Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

I toasted the pecans before grinding and added a teaspoon of vanilla in place of the cloves. The results were delicious. These cookies must be frozen before baking; they will spread no matter what you do, but this keeps the monster contained. I usually prefer underbaked cookies, but the crisper ones in my batch were the best. Yum!

Cut the formed dough into thirds, wrap in saran and freeze. The frozen cookies will keep their form better when you cut them to bake. And you will have two more batches to use later.

I'm confused by the dimensions given for rolling the dough.
What does 9/10.5/2 mean?
I think you meant 1/2 inch thickness.
Please clarify.

I read all the notes before trying for my second time and had success with this method: refrigerate dough for 1/2 hour, then roll into logs 1 1/2 inches thick in wax paper and chill for 2 hours. Using very sharp knife, slice 1/4 inch thick slices and place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Put in freezer for 10 minutes. Prick with fork. Bake for 9 minutes plus 9 minutes, switching around sheet, but only one sheet at a time. I also roasted the pecans first and used 1 tsp. vanilla. Yum.

Use this as a piecrust, just pat it in the pan. Good with Bourbon Pecan Pie.

I use aluminum or stainless steel cookie sheets and do not use non stick cookie sheets ever, especially recipes with alot of butter. Have dough chilled, and cookie sheets cool before using again. The cornstarch in the recipe makes for a more tender cookie and makes the dough more managable. Great cookie, enjoy!

Delicious crispy, rich cookies! Did make a few changes, went with walnuts instead and rolled dough into a log and then sliced. Worked great, really easy. Might coat the outside with chopped nuts or sugar next time.

Shaped dough into squared off logs on sheets of plastic wrap. Wrapped up and froze. Cut logs into 1/2 inch slices and baked on parchment lined sheets. Waited until turning the cookie sheets at the halfway point (9 minutes) to prick the cookies with a fork (for decoration). This avoided the breaking/crumbling cookies other complained of. Baked a total of 20 minutes for delicious crisp cookies. Ready to slice and bake cookies in the freezer are a great convenience.

I'd love to get some feedback from the recipe writer on the spreading issue -- seems like many readers
have developed workarounds -- i too tried freezing and they still spread quite a bit. So a tip on how to achieve the lovely cookie in the photo would be appreciated.

Hi Nancy,
There are several options for Non-GMO cornstarch now. Even good old Rumford's has one. Or if in doubt, choose organic which is always GMO free. Happy baking!

I toasted the pecans before grinding and added a teaspoon of vanilla in place of the cloves. The results were delicious. These cookies must be frozen before baking; they will spread no matter what you do, but this keeps the monster contained. I usually prefer underbaked cookies, but the crisper ones in my batch were the best.

Not a fan of cloves so I subbed in nutmeg. These might be my favorite cookies ever.

Has anyone tried this with a shortbread pan? I have a really pretty one I’d love to use.

Easy to make and tasty to eat!

These are super tasty but I had trouble with the dough. It was too dry and I wasn’t sure what adjustment to make.

I didn’t have any trouble with spreading. I did not sift. I used regular Land o Lakes butter. I did not freeze the dough. I used vanilla instead of cloves like many have done. They were delicious. Will definitely be making again.

These were just okay. With the brown sugar it tasted more like a chocolate chip cookie without the chips. I prefer a regular shortbread with pecans.

OK, I was an English major. So I don't really do numbers. But I can't figure out how, if I roll the dough to 1/4" before chilling, I can divide it into 2" thick cookies. Or does the "/2" mean something else? What am I missing here? (And BTW, these are yummy. If not the right size.)

Better with less sugar than indicated.

Not a fan of cloves so I subbed in nutmeg. These might be my favorite cookies ever.

Substituted 1 tsp vanilla for cloves

I’m calling them Ugly Cookies. Tasted great. Made a spread out single cookie. Should have looked at the notes first. If I try again I’ll make a roll and freeze.

Butter oozed from these cookies and I followed recipe to a tee? Too much butter?

Funny, I pre-cut the dough and froze for 48 hours and put them directly into the oven and they spread all over the place. Taste good but can't use for the holidays unless crushed over ice cream or between a layer cake.

I didn’t have the problem with the cookies spreading that others describe here. Made exactly as the recipe, except a bit more clove and some cinnamon. Looks exactly like the picture and texture is dreamy.

Total winner recipe.

The cookies were very tasty, but if I were to make them again I would cut the amount of butter or add a little more flour. A little too short. Also, , would form the dough into a log and cut a bit thicker maybe 1/2”. The cookies didn’t hold their shape while baking