Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies are soft cookies made with pecans and brown sugar then topped with an easy brown sugar frosting and a pecan half.
With the holidays coming up I’ve been working on my cookies. The best part of the holidays is the amount of cookies I bake. I always make my old favorites like thumbprints, gourmet oatmeal cookies, and cranberry bliss bars.
Then I start my new baking. This year I was super excited by these Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies. I try to make a cookie with either pecans or walnuts and these were screaming my name. Mounds of brown sugar and pecan pieces combine into soft and tasty cookies.
I mixed up the dough using Adams Best Twice as Strong Vanilla because it adds a huge punch of vanilla flavor. Then I grabbed a bag of Millican Pecan pieces. I like using Millican Pecan because they are already chopped into pieces but they aren’t so tiny that you can’t see them. They really are the best pecan!
After mixing up the dough it is rolled into balls and placed on a baking sheet. I used an Anolon Advanced cookie sheet with silicone grips. I love these pans because they are easy to put in and take out of the oven without sticking my oven mitt into the cookies. Plus they clean up easily and nothing sticks to them!
After baking the cookies I pulled them out of the oven to cool. Then I made the frosting. This is not your traditional frosting as it’s a cooked frosting.
A cooked frosting is great for cookies because it goes on the cookies easily but then firms up so that the cookies can be stacked or packaged. I also think that in this case the brown sugar frosting takes on a caramel flavor from being cooked. I add sea salt to my frosting for the sweet and salty combination but you can certainly leave it out.
To finish the cookies off I used a single pecan half on each one but a sprinkle of pecan pieces would be great as well. These cookies taste like the holidays. They are soft with flavors of brown sugar and pecans. I could seriously eat about a half dozen of these!
Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 c. 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 c. flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 c. chopped pecans
- 36 pecan halves
For the frosting:
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 c. heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 c. powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined.
- Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until set (not glossy) and lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and cool for 2-3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting combine the brown sugar and cream in a small pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the butter.
- Stir in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth. If frosting is too thin add more sugar while keeping in mind the frosting will harden as it cools.
- Spread each cookie with 1 tablespoon of frosting and top with a pecan half.
Notes
Nutrition
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Amaretti Snowball Cookies by Our Sutton Place
- Cherry Garlands by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cookies by Books n’ Cooks
- Chocolate Sugar Kisses by An Affair from the Heart
- Christmas Confetti Amaretti Cookies by The Spiffy Cookie
- Christmas Mouse Shortbread Cookies by Palatable Pastime
- Christmas Pinwheel Cookies by Lemon Blossoms
- Cinnamon Pecan Snickerdoodles by Daily Dish Recipes
- Classic Butter Spritz Cookies by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Hermit Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Honey Spice Oatmeal Cookies by Family Around the Table
- Melting Snowman Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Pecan Brown Sugar Cookies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Pecan Pie Cookies by Art of Natural Living
- Peppermint Kiss Cookies by Devour Dinner
- Reindeer Cookies by Sweet Beginnings
- Soft Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles by Jersey Girl Cooks
- Toffee Bars by That Recipe
- White Chocolate Cranberry Crinkle Cookies by Blogghetti
Brown sugar is so good in cookies. The flavor just makes then so delicious! I am putting these on the must try list.
These are calling my name. Pecans and Brown sugar is a fabulous combination.
My mom used to frost spice cake with a brown sugar frosting. So need to try this!
You had me at brown sugar…but then you went and added pecans! Swoon!!!
Brown sugar an pecan is a favorite flavor combination of mine!
I love any type of cookie with pecans and the fact this has frosting makes it even more appealing!
These sound delicious!! That brown sugar frosting is the perfect topper.
I love baking with Pecans especially around the holidays. These cookies will definitely be on my list to bake this season.
I love your softer version of pecan and brown sugar cookies! That frosting sounds so good too!
Cooked frosting sounds interesting! I’ll have to try it.
I was going to say the thing that Jolene did about the frosting! YUM!
These look fab – that icing! That pecan!
Thanks for hosting Christmas Cookies Week this year – it’s always such a fun week!
These cookies made me think of my Mom. She loved pecans. I wish I could make these cookies for her. She would have adored them.
That brown sugar frosting would never make it to the cookies, I’d be eating it by the spoonful!