Pecan Crescent Cookies
Pecan Crescent Cookies. A light buttery shortbread cookie with chopped pecan and rolled on powdered sugar. One of my families favorite holiday cookies. Nothing fancy just buttery goodness. This recipe is very easy for beginners bakers to make. Scroll down to see how you can preserve these Pecan Crescent Cookies for weeks.
More Crescent Cookie Recipes
SNOWBALL PECAN COOKIES
TWO Reasons For Dry Cookie Dough
How to make Pecan Crescent Cookies
- Mix butter until creamy, add the flour, nuts, ½ cup sugar, salt and extracts.
- Mix until well combined.
- Refrigerate covered 30 minutes..
- Roll into 1 inch balls.
- Shape the logs into crescents.
- Refrigerate an additional 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Bake 15 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle roll hot cookies in the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar.
- Cool on wire rack.
Why Do I Need To Refrigerate The Cookies For 2 Hours?
BAKING WITH CHILLED DOUGH: This will prevent the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step. The colder and more solid the fat is, the less the cookie will spread.
Variations of these Pecan Crescent Cookies
- Create a shortbread cookie by omitting the pecans
- Don’t like pecans? Use your favorite nut instead
- Take out some of the flour and replace it with unsweetened cocoa
- For a little crunch and caramel flavor add toffee bites
- Add a brown butter glaze
- To warm up the flavor add a sprinkle or two of pumpkin spice
Can I Freeze Pecan Crescent Cookies?
Holiday Christmas Cookie Tray
Pecan Crescent Cookies
Yield:
MAKES 25 COOKIES
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
A light buttery shortbread cookie with chopped pecan and rolled in powdered sugar. One of my families favorite holiday cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup ground pecans
- 2½ cups powdered sugar, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix butter until creamy, add the flour, nuts, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, salt and extracts.
- Mix until well combined.
- Refrigerate covered 30 minutes.
- Roll dough into 1 inch balls.
- Shape cookie dough into crescents.
- Refrigerate 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Bake 15 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle roll hot cookies in the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar.
- Cool on wire rack.
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My mom used to make these! Thanks for the recipe! Enjoy your holidays!
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday! Please come back and vote on Sunday!
All the above look very nice and tasty but the pecan cresent cookies are calling my name. I remember a lady that used to make these when I was little and I still remember them today. So good Have a great holiday and thanks for the post andi
I just luv pecan sandies. Yours look delicious.
Thanks for sharing
Happy Holiday!
Joanne
Love these cookies. Definitely plan to make some this Christmas and share them with friends and family.
Lucky friends and family! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! These were my favorite cookies too!
If you wanted to have almond crescents, could you substitute the pecans for ground almonds and keep everything the same? Thanks!
Sure Tracey! 🙂
Thanks so much for your reply, Sheryl!
How much dough do you use per cookie?
Hi Jeanne, I don’t measure it but if I had to guess about 1 tablespoon.
I’m trying to modify my recipes for Gluten Free. Has anyone tried to substitute Almond Flower for the regular flour?
Hi Josie, I know my son has taken a lot of my cookie recipes and made them gluten free. He says they taste the same as if he had used all-purpose flour.
Hi, I just made these with gluten free flour! Delicious!
Cool Joy! I’m glad they turned out using a different flour. Now everyone can enjoy them! Merry Christmas!
I made the Pecan Crescents Cookies this evening. Followed the recipe exactly except I used 1/4 tsp Maple extract instead of almond.
Absolutely delighted because they are delicious! Thank you!
I’m so happy you like them Susan! Merry Christmas! 🙂
Hi,
Are you suppose to grease cookie sheet or not??
No, you don’t need to grease the cookie sheet. I do like to use parchment paper, not because the cookies will stick, just because I like the way the cookies brown with it.
Can these be frozen
Hi Tanna, You can freeze the dough to bake later but I wouldn’t freeze the baked cookies. I’m afraid when thawed the confectioners’ sugar will melt.
Could you bake the cookies, freeze them, then roll them in confectioners sugar once thawed?
Hi Jeanette, It’s best to roll the cookies while they’re hot. What you could do is make the cookie dough and freeze that.
These are a favorite from childhood!! A must make for the holiday
That’s awesome!
Are these like Mexican Wedding Cookies? They are really expensive on Amazon. I used to buy these at Christmastime at the grocery store. Now, super hard to find. I like pecans. Use almond extract with pecans?? Thank you. PS: Years ago, I added salt but had used self-rising four. Ewee big mistake!!!
Hi Sandra, I’ve never had a Mexican Wedding Cookie so…..all I can say is these cookies are delicious and melt in your mouth. The almond extract is what gives the cookies their delicious flavor.
Eat fewer cookies and they won’t seem as expensive. Lol. I can’t stop eatng them til they’re gone.
Hahaha….I’m right there with you Janan!
Can I leave the dough in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days before baking?
Hi Aziza, Sure! You can freeze it too.
I made these using walnuts instead of pecans. They came out perfect. I also waited until they cooled to coat them with powered sugar. I don’t like the way the powdered sugar melts on the hot cookies. Thanks for the recipe and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
That sounds delicious Lizz! Merry Christmas to you too!
I make these every year with your recipe! Never disappointed.
Awesome! Thanks Anne! ♥
I’m thinking of tipping one end of the cookie in chocolate and then once everything has set then rolling the cookie in icing sugar?
I love the idea of adding a bit of chocolate Vickie. I’m not sure if the powdered sugar will stick once the cookie is cooled.
I’ve looked for a pecan sandie recipe that I remember making from my childhood with my mother. I knew when I read the ingredients this was it! Just finished baking a batch and all an say is thank you soooo much! My Mom passed away a few years ago. These remind me of her. Will be sharing this recipe with my daughter. It is the best!
Oh….Wendy that warms my heart! I’m so glad you found this recipe too!
I make these cookies every year either with pecans or almonds. I bake them ,rolling in sugar and when cooled off I freeze them. When I thaw them out I sprinkle some icing sugar, through a fine sieve to make them look pretty. They taste the same as freshly made.
Thanks Liz for all the great tips!
Is 375 degree oven the right temp for baking these cookies. Also, can you shape them in balls instead of crescents?
Hi Sharon, Yes the temperature is correct at 375°. Yes you can! Snowball Pecan Cookies
So by powdered sugar, do you mean icing sugar? I have a similar recipe but it calls for berry sugar which I believe is just a finer granulated sugar. Want to be sure before I make them!
Hi ML, Yes powdered sugar is also known as icing sugar and confectioner sugar.
Thank you 😊👍
This is the recipe I’ve been waiting for. So good. I used roasted, salted pecans, and omitted the salt.
Fabulous!
Hi Deb, I’m so glad you like the recipe and I love the change up.
Has anyone toasted the nuts first?
Hi Kathy, I haven’t tried it but I think it would be delicious and add another layer of nutty flavor.