These pecan sugar cookies raise the classic cut-out sugar cookie to new heights, delivering both extra flavor and texture. Best of all, the rich and flavorful brown butter icing requires zero decorating skills—just slather on and enjoy! If you love frosted cookies and are looking for extra flavor (with minimal decorating work), these brown sugared roast-y toasty pecan cut-out cookies are for you.
One reader, Lori, commented: “This cookie is fantastic! The brown butter icing takes it to the next level and enhances the pecan flavor. One of my new favorites. Absolutely loved the tip of rolling out the dough before refrigerating! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Amber, commented: “THESE ARE FANTASTIC! 10/10! The brown butter frosting has so much flavor. The dough is easy to work with as well. These will be a new annual Christmas cookie in my house. ★★★★★“
Today’s pecan sugar cookies are delicious in a totally unforgettable way. Let’s combine brown sugar, toasted pecans, and a hint of cinnamon to create a flavorful upgrade to traditional cut-out sugar cookies. Plus, we’ll swap royal icing for unfussy brown butter icing, which, clearly, is the right move.
I asked around and all other cookie icings are jealous. 😉
Why You’ll Love These Toasted Pecan Sugar Cookies
- Extra flavorful cookies with toasted pecans and brown butter.
- Brown sugar + cinnamon complement these flavors.
- Soft in the middle with crisp edges + extra texture from the nuts.
- Easy icing requires zero decorating skills. Ditch the piping tips and steady piping hand!
- Perfect when you want a festive cut-out sugar cookie, but crave more flavor.
- Not strictly a holiday cookie—enjoy any time of year using any shape cutter.
You’ll find an ordinary gang of baking ingredients in today’s recipe. Isn’t it incredible how many ways you can use these same ingredients? Heck, you use many of them to make wildly different treats like banana bread and pecan pie bars. Just another reason why baking is the best.
Grab These Ingredients:
Most of the ingredients are for the cookie dough, and some are repeated in the brown butter icing. I use almost the same cookie dough ingredients when making these brown sugar cut-out cookies. (Those do not have nuts!)
Success Tip: Pecans can be a little greasy when mixed into cookie dough, so it’s especially important that your butter isn’t greasy. Make sure you start with proper room temperature butter, which is cool to the touch and about 65°F (18°C). Room temperature butter should not be melted in the slightest.
Start by Toasting the Pecans
Pecans are a favorite ingredient choice in baking. They pair with so many comforting flavors and you can find them in popular recipes like pecan pie, cranberry Christmas cake, and sweet potato casserole. But have you ever toasted them before using in a cookie recipe?
Popping pecans in the oven for a brief 8–10 minutes elevates their flavor, and is a welcome step in my snowball cookie and crescent cookie recipes. All you do is scatter them on a baking sheet and bake them until you smell that toasty goodness. It’s that easy.
After they’ve cooled enough to handle, give the toasted nuts a fine chop, or pulse a few times in a food processor. You want them chopped pretty fine, as if you were making pecan shortbread, so the dough is easy to cut with cookie cutters.
How to Make Toasted Pecan Sugar Cookies
After you chop the toasted pecans, make the cookie dough. You’ll use about 3/4 cup (90g) of pecans in the dough and reserve the rest for garnish on the iced cookies.
Just like when you’re making chocolate chip cookies, to prevent the cookies from over-spreading, the dough must chill. But I roll the dough out BEFORE chilling it and I’ll explain why this is so successful. Divide the dough in half, roll out each portion, and then chill:
Yes, roll out the dough before chilling.
Most sugar cookie doughs require chilling so the cookies hold their cookie cutter shape in the oven. But if you’ve ever tried rolling out chilled sugar cookie dough, you may remember how difficult it is to flatten cold, stiff dough. So, roll out the dough while it’s still soft (right after making it), and then chill the rolled-out dough. Here’s my exact method, and it works for brown sugar cut-out cookies and chocolate sugar cookies, too:
- Divide the dough in half because smaller sections are easier to roll out.
- Roll out the cookie dough directly on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper so you can easily transfer it to the refrigerator.
- Pick the whole thing up, set it on a baking sheet, and place it in the refrigerator. Remember, you have 2 slabs of dough. If you don’t have enough room for 2 baking sheets in your refrigerator, simply stack the pieces of rolled-out dough on top of each other, with parchment paper or silicone baking mat in between.
After the rolled-out dough chills for at least 1–2 hours, use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, and re-roll your scraps.
Arrange cookies on a lined baking sheet. I usually get about 2 dozen 3-inch cookies from this recipe.
Brown Butter Icing (No Decorating Skills Required)
Browned butter is a massively underused ingredient. Like toasting the pecans, browning the butter takes 5–10 minutes and the result promises extra flavor. And it’s not just more butter flavor; brown butter has a deep toffee-like, nutty flavor that pairs wonderfully with toasted pecans. This brown butter icing is also delicious on peach Bundt cake, and you’ll find a thinner version on apple blondies, pumpkin oatmeal cookies, and pistachio cookies.
