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!
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.
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
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 including:
- Chocolate Ginger Cookies
- Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Gingerbread House Recipe
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Hot Cocoa Cookies
and here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my best success guides & tips.
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
These were a huge hit at my Christmas party this weekend. We had a dozen options and this was quickly the first to run out. The brown butter is such a nice addition to the icing. Everyone was asking what the unique flavor was that they couldn’t pinpoint. These will definitely be added to my annual holiday baking list!
I did this recipe for the baking challenge alternate and I’m so glad I did! I usually stick to drop cookies so this was a nice learning experience for me. Sally’s detailed instructions and tips make baking a breeze. I’ve also never made brown butter before and it turned out perfectly. Such a fun and unique Christmas cookie recipe!
This is a very delicious cookie. The cookies itself wasn’t that impressive, but once the brown butter icing was on them…game changer! My family loved them.
These. Are. Amazing!!!! Hands down my favorite cookie EVER. I’m a southern girl so you had me at pecans but this recipe is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Chilling the dough is key for the shapes to come out of the oven with crisp lines. I used star cutters in different sizes and they were gorgeous. I’m on batch #3 as I write this. My friends have given these cookies rave reviews so I’m continuing to bake them as gifts.
* I live in the Middle East so really, really appreciate the metric measurements!! Thank you for making my life easier, Sally!
One word: OUTSTANDING. Generally, I don’t bother with cut out cookies, but I do love shortbread and pecans. I caved, and tried these. I used the seal from a canning jar to make a circle cut out. I dipped these cooled cookies in the brown butter frosting and then in crushed pecans, and patted the pecans down ever so slightly. I swear I heard angels singing over these. Again, outstanding!
Holy Moly!!! I NEVER make cutouts, but after seeing this recipe, I knew I had to – Browned butter is always on hand in my house and ready, so I used browned butter in the cookie itself and these came out absolutely perfect!! I am already planning to make another batch tomorrow – thank you SO much, they are going to be my ‘go-to’ cookie!
The best cookies ever! Also, I have gold touch French bakeware, so I loved learning the brown butter icing, which is a French technique!
I made this with the icing and it was still delicious. Loved by all.
The cookies tasted great but they were too sticky to roll out no matter how much flour I continued to add. I made them as regular shaped cookies and they tasted delicious!
Can you make drop cookies out of this recipe instead of cut outs?
Hi Caitlin, This dough isn’t ideal for a drop-style cookie. Instead, we recommend our butter pecan cookies and you can top those with this icing.
I made this recipe today, and it got rave reviews from my son! The cookies themselves are yummy to eat, but when you add the frosting and sprinkle of chopped nuts, it takes them to the next level! But I have a question about the frosting: I notice the frosting in the photo is WHITE. So do you try not to add the browned solids to the frosting mix? My frosting came out brown, but since it still tastes so good, I don’t mind. What did you do?
Hi Carol, we’re so glad you enjoyed these! We do keep the browned solids in the frosting (gives the frosting that great nutty taste!). The exact color of the frosting can vary depending on how long the frosting is browned. Different brands of confectioners’ sugar can also change the color slightly, too. (We use and love Domino’s brand — not sponsored, just genuine fans.)
I love how festive these look and they were pretty wavy to make. They tasted amazing! It’s a unique take on a sugar cookie and the icing is magic. I will definitely be making these again!
Simple, not too sweet and delish. I used SBA’s thicker icing from her gingerbread oatmeal cookie recipe instead – worked well!
I’m OBSESSED with this cookie recipe. Decided to give it a try this weekend and it is PERFECTION.
A beautiful combo of crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. The brown butter icing is the perfect pairing.
The recipe is pretty straightforward and easy to follow. It’s a new go-to for me. Will definitely be making them again!
Such a delicious recipe! I subbed maple extract for the vanilla in the icing, which I highly recommend.
I made these cookies as the alternate recipe for the December 2022 Baking Challenge. I like softer cookies, so I would probably take them out of the oven a little bit sooner next time – but they are very tasty! The pecans and brown butter add a wonderful flavor!
I just took the first batch out of the oven and oh my word! These are delicious! Definitely going into the rotation for Christmas from now on.
Hello, can these be made with almond or gluten free flour as well? If so do any of the other ingredients have to be changed?
Hi Melissa, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup) in similar recipes. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Can I mix the dough without an electric mixer or is that not recommended?
Hi Georgia, You can certainly mix it by hand if necessary, but it will take quite a bit of arm muscle! Particularly when it comes to properly creaming the butter and sugars. We find a sturdy wooden spoon works best. Let us know how it turn out for you.
I just made these and oh my word they are delicious!! They taste just like sticky buns!
These cookies were delicious! Will definitely make them again!
I’m not a huge fan of sugar cookies, they’re usually sickeningly sweet. These, however, are amazing! They’re not too sweet; the nutty/savory flavors from the pecans and brown butter, and the pinch of salt in the icing, help to cut the sweetness! They’re definitely one of my all time favorite cookies after making them just one time. Brown butter is amazing; I’d love to see Sally make a brown butter cake frosting! If anyone else wishes this, the best brown butter cake frosting recipe I’ve found is at sugarspunrun.com! Thanks Sally for another winner!
I’ve found your frosting recipe, silly me! It’s your Banana Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting! I’ll try yours next, and suspect I’ll like it more; the extra 4oz of cream cheese and 1 tsp of vanilla sound amazing!
Finally a cut out dough that worked for me! I have been baking for decades and had given up on cutouts. These are easy, delicious and cute. I was so surprised to 45 cookies out of the dough! I can’t wait to take them to work tomorrow!
How are these cookies without the icing?
Hi Becky, the cookies are still delicious without icing if you prefer!
These cookies are simply delicious! The brown butter icing really makes these a special treat! Thank you so much for the recipe!
This is a great cookie. Really tasty. My sister said it is the best cookie she has ever eaten and that it felt warm like Christmas.
If I only have salted butter should I omit the additional salt?
Yes – if using salted butter, you can skip the added salt for this recipe. Happy baking!
These are wonderful, not too sweet, wonderful to eat with coffee or tea, and the browned butter icing puts it in first place for an “updated” Christmas cookie. I served it to my bridge group instead of having them for lunch, which I wanted to do but life interfered with my plans. It was still a special treat for everyone, a memorable interlude in a busy holiday season. Everyone loved them, and I passed on Sally’s website broadly. A tip: chop the pecans quite small so they don’t get in the way of your cookie cutting, and choose your cookie cutters that are simplest in design so the cookie doesn’t come apart when you remove your cutter away from the dough. Thank you, Sally!
Great recipe! I wish it made more because they will be such a pretty addition to our cookie platters! Always great recipes here!!
Thank you!
Do you whip the icing using a mixer in order to achieve that peaked iced, cake frosting appearance?
Hi Kathi, no need to use your mixer for the icing, although you could use it on low if you want. The icing peaks are simply from swiping with a knife!
The cookie itself is delicious! The icing is good but mine got darker from the browned butter. I ended up adding green food coloring.
By far my new favorite cookie…100% recommend.
Everything I bake comes from your site, and I’ve made many of your cookies. These have to be the best I’ve made yet. I haven’t been a huge fan of some of your other sugar cookies, but these will be made every year. The icing ties it all together. Absolutely delectable.
Ok wait, don’t add the browns sugar right?
Hi Kathleen, this cookie dough calls for 3/4 cup brown sugar. You’ll definitely want to add that!
One of the best cookies I have ever eaten. These will be a main go to in my holiday cookies! The preparation was easy and the brown butter icing is a next level icing. Thank you for your recipes. I look forward to the emails!