Thick homemade buttery pecan sandies cookies that have the texture of shortbread with an added crispy nutty flavor. These cookies are one of our favorites made from my grandma’s old fashioned recipe. This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies.
When I stumbled onto this recipe, I knew it would be a hit. In my family any kind of crispy cookie like almond jelly cookies, shortbread or biscotti becomes a favorite. Finding this pecan sandies cookies (similar flavor to the pecan cream cheese cookies) recipe looked like a great recipe to try right out of my grandma’s recipe box.
And it’s from a type writer! Anyone else just love an old fashioned homemade recipe like this? I like to envision my grandma at one of her church potlucks asking for the recipe and then getting this type written recipe in return with the lady’s name on it.
The only change I made to this recipe was an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Based on the age of this recipe and the fact that it said to “sift” the flour, my guess is that the flour originally used in this recipe was not a fine as our modern all purpose flour. Because of that, I made the cookies a second time with additional flour and they turned out thicker which is how I prefer them!
How to Make Pecan Sandies
Cream the butter and shortening together. Add sugar and cream again on medium speed for about two minutes or until the batter is light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar until mixed in, scraping the bowl as you go.
Stir in the choped pecans.
Chill the dough for at least 1/2 an hour or until you’re ready to make your cookies. Shape into balls using a heaping tablespoon.
Place on un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten to about 1/3″ using a glass in dipped in white sugar. The first cookie will stick a bit, but the white sugar will stick to the bottom of the glass making the rest of the cookies easy to flatten.
Also, I recommend using a baking mat like these or parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking.
Bake 12 – 15 minutes at 350˚F until the cookies are fully baked, but not a dark golden brown. (You’ve over-baked if the cookies are a dark golden color.) . I look for just the slightest little bit of golden brown around an edge, and then I take them out to cool.
After letting them cool, try not to eat too many in one sitting. (I’m telling myself this.) The buttery nutty flavor and crispy texture are a real treat with a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. Enjoy!
Pecan Sandies Cookies Tips and Notes
What size should the cookie balls be? I used a heaping teaspoon and also a heaping tablespoon. I liked the finished size of the heaping tablespoon better, but a heaping teaspoon works as well. It just depends on if you want bit size or a few bites per cookie. The cookies will spread just a little bit after flattening them.
How much does one batch of pecan sandies make? This recipe makes about 36 cookies if you’re making them with a tablespoon measuring spoon and more if using a heaping teaspoon.
How far apart should I space the dough balls before baking? These cookies will spread a bit so place them at least 2 inches apart before baking.
Can you freeze these cookies? Yes. I would suggest freezing them before baking. Fully roll the dough into balls and freeze. When ready to enjoy, let thaw and flatten with sugar. Then bake.
These cookies are not soft. Did I so something wrong? Nope! These are a crumbly, crispy cookie like a shortbread. They are not soft like a lemon cookie as they have a buttery crunch.
How should I store the cookies once baked? Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
More Cookie Recipes
Pecan Sandies
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup salted butter softened
- 1/2 Cup shortening
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 Cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Cream butter and shortening together. Gradually add sugar and cream on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Gradually add to creamed sugar and butter mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in pecans.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 an hour or up to 24 hours.
- Remove from refrigerator once cooled and roll into balls with a heaping tablespoon as your measurement. Place on baking mat on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten to 1/3" using a glass dipped in sugar.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes in a 350˚F oven.
Comments & Reviews
What type of shortening do you like to use?
Thank you!
I use Crisco sticks with all my baking when it calls for shortening.
I would give this 12 stars .It’s that good!Thank you for a yummy cookie.All I heard was OMG!
Thank you! Vintage cookie recipes are the best!
This pecan sandies recipe is confusing to me because it says to cream butter and shortening and gradually add the sugar and “cream”…..
…………………….. there is no mention of cream in the list of ingredients.
Sharon
Hi! To “cream” is a baking term that means to mix until light and fluffy. No cream needed!
I made these but instead of using pecans I used chopper up toffee . Delicious!
These sound delicious. Have you tried substituting butter for the shortening? I don’t use shortening any more. I know that butter and shortening affect texture differently. But would it still be a sandie?
I have not tried that substitution. I’m sure they will be just as delicious. However, my guess is that using all butter will make the cookies spread more. They also may be more crumbly and this is already a crumbly shortbread like cookie. But honestly, I don’t know until I’ve tried it. If you do, please let me know the results!