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If November could be baked into a cookie, it would definitely be these pecan pie cookies with butter pecan frosting. Soft, buttery sugar cookies, frosted generously with creamy butter pecan frosting, and finished off with a drizzle of chocolate. Sooo much to love here! And perfect for entertaining, so be sure to include these cookies atop your Thanksgiving table…your guests will be so glad you did!
{This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes}
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With the excitement of Thanksgiving in the air, I’m very happy to be sharing these pecan pie cookies with you all today. There are many things I love about the months of both November and December, but one of my favorite things? The excuse to enjoy a cookie, or two, and not feel an ounce of guilt. I always say that balance is key. But come November, all bets are off.
The holidays only roll around once a year, so I like to fully embrace them. That’s what makes them so special. For me, that means baking cakes, pies, and cookies and enjoying them with family and friends. Who’s with me on this?
In a little less than two weeks, the studio barn will be filled with our family and friends for Thanksgiving. These cookies are high on my list of must makes for everyone to enjoy throughout the day.
Prior to moving to Colorado, Thanksgivings were always spent at my great aunt’s house in Pennsylvania. Aunt Debbie makes a butter cookie that everyone refers to as “turkey cookies“, and they’re delicious. They’ve always been a favorite of my moms. She talks about them every Thanksgiving. And every Thanksgiving I try to recreate them, but I’ve yet to come close.
Until this year!
Mom declared these pecan pie cookies to be just as good as a “turkey cookie”. Actually, she said better. If Mom is saying that, that means these cookies are REALLY good.
The sugar cookie is made up of my go-to sugar cookie base. Sweet Land O’Lakes butter, brown sugar, and a good amount of vanilla extract; simple but delicious. Using high quality butter is key, as the flavor really shines through in both the cookies and the frosting. Land O’Lakes salted butter is always my go-to. I keep my refrigerator stocked at all times during the holidays.
I cut my cookies into autumn leaves, but you can really use any shape you like. Or simply cut the cookies into circles. And of course, if you happen to have a turkey cookie cutter, that would be so cute!
For the frosting, I drew inspiration from my favorite pecan pie. I mixed up a butter pecan frosting that’s out of this world good. There are two simple secrets to this frosting.
One, use a mix of brown sugar and powdered sugar. Powdered sugar adds practically zero flavor. The brown sugar adds hints of warm molasses and really deepens the flavor to create a frosting that’s perfectly rich and sweet.
The second secret, vanilla and bourbon toasted pecans. These are simply addicting. And when chopped up and sprinkled over each cookie?
SO GOOD. Like pecan pie, but in cookie form.
I finished the cookies off with a drizzle of chocolate, to really seal the deal. The chocolate is not a must have, but you all know that around here…a drizzle of chocolate is NOT optional. Always need a little chocolate. Always.
I’m super excited to serve these cookies up as part of our Thanksgiving menu this year. They’re the perfect make ahead cookie that can be left out all day for easy snacking, from sunup to sundown.
Oh, and a little tip? Bake a double batch of these, especially if you’re serving lots of people. Stopping at just one cookie really isn’t possible. Trust me, I speak from experience.
If you make these pecan pie cookies please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how to video:
Pecan Pie Cookies with Butter Pecan Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) Land O Lakes® Salted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Butter Pecan Frosting
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) Land O Lakes® Salted Butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecans
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- melted chocolate, for drizzling
Instructions
- 1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until evenly combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, beat until combined and the dough forms a ball.2. Generously flour your work surface. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disk. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Make sure you’re using enough flour or your dough will stick. Cut out the cookies using your desired shape (I used a leaf). Carefully transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place the sheet into the freezer, freeze until firm, about 10-15 minutes. Roll out the leftover scraps, and repeat with the remaining disk of dough.3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes (for soft cookies) or until just lightly golden brown. Do not over bake. Cool on the baking sheet five minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.4. In a medium sauce pan, melt together 4 tablespoons butter, the cream, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl in the freezer (or fridge for longer) for 15-20 minutes or until cool to touch.5. On a parchment lined baking sheet, combine the pecans, bourbon – if using, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and cinnamon. Toss to coat. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until toasted. Remove, let cool 10 minutes, then roughly chop the pecans.6. Grab the cooled butter mixture from the freezer and add the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter, the remaining teaspoon of vanilla, and the powdered sugar to the bowl. Beat together until well combined. 7. Frost each cookie and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Drizzle with chocolate. Store cookies in an airtight container for up 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
{This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}
Thank you for sharing such a special recipe! They were delicious, soft, melt in the mouth and yielded many servings of cookies! Simply awesome!