Here is my full tutorial on how to brown butter. You’re gently melting and cooking it on the stove. It’s all very easy. Once browned, let it cool for a few minutes and then whisk in sifted confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Since butter is solid at room temperature, the icing thickens as it cools. You can drizzle it on or dip the tops of the cookies into it while it’s still warm and fluid, or you can wait about 10–15 minutes to spread it on with a knife or icing spatula. No special cookie decorating supplies needed here! And once you’ve got it down, you can try these brown butter marshmallow crispy cookies next!
If you prefer a thicker frosting, my chai spice buttercream frosting and regular cookie decorating buttercream are fantastic alternatives.
No, I don’t recommend using piping tips or squeeze bottles for this icing because they would just get clogged as the icing thickens. Instead, use royal icing or easy cookie icing. And here is my tutorial for how to decorate sugar cookies.
Yes, the icing eventually sets, but it doesn’t dry hard. It sets enough after a few hours so you can carefully stack and store the decorated pecan sugar cookies.
This dough isn’t ideal for a drop-style cookie. Instead, I recommend my butter pecan cookies and you can top those with this icing.
Yes, you can use this dough and roll into logs like we do with pecan shortbread. Follow those assembly, chilling, and baking instructions. Or you can just make that recipe instead and top with today’s icing.
You could, but this recipe requires creamed butter. You’ll have to brown the butter for the dough, and then let it fully solidify and come to room temperature. (You don’t want it cold, because it cannot cream with the sugar. Room temperature and solidified.) It’s easier to stick with regular butter in the dough and use brown butter in just the icing.
Favorite Cookie Cutters to Use
While I used winter/holiday cookie cutters for the pictured cookies, this is a fabulous year-round cookie recipe. It would make an especially good cookie recipe in the fall, or choose a shape that lends itself to the brown-speckled dough. An autumn leaf, or a spotty dog, perhaps? 😉
In general, I like Ann Clark brand cookie cutters. Not sponsored, just a genuine fan! For the cookies pictured here, I used the star, mitten, and tree from this cookie cutter set. The set would be great to add to your holiday wish list—or gift a batch of these cookies with the matching cookie cutters!
And while you’re at it, be sure to check out my Holiday Gifts for Bakers guide. Lots of fun ideas in there, either for yourself or other baker friends.
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Pecan Sugar Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 3-inch cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These pecan sugar cookies combine brown sugar, toasted pecans, and a hint of cinnamon to create a flavorful upgrade to traditional cut-out sugar cookies. The rich and flavorful brown butter icing requires zero decorating skills—just slather on and enjoy! Be sure to chill the rolled-out dough before cutting into shapes and baking.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 and 1/4 cups (150g) pecan halves
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Brown Butter Icing
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Toast the pecans: Spread the pecans on a lined baking sheet and bake for 8–10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then chop, either with a knife or a food processor. You’ll use 3/4 cup (about 90g) in the dough, and save the rest for garnish. You can turn off the oven for now.
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg, and vanilla, and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Stir in 3/4 cup (90g) toasted chopped pecans. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the second rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2–3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with second piece of dough. (Note: It doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
- Arrange cookies on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake for 12–13 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. No need to cover the cookies as they cool.
- Make the brown butter icing: Slice the butter up into pieces and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning; I love this one.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring. After 5–8 minutes, the butter will begin browning—you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and it will have a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. (See How to Brown Butter for photos and tips.) Whisk in the remaining icing ingredients until smooth.
- Immediately dip the top of each cookie into the icing, or wait 10–15 minutes for the icing to thicken at room temperature. (The thickened icing is what you see in these photos.) Then, spread on with a knife or icing spatula. Do not use piping tips because this icing thickens and they will clog. Garnish with remaining toasted chopped pecans right after applying the icing.
- Icing sets after a few hours at room temperature, so you can easily stack and transport these cookies. Cover and store decorated cookies for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Wait a few hours for the icing to set before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 5, divide in half, flatten both halves into a disc as we do with pie crust, wrap each in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the discs in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 6, then chill rolled-out dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes–1 hour before cutting into shapes and baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets | Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pin | Holiday Cookie Cutter Set | Cooling Rack | Light Skillet | Icing Spatula
- Nut-free or Substituting Another Nut: You can skip the pecans if desired, or try these similar brown sugar cut-out cookies. Or you can swap with another nut such as almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts. Feel free to toast the nuts following the same toasting instructions in the recipe above.
- Room Temperature Butter: Room temperature butter is essential. If the dough is too sticky, your butter may have been too soft. Room temperature butter is actually cool to the touch. Room temperature egg is preferred so it’s quickly and evenly mixed into the cookie dough.
