Butter Pecan Cookies
Ooey, gooey, butter pecan perfection. These cookies are the delicious confluence of sugar cookie, meets (not) chocolate chip, meets nuts. Best right after baking, but will keep for a few days… if you can resist that long.
Butterscotch baking chips and a pecan syrup drizzle are optional here, but I highly recommend both!!
Cookie Batter:
-1 ½ (175 g) cups pecan halves, toasted
-1 cup (226 g) salted butter, softened
-1 ½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar (I use raw sugar here, but white is fine)
-¼ cup (50 g) Pecan Orgeat***
-1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoons butterscotch extract
-3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour**
-1 teaspoon cornstarch
-¾ teaspoon baking soda
-½ teaspoon baking powder
-½ cup (120 g) butterscotch baking chips (optional)
Drizzle:
-2 tablespoons Pecan Orgeat
-½ cups powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Spread pecan halves evenly over cookie sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes.
Remove from the oven, set aside to cool while you prepare your cookie dough (but keep the oven on!).
DOUGH
In a large mixing bowl combine butter, sugar, and syrup (Pecan Orgeat). Whisk in eggs, egg yolk, and extracts (if you don’t have butterscotch extract, just double the vanilla)
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder.
Gradually add dry to wet ingredients until completely combined. Coarsely chop your pecans then fold into batter until combined. Same for butterscotch chips if using. If you want to chill your dough at this point, you can, but it’s not necessary! If making in advance, this batter will keep covered in the refrigerator for a few days.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and form 1 ½ in balls from cookie dough. Place at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheet as they will spread.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges appear slightly golden. Cookies should still look soft and a little gooey in the centers. Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet so they finish cooking all the way through.
DRIZZLE
Stir together pecan syrup and powdered sugar until all the sugar has dissolved and a thin paste has formed. The mixture will harden as it sits, so drizzle immediately after mixing.
Once cookies are cool, drizzle with Pecan Orgeat mixture.
** I recommend weighing the flour for this cookie recipe. Too much flour will dry these butter pecan cookies out. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure by cups, but be sure to fluff up the flour before scooping, and don’t pack the cups down!
***If you do not have Pecan Syrup, use just shy of 1/4c brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of water mixed in. But honestly, it’s worth getting the Pecan Syrup. You’re gonna love it.
Orgeat is traditionally made with almonds, but we rarely do traditional in Savidge Kitchen. Whole Pecans are are the way we do things here, along with orange blossom water, and just a hint of bourbon vanilla extract. This makes for the ultimate Fall Old Fashioned, but don’t forget about the rest of your culinary adventures! Pancakes, waffles, Ice Cream are all begging to be topped with Pecan Syrup. Coffee? Duh. Roasted root veggies? YES PLEASE. Limited release, get yours while they last!
