Pecan Pie Shortbread Cookies

pecan-cookies-shortbreadPecan Pies are hot favorites at Thanksgiving time, but what do you think of these pretty and scrumptious Pecan Pie Cookies? Aren’t they adorable? They are a great fusion between soft & chewy cookies and a slice of Pecan Pie – a luscious filling made with pecans, and whipping cream is spooned into regular thumbprint cookies, making this a great nibble. They are stylish too, and would be great at a cocktail party or when you are entertaining friends at home. With a buttery exterior and a soft gooey center, these pecan cookies are even better than shortbread cookies!!

Originally inspired from Land-of-Lakes recipe, these Pecan Cookies make the perfect use of nuts and butter! Similar to thumbprint cookeis, you can experiment with other fillings too instead of the pecan filling. Jam, Cream, Peanut butter or Chocolate would all be great variations. Feel free to customize it to suit your taste and occasion!

[recipe & photo courtesy of Nic from Cherrapeno]

Ingredients
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

For the cookies:
1 cup packed soft brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Pecan Filling:
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1/4 cup double cream (heavy whipping)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla extract together until creamy (or use a hand held electric mixer).

Beat in the flour and baking powder until well mixed.

Shape the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Make an indentation in each cookie with your thumb; rotate thumb to hollow out slightly.

Combine all the filling ingredients in small bowl; fill each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon of filling.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing from cookie sheets.

These delicious Pecan Cookies can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months. Just thaw them to room temperature before serving!

Related Recipes:
Traditional Pumpkin Pie
Coconut PoppySeed Cake
Espresso Kahlua Brownies


Comments

  1. Those look wonderful. I wonder if I can get Lisa to add those to the list of Christmas cookies that we make. 😉 – John

  2. innovative idea ..looks delicious..

  3. You are pretty innovative, love the cookies.
    “buttery exterior and a soft gooey center”?? You have me drooling here…

  4. looks great and delicious..

  5. sharon – yes, I just loved the idea too! 2 birds in one stone!:)

    thanks Jen! do let us know how they turn out! I’m sure Nic would be happy to have someone testify these beauties!:)

  6. wow, I love those cookies! I will definitely bake these soon as my kids love pecans!!

    ~Jen

  7. that looks great! what a lovely idea to combine a pie and a cookie together!:)

    Sharon