- Can I skip the cookie cutters? This dough isn’t ideal for a drop-style cookie. Instead, I recommend my butter pecan cookies and you can top those with this icing.
- Can I make this a slice-and-bake style cookie? Yes, you can use this dough and roll into logs like we do with pecan shortbread. Follow those assembly, chilling, and baking instructions. Or you can just make that recipe instead and top with today’s icing.
- Can I brown the butter in the cookie dough too? You could, but this recipe requires creamed butter. You’ll have to brown the butter for the dough, and then let it fully solidify and come to room temperature. (You don’t want it cold, because it cannot cream with the sugar. Room temperature and solidified.) It’s easier to use brown butter in just the icing.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I don’t have a light-colored skillet, so the first time I tried this, I burned the butter. I couldn’t see the brown specks at all. My solution: Line a skillet with tin foil, dull side up. This allowed me to see the butter as it changed color. Also, I did not use medium heat, as before. I lowered the temperature to medium-low. It took longer for the butter to brown — and I had to fiddle with the temperature a bit — but the end result was perfect. The cookies were a huge hit at my running club, with numerous people telling me they were “fantastic” and “please bring these again”!
This recipe sounds amazing! Do you have these flavors ( toasted pecan, brown butter) in a spritz cook recipe please? I am making some of your spritz cookies using the Oxo cookie press you recommended.
Hi Robyn! I don’t have a spritz cookie like this. However, you can certainly try using solidified (but room temperature) brown butter and very finely chopped pecans in my spritz cookie dough. I have not tested it though. Or you can make them as written and add some brown butter icing (while it’s still thin and fluid, not thickened yet) and very finely chopped pecans as garnish.
I made this today and they are phenomenal!! Thank you for this recipe! The brown butter really sends them over the top. Wanted to eat every last one of them.
I just made these, and they’re so good! Classic sugar cookie with a nice twist. I also made a batch with pistachios, also great! I followed the recipe exactly and had no trouble. Can’t wait to share these and make again!
Excellent recipe, so different but delicious from the tried & true cut out sugar cookies! These will be in my baking rotation from now on!
The brown butter icing on these might be the most divine icing I’ve ever had! My kids aren’t that into pecans and they devoured these cookies. Such a great twist on normal sugar cookies.
The flavor of these are great, but the majority of the cookie is quite hard, more of a shortbread than a sugar cookie. The perfect cookie for people who don’t like sweet cookies (at least without the icing). I love Sally’s recipes but I don’t think I’ll make these again.
Outstanding cookies! These are ones I will certainly ‘crave’. Keeping this recipe handy all year round.
Can you use whole wheat flour?
Hi Bev, We don’t recommend using whole wheat flour in these cookies. The substitution would likely result in dry, dense cookies. If you want, try a batch first with only substituting a small portion of the flour for whole wheat and see how you like the taste and texture. Then, you can adjust accordingly for future batches. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally, Can you color the icing for Christmas colors or would it look strange?
Hi Tamara! The colors won’t be very vivid and muddled because of the brown butter in the icing, but you can certainly give it a try! Or you could use our royal icing or easy glaze icing instead.
You’re my go to site for all my baking needs. I do always tweak, though. Like your pie crust, for example, I always do butter and leaf lard instead of shortening.
With this recipe it’s made my list for Christmas… BUT I’m subbing hazelnuts for pecans. I have like 5# of hazelnuts sitting around looking for a good home. If you have other suggestions for hazelnuts let me know. Thanks for this recipe. It looks epic.
Hi Gabrielle, let us know how it goes! Here are all our other recipes that include hazelnuts.
I have not made rolled cookies in years. Its kind of like pie dough. But you have given courage to start making rolled cookies. I make cookies all the time. I take them to church on Sundays for after church. We don’t have a lot of money but I can give cookies as a gift. Love your recipes and your helpful ideas. Thank you
Can I use this recipe and make royal iced cookies? I would love a different good cutout royal iced cookie.
Absolutely! You can use royal icing on these.
These look amazing! Do you think walnuts would work? Obviously a different flavor profile, but my father is a huge walnut fan so I’m tempted to try it. Any suggestions? Do walnuts have more fat content?
Walnuts would be great! You could toast those as well.
Would the icing on these cookies be ok to mail? I’m assuming the cookie would work, just concerned about the icing holding up in transit.
Hi Annie, I wouldn’t mail these frosted cookies. Best to leave that for cookies decorated with royal icing.
Youdid it again, Sally. Another amazing cookie! I did the slice & bake method & it worked great! Thanks for a great cookie recipe!
Could I add food coloring to the icing?
Absolutely!
Great recipe. bet these would be good with maple glaze on top also! Have you tried it? i know you have used that in other recipes.
I have not, but it would be similar to these maple brown sugar cookies. YUM!
