Happy Saturday, everyone! Erica from The Crumby Cupcake, stopping by with a tasty treat! Here we are – Thanksgiving week! I can hardly believe how quickly the last month has gone by! I feel like I was just seeing Halloween candy displays everywhere, and suddenly it’s nothing but red & green. Luckily, I love the holidays, and I’ve been baking up a storm in preparation.
These delicious 3-ingredient shortbread cookies are a favorite cookbook classic of mine, and when I topped them with some leftover pecan pie filling, these magical Pecan Pie Shortbread Cookies were born!
I have to admit, it took me until about 5 years ago to try pecan pie for the first time. Once I did, I was so mad that I’d deprived myself of the sweet, gooey, crunchy deliciousness that sits on so many holiday tables! I’ve become a pecan pie-a-holic, and these little babies are a perfectly snackable version of the real thing.
The buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread is the perfect compliment to the pecan filling, and would be perfect as a post-Turkey Day snack, or nestled in your Christmas gift baskets. Don’t be surprised when you find yourself going back for seconds, and thirds, and sevenths…
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add in flour 1 cup at a time a mix until on low speed a soft dough forms. It should not be crumbly!
- Remove dough from bowl and set on top of a piece of floured wax paper. Roll in to a 2-inch diameter log, and wrap tightly in the paper. Refrigerate until firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- While dough is chilling, prepare pecan pie filling. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add vanilla, brown sugar, and egg and stir to combine. Add pecans, continuing to stir constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unwrap log and slice dough 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Set slices about 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
- Using your thumb or the back of a spoon, make an indentation in each cookie, being sure not to make a hole through the bottom of the dough.
- Spoon about a tablespoon of the cooled pecan filling in to each slice.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Logs of dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the wax paper in plastic wrap before freezing, and then just thaw, slice, and bake when ready!
Latest posts by Erica Acevedo (see all)
- Vanilla Mint Coffee Creamer - December 24, 2017
- Cranberry Bourbon Cheesecake Bites - December 21, 2017
- Banana Hazelnut Cake Roll - May 23, 2017
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter Dip - April 15, 2016
Welp, this sounds absolutely AMAZING, Erica. I’m a sucker for any kind of cookies… and then you added pecan pie to shortbread. Pinned and will absolutely be making these soon!