Pecan Pie Cookies: How to Fill, Bake, and Share

Pecan pie cookies taste like a bite of pecan pie, with the same brown sugar and pecan filling set into a soft butter cookie. You get the filling and the crunch without needing to bake a whole pie. They’re convenient and delicious.

We bake a batch when folks are coming over and we want something sweet without the fuss. One batch makes two dozen, which should cover a table and leave a few for the cookie tin.

What Is a Pecan Pie Cookie?

A pecan pie cookie is a soft butter cookie with a dent pressed into the top, and that dent is where the pecan pie filling sits while it bakes. In a classic pecan cookie, you roll the dough in chopped pecans. Here, the pecans go into the filling with the brown sugar and syrup.

The dough underneath is a plain, sweet one with nothing mixed into it, just butter, sugar, flour, an egg, and vanilla (a sugar cookie). That’s why you’ll hear folks call these pecan pie sugar cookies as well.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for two dozen cookies.

For the dough:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

• 1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

How to Fill and Bake Pecan Pie Cookies

To make pecan pie cookies, you first need to make a plain cookie dough and a pecan filling. Here’s what to do:

1. Heat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the softened butter and sugar for two to three minutes, until the mix turns pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg and the vanilla.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix on low just until no dry flour is left. Stop there, because the more you mix after that, the tougher the cookies end up.
4. Roll 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough into a ball for each cookie and set them 2 inches apart on the sheets.
5. Press a dent into the middle of each ball with the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon, deep enough that the sides come up around the bowl of the spoon. Leave about a quarter inch of dough underneath, so the filling can’t leak through while it bakes.
6. Stir the chopped pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla and salt together in a bowl.
7. Spoon a rounded teaspoon of filling into each dent, stirring the bowl every few cookies so the pecans don’t settle. Keep it level with the rim, because filling heaped higher bubbles over in the oven and glues the cookies to the pan.
8. Press a pecan half on top of each one if you like.
9. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are light golden and the filling is glossy and bubbling. The centers will still look soft at that point, and they firm up as they cool. If you wait for the middle to stop moving, the edges can turn dark and dry, and the filling will set hard like candy.
10. Let them sit on the pan for five minutes. That filling is hot enough to burn, so do not pick one up straight away. Once they’ve cooled a bit, move them to a rack and let them cool all the way before you stack them.

Easy Variations on Pecan Pie Cookies

If you’ve already tried this and want something a little different, or if you have dietary requirements, here are a few easy swaps you can make:

Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies

Use a vegan baking stick in place of the butter, in both the dough and the filling. For the egg, stir a tablespoon of ground flaxseed into three tablespoons of water and let it sit for five minutes until it thickens, then use it the same way.

Gluten-Free Pecan Pie Cookies

Swap the two cups of all-purpose flour for a gluten-free baking blend, which is several gluten-free flours and starches mixed together to act like wheat flour. One on its own, like rice flour or almond flour, bakes gritty and crumbly, so look for a bag labeled cup for cup. Check it for xanthan gum as well, and add half a teaspoon per cup if it isn’t in there, since that’s what holds the dough together in place of the gluten.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Cookies

Add three or four chocolate chips into each dent before the filling goes in, so they melt under the pecans as the cookies bake. If you’d prefer chocolate inside the dough, give our chocolate chip pecan cookies a try.

Maple Pecan Pie Cookies

Use maple syrup in place of the corn syrup, measure for measure. Maple has a deeper, slightly smoky sweetness, so the filling tastes less like candy and more like pancake syrup.

Serving and Sharing

These taste best the day you bake them, while the filling is still soft. Set them out at room temperature. If you’re filling a bigger tray, we recommend making some pecan tassies and adding them to it. Their flavors complement each other well.

Keep what’s left in an airtight tin for about three days, with parchment between the layers so the sticky tops don’t stick together.

For longer than that, freeze them. Keep your freezer at 0°F or below, lay freezer paper between the layers, and eat them within three months while the flavor is still good. Thaw them in the wrapping at room temperature, then put them out as they are.

And on a week when there’s no time to bake, our mini pecan pies are ready to put straight on the table.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use pecan halves instead of chopping them?

Chop them. A pecan half sits too tall for the dent, so it tips off as soon as you lift the cookie, and the syrup has nothing small to cling to.

What should I do with leftover filling?

Keep it in a covered jar in the fridge and use it within three days. It’s good spooned over ice cream or stirred into oatmeal, and if you have dough left as well, you can bake a few more cookies the next day.

Can I freeze the dough before I bake them?

Yes. Freeze the balls plain and stir the filling fresh on the day, since that part takes a minute. Bag them once they’re frozen firm and keep them for up to three months. Let them thaw before you dent them and add the filling, since frozen dough is too stiff to mold.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Yes. Wrap it well and keep it in the fridge for up to three days. Let it sit out for 10 minutes before you roll it, because cold dough cracks around the edges when you press the dent.