Pecan pie cookies are deliciously soft and buttery brown sugar cookie cups filled with a classic pecan pie filling. This recipe for pecan pie cookies is easy to make, requires no chilling time and is ready in about 30 minutes. These pecan cookies are a fun twist on the classic pecan pie dessert everyone will love.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have a fee pecan recipes on the blog that I absolutely love. My Pecan Upside Down Cake, Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pecan Pie Brownies are just a few I love the most. I am so excited to add these adorable and easy pecan pie filling cookies to the blog. I know you’ll love them too it because:
- They are quick, easy and no chill. All you need to do is prep the ingredients, make the buttery brown sugar cookie dough, par-bake the sugar cookie cups, make the quick and easy pecan pie filling, fill the spiced cookie cups and bake again! In less than 30 minutes you have the most adorable pecan pie inspired cookies.
- You love a twist on a classic pecan pie dessert. These mini pecan pie cookies replaces a buttery pie crust with a soft and buttery sugar cookie base and fills the cookie cups with a more traditional pecan pie filling. The end result are cookies that look like pecan pies with cookie crust and taste just like a classic pecan pie.
Ingredients
These pecan pie sugar cookies require only a handful of pantry basics to make. Here’s what you’ll need to make them.
Sugar Cookie Base
Gather all purpose flour, salt, butter, light brown sugar, an egg yolk and vanilla extract.
Pecan Pie Filling
Gather butter, light brown sugar, maple syrup, heavy cream, ground cinnamon and finely chopped pecans.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these soft and buttery pecan cookie cups.
- All Purpose Flour: Make these pecan cookies gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure by weight versus cups.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt.
- Light Brown Sugar: This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars such as maple or coconut. However, maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar and would make a good substitute for sugar to make this recipe refined sugar free.
- Egg Yolk: The addition of an egg yolk in the sugar cookie dough gives the dough a richer, chewier texture. Feel free to omit.
- Vanilla Extract: Adding vanilla to any cookie instantly makes it taste more complex and flavorful. Omit if you don’t have this already.
- Heavy Cream: The heavy cream replaces the need for an egg in the pecan pie filling.
- Maple Syrup: I prefer to use maple syrup in place of corn syrup in my pecan pie filling. Feel free to use an equal amount of corn syrup in place of the maple syrup.
- Ground Cinnamon: I love using ground cinnamon as a nod to the classic pumpkin pie flavor pairing. Feel free to substitute with pumpkin spice, apple pie spice or chai spice blends.
- Finely Chopped Pecans: Use any pecans you like to make the pecan pie filling. If you don’t have pecans, walnuts provide a similar taste and texture to pecans.
How To Make
Learn how to make pecan pie cookies in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease a 12 ct. muffin pan. Cut strips of parchment paper long enough to lay across the bottom of the muffin cup with some excess parchment coming out of the cup and up onto the sides. These mini “slings” will help the cookie cup come out of the pan more easily.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters, beat the room temperature butter and light brown sugar until light and well combined. This takes about 3 - 4 minutes on medium speed. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix the flour and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Using a large cookie scoop, transfer about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of sugar cookie dough into each of the prepared muffins cups. Press the dough into the bottom of the cup and up the sides. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. While the cookies bake, make the pecan pie filling.
- In a clean microwave safe mixing bowl, add the butter, light brown sugar and maple syrup. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each one, until the butter is melted. Whisk in heavy cream and ground cinnamon. Heat in the microwave for one additional minute. Stir in the finely chopped pecans until well combined.
- After 10 - 12 minutes, remove the muffin pan from the oven. Using a teaspoon, reform the cookie cups by pressing the sides and bottom back into place. Transfer about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pecan pie filling into the par-baked cookie cups. I like to use a small cookie scoop to make this even quicker and easier. Bake an additional 10 - 14 minutes.
6. Cool the pecan pie filling cookies in the muffin pan for 30 minutes. Using the excess parchment paper “slings,” gently lift each mini pecan pie cookie cup out of the muffin tin. Cool an additional 30 minutes at room temperature.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze, Thaw and Store
- Make Ahead: Although these pecan cup cookies comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe directions up to baking the pecan pie cookie cups. Store the dough in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 1 week. Thaw to room temperature before using.
- Store Baked Pecan Pie Cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. For longer storage, freeze the cookies.
