Pecan Sandies
This pecan sandies recipe is to die for. They’re crispy, and buttery without being oily, and offer a little bit of a crunch from the toasted pecans, and exterior. But are flaky and tasty on the interior. You will never need to buy Pecan Sandies from Keebler again because this recipe is all you need.
Who doesn’t love some old fashioned pecan sandies cookies? They are easy to make, but taste like you spent hours on them. They pair perfectly with a hot beverage or milk, but let’s be honest, they’re delicious all on their own.
I remember when I was younger walking into my grandma’s kitchen and being hit with the sweet smell of cookies fresh out of the oven. It didn’t matter what kind they were, I knew they were going to be scrumptious. But one of the kinds I looked forward to most were pecan sandies.
My grandma always had a cookie stash. And when she wasn’t making homemade cookies, we would eat the packaged kind. And boy did I love Keebler Pecan Sandies. I just loved the buttery, nutty flavor, and she always served it with a cold glass of milk. It just doesn’t get any better.
I remember feeling so grown up because my other siblings did not love the pecans, but my mom did. And my grandma did. And I did.
As an adult, I still love these shortbread cookies stuffed with pecans. What is not to love?
How do you make pecan sandies?
As I’ve gotten older I’ve inevitably gotten busier. I don’t have time to waste making subpar cookies. But I want my cookies to be better than store bought. I’m particular about my sandies, so I have worked at perfecting this no-fail copycat Keebler pecan sandies recipe. And I am thrilled with the results.
These cookies are melt in your mouth delicious, but you still get that crispy outside that you expect from a pecan sandies cookie recipe, but with the flaky, delicious shortbread like base. And of course the pecans!
Just look at the dough:
The trick to making these Pecan Sandies perfect is to follow a few simple tips:
- It is critical to beat the butter and vegetable oil with the sugars very thoroughly, until smooth and creamy. You want a light, fluffy, creamy texture before you move on to adding the next ingredients.
- Chill your dough. This is important for getting the texture right. Give yourself time to allow for at least 30 minutes of chilling time. This is a thin dough, and pretty wet, make sure you chill it or your cookies will not have the right shape. If you feel you need to chill longer, go for it, or pop them in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Press the pecan sandies down slightly to help it get to the right shape. These do not spread much when baking, and while a puffy cookie is fun, the texture won’t be reminiscent of the original pecan sandies. If you want your homemade pecan sandies to taste like Keebler, and have the same texture, you will want to gently press them down a little.
- Bake to the right time. These can quickly go from crispy delicious pecan sandies to overcooked, hard to eat pecan sandies. So make sure to watch the edges. You want them to be golden brown, but edges only!
- These cookies are sweet, but not overly so. They do use three different kinds of sugar to help achieve the right texture. While you can make some substitutions, keep in mind they won’t have the same texture as they will if made as written.
- This dough can easily be frozen to be baked later. I love scooping out the cookies, and placing them on a parchment lined sheet, then freezing them, after they are flash frozen I pop them in a zip top bag for later use. They bake up perfectly from frozen, and it means being able to bake ahead for the holidays, or pull one or two cookies out at a time when I just really want something sweet.
These are some of my favorite cookies of all time, and I sure hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
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Pecan Sandies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, white and brown sugars and confectioners' sugar until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl, and stir together.
- Stir flour mixture into the creamed mixture.
- Fold in the pecans.
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
- Roll dough into 1 inch balls or use a 1 inch cookie scoop
- Place the cookie balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Gentle press the cookies down to flatten slightly. They don’t spread much when baking
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Elaine says
Amazing cookies! Everything promised is true! Followed the recipe exactly as she posted- great directions! Will be my “go to” now! Passes the real test, my 96 yr old Mom (best baker I know ) loved them!
Rachael says
Elaine,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I am so glad your 96 year old Mom liked these Pecan Sandies! They are definitely a favorite around here. Have a great day.
Rachael
Mike says
Great cookies!! Who needs an elf when you can make these at home! So easy and taste great. Thanks for posting this.