sandies are perfect for summer cookouts or holiday gatherings – like a hug from our favorite Auntie in each bite.
Easy Old Fashioned 2-Bite Pecan Sandies
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy32
cookies10
minutes18
minutesDelightfully buttery and tender. Brown sugar and vanilla give this classic cookie subtle caramel notes that are packed with pecans and perfectly balanced with a touch of salt.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted, European style butter, room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
2 cups A.P. Flour, sifted
1 cup chopped pecans that have been toasted and cooled.
Powdered sugar for dusting the cookies
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a baking pan by lining it with either parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the salt and the vanilla and continue to mix until incorporated.
- Add the flour and pecans and mix on low until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated, but don’t over mix. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure even disbursement of ingredients.
- Using a #1 cookie scoop or a Tablespoon as a measure, scoop out the cookie dough and roll into balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 325 degrees F. for 15 – 18 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet midway through the bake. Cookies with be golden brown on the bottom and just starting to brown on the top.
- Remove the finished cookies from the oven. Allow them to cook on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooking.
- Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for one week.