- Freeze: Place the baked and cooled pecan pie filled cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, or large plate. Flash freeze the cookies until frozen. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer, wrap each one in plastic wrap and place the frozen pumpkin cookies into a ziplock bag. These pie cookie cups can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookies into an airtight container. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature, heat in the microwave or enjoy straight from the fridge.
M’s Expert Tips
- Grease and line the muffin cups. Grease a non stick muffin pan to prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan. Line the muffin cups with a strip of parchment paper to help lift the pecan pie sugar cookie cups out of the pan more easily.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature at the same time: The cookie dough crust and the pecan pie filling need to be made around the same time. Make sure to pull out all the ingredients around the same time. Depending on the temperature of my kitchen, I set out my ingredients about 1 hour before baking.
- Measure the flour properly: I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured dry ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Fully cool the cookies. It’s important to let the cookies with pecan filled cookies cool in the pan for 30 minutes. This allows the cookie crust to fully set and harden enough to lift out of the pan. The cookies may still need more time to fully cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge.
FAQs
Can you substitute nuts in pecan pie?
For the closest taste and texture to nuts in pecan pie, use crushed pretzels.
Can I make these pecan pie cookies in a different pan?
Use a 8 x 8 ( 20 cm) pan or 9 inch (23 cm) circular pan. Press the cookie dough into the bottom of a lined pan. Par-bake the cookie crust for 15 minutes at 350 F (177 C). Remove from the oven and gently press the crust down into a more even layer. Pour the pecan pie filling on top and bake an additional 10 - 15 minutes or until the pumpkin pie filling is set. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, remove to cool to room temperature and then transfer the pecan pie cookie bars to the fridge.
Are these like Crumbl pecan pie cookies?
The idea of using a sugar cookie base or crust with pecan pie filling is the same as Crumbl pecan pie cookies. However, this recipe for pecan pie cookies uses sugar cookies as a crust or cookie cup rather than a giant cookie.
Other Cookie Cup Recipes To Try
If you try this Pecan Pie Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Pecan Pie Cookies Recipe
Pecan pie cookies are deliciously soft and buttery brown sugar cookie cups filled with a classic pecan pie filling. This recipe for pecan pie cookies is easy to make, requires no chilling time and is ready in about 30 minutes. These pecan cookies are a fun twist on the classic pecan pie dessert everyone will love.
Equipment
- 12 parchment paper strips
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 large microwave safe mixing bowl
- 1 large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, 45 ml) optional for scooping cookie dough
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml) optional for scooping pecan pie filling
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Crust
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, soft but cool to the touch
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
Pecan Pie Cookie Filling
- 5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (59 ml) maple syrup
- ¼ cup (59 ml) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup finely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease a 12 ct. muffin pan. Cut strips of parchment paper long enough to lay across the bottom of the muffin cup with some excess parchment coming out of the cup and up onto the sides. These mini “slings” will help the cookie cup come out of the pan more easily.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters, beat the room temperature butter and light brown sugar until light and well combined. This takes about 3 - 4 minutes on medium speed.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, soft but cool to the touch, ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix the flour and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined.1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, ½ teaspoon salt, 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- Using a large cookie scoop, transfer about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of sugar cookie dough into each of the prepared muffins cups. Press the dough into the bottom of the cup and up the sides.Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. While the cookies bake, make the pecan pie filling.
- In a clean microwave safe mixing bowl, add the butter, light brown sugar and maple syrup. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each one, until the butter is melted. Whisk in heavy cream and ground cinnamon. Heat in the microwave for one additional minute. Stir in the finely chopped pecans until well combined.5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (59 ml) maple syrup, ¼ cup (59 ml) heavy cream, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ cup finely chopped pecans
- After 10 - 12 minutes, remove the muffin pan from the oven. Using a teaspoon, reform the cookie cups by pressing the sides and bottom back into place. Transfer about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pecan pie filling into the par-baked cookie cups. I like to use a small cookie scoop to make this even quicker and easier.
- Bake an additional 10 - 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are golden brown and the pecan pie filling it set.Cool the pecan pie filling cookies in the muffin pan for 30 minutes. Using the excess parchment paper “slings,” gently lift each mini pecan pie cookie cup out of the muffin tin. Cool an additional 30 minutes at room temperature. Transfer to the fridge to set or enjoy at room temperature.
Notes
Store: These pecan pie cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. For longer storage, freeze the cookies.
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