These Butter Pecan Cookies live up to their name. They are buttery and chock full of pecans. They are crisp, sweet, and are the perfect sweet bite after supper. Whether you need keto cookies or not these are divine.
These are one of my favorite cookies ever. I made them for the first time as a newlywed almost 13 years ago when this recipe came in my little Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine. I've made them countless times since. I loved those little Everyday Food recipe books when I had a subscription. As a new bride cooking for 2 for the first time, I needed a bit of help.
I've always enjoyed cooking. My best friend and I used to destroy our moms' kitchens regularly with our experiments. Like typical teenagers, we did things like put Twizzlers into pancakes to see what would happen. They melted and made a mess.
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Meg and I had a blast but between crazy experiments and spending my teenage years as a vegetarian, there were many things I needed to learn how to cook correctly. In the early 2000s, Food Network wasn't around that I remember so I resorted to cookbooks and magazines. I still have a folder of dozens of recipes I cut from magazines or jotted down on scraps of paper from cookbooks from the library.
A few of my favorite recipes have been inspired by the Everyday Food books. Like this Cranberry Upside Down Cake.
When I perfected my shortbread cookie dough early this month I knew that adding pecans to it would change it into the special sweet known as Butter Pecan Cookies. My husband has always loved this butter pecan cookie recipe as well. He's not a huge sweets guy but he has a special place in his heart for nut cookies.
Ingredients
Pecans - You can use raw pecans or toast them and cool them first to enhance their flavor. To toast pecans place them on a baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes at 400. Watch them closely and check them often. They can burn easily.
Almond Flour - Almond flour has a mild flavor so you don't taste it in these cookies but it gives keto recipes a great texture.
Coconut Flour - I add a bit of coconut flour to balance the oiliness of the almond flour. You cannot taste it.
Salted Butter - When baking I always use salted butter. If you have unsalted butter just add a pinch of salt.
Sweetener - I use a blend of granular sweeteners with stevia. You will roll the cookie dough balls in the sweetener as well as add it to the dough. I do offer alternatives in the recipe card like monk fruit sweetener.
Gelatin - This is my secret ingredient in keto cookies. It acts as a binder, replacing eggs. It keeps them crisp whereas eggs can make cookies made with alternative flour cakey.
Vanilla Extract - Vanilla enhances the other flavors naturally.
How to Make Butter Pecan Cookies
If you loved pecan sandies growing up I'm sure you'll love this recipe too. They are ready before you could even put on your coat and head out to the store to buy a package. And with healthy ingredients, my pecan cookies recipe is the better choice.
Step One: Using a food processor to mix up the dough for these is the way to go. If you don't have a food processor you can finely chop the nuts by hand and then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until the dough looks like my dough in the below photo.
Step Two: Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop. Place each of the dough balls in the sweetener and press down. Rolling the dough in sweetener and pressing them out helps to create a crisper cookie.
It can be tricky to get cookies with almond flour to firm up like a traditional shortbread. The method paired with my eggless cookie dough creates the perfect shortbread texture!
Step Three: Bake until golden brown on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Variations
Nuts - Swap out the pecans for cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, or almonds.
Pecan Flour - Swap some or all of the almond flour for pecan flour to double down on the pecan flavor.
Chocolate Chips - Make these into a pecan chocolate chip cookie recipe by adding your favorite chocolate chips. Make sure to use sugar free chocolate chips or keto chocolate chips, if needed.
Browned Butter - If you want to make these with brown butter you will have the brown the butter ahead of time and chill it until it is cold before proceeding with the recipe.
Brown Sugar Sweetener - You can swap in a light brown sugar sweetener if you prefer.
Regular Sugar - I think that regular granular sugar would work in this recipe but I have not tested it.
Ice Cream Sandwiches - Sandwich two of these with some Keto Butter Pecan Ice Cream for an amazing treat.
Common Questions
How do I make Crisp Keto Cookies?
Using gelatin in place of eggs in recipes is the trick I've found to crisp up keto diet cookies made with alternative flours like almond flour and coconut flour.
I use gelatin in place of eggs in my other eggless cookies too.
How do I store Butter Pecan Cookies?
This recipe makes 16 medium-sized cookies perfect for dunking into a glass of reduced carb milk to serving alongside a cup of steaming coffee. I always add them to my cookie trays at Christmas and have frequently gifted them to family and friends. I store all my low carb baked goods in the fridge so they last longer but these are fine on the counter for a few days. And they freeze really well!
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz cold salted butter cut into pieces
- 1 cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅔ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes) divided
- 2 teaspoon gelatin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the butter, almond flour, coconut flour, ⅓ cup of the sweetener, gelatin, and vanilla in a food processor. Pulse until wet crumbs form. Add the pecans. Pulse until they are chopped. The dough will come together into a ball as the pecans are chopped.
- Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Put the remaining ⅓ cup sweetener in a shallow bowl. Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Put in the sweetener and press it into a disc. Flip it over and press again so both sides are dusted with sweetener. Put on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the edges are golden. (Begin checking these around the 8-10 minute mark, they seem to bake fast in some ovens).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
All of these low carb keto cookie recipes are eggless!
Jam Thumbprint Low Carb Cookies
English Toffee Cappuccino Cookies
Healthy Fruit Pizza Cookies with Keto Cream Cheese Frosting
Almond Crunch Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Please let me know which low carb cookie recipes you try in the comments.
Originally Published December 18, 2016. Revised and Republished July 20, 2023.
