Toffee Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Let's make toffee pecan shortbread cookies!
It’s beginning to look a lot like COOKIE SEASON people! I’m kicking it off with a classic- shortbread cookies! I love how versatile shortbread is. The buttery cookie base is the perfect canvas for fun mix-ins and flavor combos! I chose chocolate covered toffee bits and pecans for these toffee pecan shortbread cookies and OMG I love this combo so much.
Since the cookie isn’t super sweet, you can really enjoy the flavors of the pecans and the toffee! you’re going to love these!
How to make toffee pecan shortbread cookies
Okay, shortbread is actually super easy and quick to make, with just a handful of ingredients!
- Softened Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Toffee bits (such as Heath)
- Chopped pecans
These cookies are made in one bowl with a mixer, which I always love (less dishes!!)
Beat the butter first till it’s smooth, then in goes the rest of the ingredients- powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix all that until it’s combined, and then add the chopped pecans and toffee bits!
The dough will be crumbly- that’s normal. Take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a 12-inch log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap, and transfer it to the fridge to chill for 2-4 hours, or overnight.
I also love that these are like slice and bake cookies! Its super fun to do, plus the cookies all come out pretty much identical.
Slice the log int 24 rounds, about 1/2 inch each. If you want, feel free to pre-measure the cookies by making tick marks on the dough so they all come out perfectly even!
Place the rounds onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. these cookies don’t spread a lot at all, so don’t worry about spacing them super far apart.
Bake them at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. If you want to dip or drizzle the shortbread cookies with chocolate like I did, just let them cool completely and then decorate! Let the chocolate harden on a parchment lined baking sheet and then transfer to an airtight container to store.
Tips and tricks
- Make sure the butter is definitely softened at room temperature. If the butter is too cold, the dough might not combine thoroughly and will seem very dry.
- Don’t over-measure the flour! Did you know if you dip your measuring cup directly into the bag of flour and pack it in, you could end up with as much as 1/4 cup of EXTRA flour?! Thats enough to mess up a recipe big time. Nobody wants a dry cookie! Instead, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it out.
- If the dough from one of the rounds falls apart a little while you’re slicing, just pick up the piece that fell and squish it back together.
- You can chop the pecans as chunky or as small as you want! they add great texture to the cookie either way.
- If you use salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
- I used chocolate covered toffee bits from Heath- you can find them next to the chocolate chips! Otherwise, if you prefer, use regular toffee bits that aren’t covered in chocolate.
- If you don’t want to bake the cookies right away, feel free to freeze the dough and bake later.
- These go perfectly with a nice big cup of coffee!
Toffee Pecan Shortbread Cookies
These buttery shortbread cookies are packed with chocolate covered toffee bits, chopped pecans, and dipped in chocolate. While the mix-ins are definitely the main event here, the shortbread cookie itself shines in its own way by being subtly sweet, perfectly crumbly, and buttery AF! People who don’t like things super sweet will be obsessed with these toffee pecan shortbread cookies!
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans (chopped)
- 1 cup toffee bits
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or large bowl with a stand mixer, beat the butter until it becomes smooth. Add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Gradually add in the flour and mix until combined. Add in the chopped pecans and the toffee bits and combine.
- Turn out the dough onto your counter and combine any stray crumbly bits into the dough with your hands. Shape the dough into a 12 inch log and wrap in plastic wrap. Transfer the dough to the fridge to chill for 2-4 hours, or overnight.
- Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the dough into 24 1/2 inch rounds and place on a parchment lined baking sheet (I fit 12 on one sheet, so baked in two batches.) You only need to place them about 1 inch apart, as they don’t spread a lot. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Cool the cookies on a wire rack. If dipping in chocolate, make sure the cookies are cooled completely before dipping or drizzling the melted chocolate. Allow the chocolate to harden on a parchment lined baking sheet, and transfer to an airtight container to store.