HI my cookies turns out fairly hard, could you offer suggestions ?
Hi Katie, if the dough was rolled thin or if the cookies were over-baked, they will be quite hard. These aren’t super soft like chocolate chip cookies, they’ll be a bit harder than that, but still soft in the centers.
Hi hi! I have been keeping up with your palooza and was grateful on Thanksgiving for your pie crust recipe (it was the best part of my chess pie!). Quick question- for those of us without the option of a paddle attachment (my brand doesn’t offer one), what’s the best alternative? I will be getting a new mixer (with a paddle, of course) when I can, but I’d really like to replace it with a quality one when I do- so it may be just a bit 😛 I’m open to mixing, creaming, whatever by hand if that’s the closest approximation- or if there’s a passible alternative that can be found with beaters, dough hooks, or whisk. Beaters are what I’ve most commonly used, with good results most often, but I just thought that maybe, with the scientific approach to baking I find here, there might be a way to make all these delicious goods even better. My abilities baking have so far been elevated by finding your site in big and sometimes little ways I couldn’t have imagined, so I thought it might be worth a try!
Hi Ann! Beaters are perfect, and what I always use when I use my hand mixer. (Which is something you can absolutely use for this dough!) And honestly, a whisk attachment would still work just fine for this dough.
Thank you!
These look delicious. I made 2 new cookies this week. One was orange cranberry shortbread and one was a sugar cookie. I made them into logs and sliced them. They were good.
I cannot wait to make these! I wonder if the dough could be formed into logs for a slice and bake option?
Absolutely! Or try my similar pecan shortbread.
How long can these be left at room temperature after they are iced. I assume they should be refrigerated?
Hi Lisa, I’ve left them out for a couple days and they’ve been fine. After that, I refrigerate them. If you’re concerned, I would refrigerate them after making.
Could this recipe be made as a slice & bake cookie?
Hi Sharon! It definitely could. Or you could try my similar pecan shortbread.
Yet another wonderful recipe. I love the flavor of pecan in cookies so making them the star of this recipe is great. I might glaze the pecans before I chop them up, maybe to add a little extra punch.
Not sure if I would frost them…maybe just sprinkle of some white sparkling/chunky sugar.
These will be on my gift cookie list for sure.
Thanks, Sally!
Can these be made as a drop cookie ??? I hate rolling out dough !
Hi Preston! Try my butter pecan cookies instead. You can top with this brown butter icing.
When I saw this recipe, it reminded me of your incredible maple brown sugar cookies – have you tried adding maple extract to these? Would that work with this recipe, maybe as a sub for some or all of the vanilla?
Hi Rosie! I was going to add it to these cookies, but I really wanted the pecan flavor to shine. So, yes, you could absolutely add some maple extract. I would reduce the vanilla to 1 teaspoon and add 1 teaspoon maple extract.
Hi Sally, I want to make this cookie today but is it possible to use the dough as a drop cookie instead of a cut out cookie? And if so would the baking time vary?
Hi Viviana! How about my butter pecan cookies instead? You can top with the brown butter icing.
Hi Sally. Your recipes are the ones I trust when I make cookies. Many have become my staple Christmas cookie tray recipes.
I wish you would address how different brands of flour can affect baked goods-cookies in particular. For the last couple of years I have used King Arthur flour but learned their flour has a higher protein content than say Gold Medal flour (which is what America’s Test Kitchen recommends for cookies). This year I used 365 Organic flour and found some of my cookies turned out slightly differently in terms of spreading. Do you test/make your cookies with a certain brand of flour? How do the different brands of flour affect the finished product? Would be interested to find out.
Hi Julie! I think that’s such a great baking topic to discuss, and a wonderful idea for a new article I could put together. It’s so imperative to pay attention to the type of flour you use. In general, I usually use King Arthur brand flour (a genuine fan, love its quality and yes, higher protein level.) Gold Medal is another favorite. I’ve never baked with 365 brand organic flour before, but I could certainly give it a go and report back on my findings. Again, such a great idea for an article!
Hi Sally,
As a home baker it would be helpful to know how to substitute one brand of flour to the other. I mean if I have only Gold Medal flour on hand then how much to use in the recipes that are created using King Arthur flour and vice versa. Thanks for taking this up.
Most brands of all-purpose flour are interchangeable. I’ve never had issue using Gold Medal brand vs King Arthur brand. White Lily is another favorite. I have not used the 365 brand and am excited to do so!
This is a WONDERFUL idea because I have found the same thing. Sally, I know you’re busy, but I hope this is something that you and your team could create soon! I’m starting a small baking business and it is so hard to try and figure out the best cost for flour, but also with the most consistent results. Thanks, Julie for suggesting!
I’ve also experienced this. I’ve found Bob’s Red Mill to create a drier, denser texture in baked goods.
My favorite so far this Palouze. I can’t wait to make these!