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–+ servings
A plate of round pecan cookies.
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5 from 25 votes

Pecan Butterscotch Cookies

Butterscotch cookies with a perfectly buttery, soft and crumbly texture. These thick pecan filled cookies make great holiday gifts too!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 35 cookies
Calories: 95.3kcal
Author: Priya Maha

Ingredients

  • 200 g all purpose flour
  • 150 g butter (salted)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 100 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 100 g pecans
  • 100 g butterscotch chips
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Pre heat oven to 175℃. Spread the pecans onto a parchment paper lined baking tray and dry roast in the oven for 7 minutes. Check halfway through and turn the nuts over if they are browning too much on the top.
  • Remove the nuts from oven and let them cool slightly before chopping into small pieces. Set aside to cool completely (see Note 1).
  • Adjust the oven temperature to pre heat at 160°Celsius. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, measure butter and brown sugar and beat until creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
  • Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and continue beating until all traces of the egg are no longer visible and the vanilla is well incorporated.
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with a hand whisk.
  • Sift the dry ingredients (flour mixture) into the creamed mixture. Mix on low speed until well combined. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.
  • Add the chopped pecans and butterscotch chips. Mix with a spatula to distribute the nuts and chips and then press the dough together into a ball (see Note 2).
  • Pinch small amounts of the dough and press it into a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon. Scoop the dough out and form into a ball (see Note 3 for other options).
  • Drop the dough balls into a round cookie cutter (1.5inches or 4 cm in diameter) and press to level it with your fingers or the end of a small rolling pin.
  • Gently push the shaped dough out of the cutter and place on the prepared baking trays (see Note 4 for other shaping options).
  • Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes until they golden brown on the edges.
  • Remove cookies from oven and let them cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

  1. If using chopped pecans, reduce the oven time to half. You can also roast the pecans over the stove. Place them in a dry skillet and cook them over low heat for about 5 minutes or until fragrant. Keep stirring to avoid them from burning and for even roasting.
  2. It is not advisable to use the cake mixer when mixing the butterscotch chips to prevent the chips from breaking.
  3. You can also use a cookie scoop to portion the dough but it may not be easy with the pecans in the dough. Other alternatives include pinching the dough into small balls by hand (by estimation), though you might end up with uneven cookie sizes.
  4. Other alternative shaping methods include rolling the dough into balls and flattening with a fork, your palms or the back of a glass.

Nutrition

Calories: 95.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5.8g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 15.1mg | Sodium: 65.6mg | Potassium: 23.5mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 5.2g | Vitamin A: 119IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 10.4mg | Iron: 0.4mg