Thank you so much Marisa!
These look so good! Thinking about making them for a Christmas cookie swap. Do you have any tips for stacking/packing them without messing up the frosting?
HI! If you sprinkle the frosted cookies with chopped pecans, that will protect the frosting when they are packed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
I have made these cookies 3 times since you originally posted them….they are so, so, so good. I love baking cookies and am sort of a cookie snob with the recipes I make. If I and/or my family don’t love a recipe the first time I try it, it ends up in the trash….the recipe….sometimes the cookies too…. Since I’ve made these Pecan Pie Cookies 3 times already, you already know this recipe didn’t meet the trash can end. Just the opposite, the first batch I made went so fast, I tried freezing them to make them last a little longer (didn’t work). Thank you for creating such a wonderful cookie recipe that will stay in my reserved “favorite cookies” clipped inside my trusty Betty Crocker’s COOKY BOOK I’ve been using for years and will be enjoyed by family and friends for years to come. P.S. I’ve used both a leaf cookie cutter at Thanksgiving and a snowflake cookie cutter for our Santa’s Workshop and thought the snowflakes were the cutest…or maybe I’m just getting better at frosting them. Love your blog and have made many of your recipes. I’m so impressed how you come up with so many recipes day after day after year…,. You’re amazing!!!!
Thank you so much Shelli! I am so glad you loved these cookies and they have turned out perfectly for you!
Hi Tieghan! Your recipes are my go to for cooking, baking, and cocktails and I tell everyone about your blog, so thank so much! I have a question about this recipe though. How would it differ if I did not make shapes and just wanted to make regular circular cookies? And can you make the batter a day in advance and refrigerate? (I have time constraints this week.) Thank you again!!
HI! You can certainly make circle cookies! Just roll into tablespoon size balls and bake as directed. I think the baking time should be similar. Maybe 1-2 minutes longer. Yes, you can make the dough and keep in the fridge! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
I made these for Thanksgiving this year and they were an absolute hit! Added a little sprinkle of sea salt after the chocolate drizzle.
The kids loved snacking on the leftover unfrosted cookies!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you so much Leslie!
I agree! These are currently my favorite too! (Don’t tell Grandma her sugar cookies have slipped to second place.?)
Oh my goodness! That is so amazing to hear Amy! I am so glad you loved these cookies!
They look amazing!! Absolutely making them next week. Thank you for all your great recipes, I’ve had your cookbook for about year now and I love it.
I am so happy to hear that Anaïs! Thank you so much and I hope you try these cookies!
This is yyummy! I wanted to cook this at home.
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I am so glad you liked this! Thanks!
These look incredible!!! I am so making these for the holidays and will just use a 1 to 1 gluten-free flour replacement! So excited!! Thank you!
Thank you Jennifer! I hope these turn out amazing!
Awwwww these look delicious!!! Your pictures are stunning btw ♡ I will definitely be trying your recipe. Just wondering if you know how these might convert to vegan? Using flax eggs and vegan butter for the cookie dough and maybe coconut cream in place of heavy cream the icing?
Hey Heidi! I am not very familiar with vegan baking, so I really cannot advise you on how to make the cookies vegan. A flax egg and coconut cream sound like a good start. Let me know how it goes and Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
My family and I have never celebrated Thanksgiving in a traditional fashion in a VERY long time. We’d often be too busy around this holiday to make the time to cook, but this year, we’re changing up the game and actually concocting a home-cooked feast! I am SO excited and have been wanting to create candied yams and vegan apple crisps for so long! These pecan pie cookies sure do look fantastic though. I’d whip a batch up for Christmas–or really, any time of the day!
I am so glad you like these Cassie! I hope you try them!
Such gorgeous cookies, pecans and brown butter are the best!
YES! Thank you so much!
Tieghan, your recipes are always over the top yummy. And your photos are gorgeous. I absolutely love how adorable these Pecan Pie Cookies are for anything from homemade Christmas food gifts to servings trays at Holiday parties. And this recipe sounds scrumptious. Thanks so much for all your hard work in sharing all that you share.
Thank you so much, Kristy! I am so glad you like my blog and recipes and I hope you continue to!
Those pecans sounds amazing just on their own. I have to try this recipe just for these… maybe with extra pecans for later!
Sounds amazing! I hope you try these Carly! Thank you!
I will definitively make these, this afternoon !! They look delicious !
Thank you so much Syrine!