Gabriele says
Hallo Taryn! I baked the Butter Pecan Cookies few times already and there so amazing and so easy to bake. I love your recipes, I cooked and baked lots of your recipes already and there so good and healthy. And even my husband enjoyes you recipes. Keep up the good and healthy ways. Especially since I found out that I'm allergic to lots food items now. Thank you and Happy Halloween, sincerely, Gabriele
Joanne Lee says
Sorry if this question is dumb, do you just at the two tsp of gelatin powder, or do you add water to gelatin ?
Taryn says
It's ok! You just add the gelatin powder.
Letty says
Can you use eggs if you don’t have gelatin?!
Taryn says
The gelatin is what makes them crisp. If you want you can sub in an egg but they will be cakey instead of crisp like shortbread.
Jan says
In this recipe - could butter be substituted with coconut oil? I need to make a batch that is dairy free
Taryn says
I have not tested that but I'm pretty sure it would work. Please LMK how they turn out!
Steph says
How would using honey as the sweetener replacement affect the cookies? I am looking for more natural sweetener for my daughter SCD diet.
Taryn says
I don't think liquid honey would work. Granular honey or maple sugar should be ok.
Sherri says
I'm wondering what I did wrong. I followed all the instructions using my food processor, but my dough never formed a ball. I picked up the batter a little at a time, rolled it, then put it in the gentle sweet, and pressed down. However, when I pressed down on it the disc would just fall apart. I don't think I can make the cookies, as they are. Help! What should I do?
Taryn says
You need to process it longer in the food processor. The blade starts to break down the almond flour (think almond butter) and that will hold the dough together. I've made this batter dozens and dozens of times. This always happens but it can take up to 3 minutes of processing.
Erin says
They were browned around the edges in 8 mins. Thank goodness I never took my eyes off them otherwise 17 mins would have burned them no I didn't substitute. I followed the reciepe exactly.
Taryn says
I'm very surprised about that! Have you checked your oven temp lately? I make these frequently (and have in several ovens) and have never had them done that quickly.
Debra S Kingsley says
I add sugar free chocolate chips to the batter; fantastic!
Thank you!
Elena says
Im dairy free. Can we susbtiture butter for coconut oil?
Taryn says
I haven't tried coconut oil in these. It should work. I'd use one of the butter flavored varieties.
Katarina says
That's what I planned to do because I've run out of butter but have a lot of coconut oil. I've done it before several times and it turned out ok, but they don't sub straight across, one for one. I looked it up and you need a little liquid when using coconut oil because it's pure fat, as opposed to butter which is like 80% fat (or something like that) and the rest is milk solids and whatnot. So do a little research first about subbing coconut oil for butter and you'll get a better result.
Cheryl says
Can allulose be used instead of the Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet and not change the texture of the cookie? Thank you for the recipe.
Taryn says
I have not tested this recipe with allulose but I do think it would work. Most sugar alcohols are interchangeable.
Christy says
If using all almond would the measurements be the same? And besides egg, would there be anything to replace gelatin?
Taryn says
You may need a bit more almond flour since coconut tends to be drier. I have not tested this with other binding agents. It's possible that collagen could work.
Dana N says
I can't wait to try these. Can I substitute xanthan gum for the gelatin? I dont have any gelatin on hand right now.
Taryn says
Maybe. The gelatin is the binder in this recipe. If you use xanthan gum the worst that would happen is they might be a little crumbly. They’d still taste great though!
Bibi Gromling says
I made these yesterday and they are terrific. My husband loved them too. I did get 18 cookies out of the recipe by using a cookie 1 Tbs scoop. they all ended up being the same size. Storing in the fridge is the way to go.
Roxann L Nys says
you mentioned watching the video to see how the cookies are made, but there is no video on the cookies on this page. Where can I find it?
Taryn says
There is, it just takes a few seconds to load. It will be right at the top under the green Jump to Recipe button. If you have an ad blocker on you may need to turn that off.
Amy says
So excited to make these . Followed recipe . Mine are dry and burnt in 10 min. Lowered temp , still burnt and dry . Even tried no sugar in bottom . And not crunchy at all ? What am I doing wrong ?
Taryn says
Have you ever checked your oven temperature? Are you at a high altitude? These get a lot of great reviews with the temp and time indicated in the recipe. Unless you over is off I'm not sure why they would've burned.
Donna says
I'm sorta new to sugar free baking & a little confused- recipe says to use 2/3 C Gentle Sweet (it's powdered) OR your sweetener (it's granulated). How can we use the same amount of either one? Substituting the same amount of powdered sugar for granulated sugar would not work. Is it different for sugar alternatives? Are we supposed to powder your sweetener first, then measure? Don't wanna waste my expensive ingredients. 🙂 Thanks!
Taryn says
The powdered gentle sweet is a brand new product that has come out since I made this recipe. I have not tested this with the powdered version. I would try a little less and see how the dough looks and tastes. You can always add more.
Yuri says
The gelatin is all necessary? Can change for anything else?
Taryn says
The gelatin is the binder since they don't have eggs. It also helps them crisp. If you want you can sub in an egg but they will be cakey.
Janice says
Okay. Thanks for the quick reply. Looking forward to trying them.
Janice says
Have you ever made these with all coconut flour?
Taryn says
No, and I'm pretty sure all coconut flour will not work.
Leslie says
How much monk fruit could I use in this recipe? Can’t wait to try this 😋
Taryn says
Try the same amount. Adding more might make them too dry.