Pecan sandies
Pecan sandies are classic Southern American butter cookies, named for the sandy, crumbly texture that melts away in your mouth. With no egg in the dough, they're crisp and short, rich with butter and full of toasted pecan flavor. The dough is rolled into logs and sliced, so you can make it ahead and bake whenever you like.
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rising or chilling
- 1 hr
- Total time
- 1 hr 45 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Pecan butter dough
Sugar dusting
Instructions
Step 1
Spread 120 g pecans on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven at 170°C for about 7 to 9 minutes, then let them cool and chop them to about the size of rice grains. Toasting brings out the nuts' natural buttery flavor and keeps them crunchy in the cookies for longer. They're ready when they've darkened slightly and smell rich and nutty.
Step 2
Beat 225 g softened unsalted butter with 60 g powdered sugar and 40 g brown sugar on medium speed for about two minutes, then add 6 g vanilla extract. Don't beat it too fluffy, because lots of air bubbles make the cookies puff up and lose their signature sandy texture. The mixture is ready when it's smooth, creamy and pale yellow.
Step 3
Add 250 g all-purpose flour and 2 g salt to the bowl and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together, then add the chopped pecans and fold them through with a flat spatula. Mixing briefly keeps gluten from developing, so the cookies melt tenderly instead of turning chewy. The dough is ready when it's smooth, slightly crumbly and the nuts are scattered throughout.
Step 4
Divide the dough in half, set each portion on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll it into a log about five centimeters across, twisting the ends closed like a candy wrapper. The log shape lets you slice even rounds without a cookie cutter. The logs are ready when they're evenly round with no air gaps inside.
Step 5
Refrigerate the logs for at least one hour, or overnight if you want to bake the next day. Firm, chilled butter gives clean slices and helps the cookies keep their round shape in the oven. The dough is ready when it feels as firm as cold butter when pressed.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 165°C, then use a sharp knife to cut the logs into slices about one centimeter thick and lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, three centimeters apart. Give the log a quarter turn every few slices so it doesn't flatten on one side. You're done when the slices are an even thickness and still round.
Step 7
Bake at 165°C for 18 to 20 minutes. A low temperature and longer bake dry the cookies out evenly to the center while keeping their color light and pretty. They're done when the bottoms and edges turn light golden brown while the tops are still cream-colored.
Step 8
Let the cookies cool on a rack for about twenty minutes, then lightly sift 25 g powdered sugar over the tops if you like. The cookies aren't very sweet, so the dusting adds a touch of gentle sweetness and a rustic look. They're finished when completely cool, firm to pick up and snap crisply when broken.
Equipment
- Oven
- Hand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
- Plastic wrap
- Refrigerator
- Sieve
Tips
- You can swap the pecans for walnuts or almonds, but remember to toast them first for the best flavor.
- Tightly wrapped logs keep in the freezer for up to two months; when you need cookies, just let a log soften for ten minutes, then slice and bake.
- Pressing a pecan half onto each slice before baking makes the cookies look extra elegant for gifting.
Storage
Stored in an airtight cookie tin or glass jar, the cookies stay crisp for about a week at room temperature. Don't keep them with soft cookies, since the moisture will make them lose their crisp, crumbly texture.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The slices crumble when you cut them.
- The log is too cold or the nuts are chopped too coarsely. Let the log sit at room temperature for five minutes, and chop the nuts finer next time.
- The cookies are hard and not crumbly.
- The dough was mixed too long after the flour went in. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry flour, and use a flat spatula to fold in the nuts.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
