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 eggless cookies or not these are divine.
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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.
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 properly. 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.
The Best Butter Pecan Cookies
A few of my favorite recipes besides these Butter Pecan Cookies came from the Everyday Food books. Upside Down Cranberry Cake and Cookie Breakup (a crunchy eggless chocolate chip cookie you cook on a sheet pan and break into pieces) to name two. They will appear in healthier versions here at Joy Filled Eats someday!
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 these as well. He's not a huge sweets guy but he has a special place in his heart for nut cookies.
Pecan Sandies
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.
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 above photo.
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!
Expert Tips for Crisp Keto Cookies
Using gelatin in place of eggs in recipes is the trick I've found to crisp up cookies made with alternative flours like almond flour and coconut flour.
I use gelatin in place of eggs in my other eggless cookies too.
All of these cookies are eggless!
Jam Thumbprint Low Carb Cookies
English Toffee Cappuccino Cookies
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Almond Crunch Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
How to 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
Originally Published December 18, 2016. Revised and Republished April 20, 2020.
Kathy says
Do you think another nut, or no nuts, would work? Not a fan of pecans but the other aspects of the cookie found perfect. I know it's a pecan sandy, just wondering if the cookie, minus pecans, can be a base cookie recipe.
Taryn says
Yes, it can. I use the base dough in about a dozen other recipes. And it is on my cookie cheat sheet (free printable 🙂 ).
Jan says
Thank you for this recipe! So much simpler that other Keto Pecan recipes I’ve tried. And you weren’t kifdding…they are perfectly crispy. I only had Monkfruit with Erythritol on hand but it worked out perfectly….delicious!
Baker Peeples says
I've made this four times now, and it's superb. I use 1/2 cup of powdered Swerve as sweetener, and I find it doesn't really need to be dusted in more sweetener. (I once made half the recipe with, and half without, the dusting -- both good, but I like it just as well without it.). They really are crisper because of the gelatin. Great trick!
Frances Wilson says
I’ve made the several times. I substitute coconut flour with pecan flour because my sister is allergic but we are both doing Keto. WE LOVE THESE!!!
Mary Heidt says
I made these cookies yesterday. When I tasted them, I thought these would be good for a breakfast on the go. A couple with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Well was I mistaken. My husband loved them, my Mom loved them and because I only had 4 left, I gave 2 to my Sister. So, if I want a couple I will have to make another batch. What an awful problem to have. Lol. I will toast my pecans next time. I will use a little less sugar to roll them in. Just a personal preference. A wonderful recipe. Thank you so much. It is so easy.
Jacquie says
Absolutely easy to make and soooo delicious!! Thank you for my new favorite cookie!!
Christy says
These are fabulous! Has anyone tried freezing the dough and baking later? Thanks 😀
Taryn says
I have not, but the cookies themselves freeze very well.
Susan Molnar says
These cookies are so good! I made them according to your recipe but I did toast my pecan in the oven a bit and I used Golden Lananto Monkfruit to roll them in before baking. Oh my goodness! They were wonderful! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I will be making these often I suspect!
Mary Denor says
Do you know if allulose would work? I find much less stomach issues with allulose. Would you know the substitution amount?
Taryn says
I have not tested this recipe with allulose. I do think it would work though.
Tasha says
They turned out awesome and were so simple to make!
Becuz I'm not uch of a sweetooth...they were a bit too sweet for me so next time I will skip the sugar rolling at the end just to tone down the sweetness.
Gloria Boe says
Cannot use coconut flour or oil. What do I use.
Taryn says
You can use all almond flour.
Dolly k says
Can I use xanthan gum as a substitute for gelatin? If yes, how much?
Taryn says
I have not tested this with xg. I'd suggest using 1 teaspoon if you want to try it.
Sharon says
Husband approved! His new favorite cookie!
Robin says
Have you ever used agar powder instead of gelatin? Agar is vegetarian sub for gelatin.
Thank you! Love your recipes!
Karen says
Taryn, this recipe is magic--so much better than a pecan sandie! I don't have an egg allergy, but sometimes it's just nice to bake a cookie without eggs. Plus, the gelatin makes a nice, non-crumbly cookie that travels well. It is one of my husband's favorite keto cookies... and I like that it's so simple to make. Thank you!
Sheila says
Loved them. Would use a little less sweetner
Julie Weimer says
These look delicious but I cant have almonds or coconut. I figure I can substitute the almond flour with cashew flour but what about the coconut flour, any ideas?
Taryn says
I've never baked with cashew flour but I think it would work to just use all cashew flour. If the dough seems too wet just add a little extra.
Dena Grass says
Saving up to buy the cookbook series! Yum!!
Beth Hudson says
Best cookie recipe EVER!! Thank you for sharing!
Susan Potter says
Hi
I am Australian.
How much is a stick of butter?
Susan
Taryn says
4 oz which is 113 grams. I just added metric conversions within the recipe card.