Easy to make, so soft with sweet and sticky pecan filling, these Pecan Pie Cookies recipe will be your most favorite Holiday Cookie recipe!
Try my Butter Pecan Pound Cake recipe next! Find all Holiday Desserts on Greedy Eats here.
Calling all the Pecan Pie lovers! These cookies combine the pleasure of a soft and chewy cream cheese cookie and chocolate pecan pie in one!
If making a traditional pie crust isn't your thing, but you love pecan pie, these soft Pecan thumbprint cookies got you covered.
Ingredients for pecan pie cookies recipe:
This are the easiest pecan pie cookies that you will ever make! While I recommend chilling the cookie dough for a few hours, the pecan pie filling comes together just in a bowl using a microwave! Lets see what do you need to make these Thumbprint Cookies with Nuts:
- Butter: We will use unsalted butter at room temp. so that we can control the amount of salt in the recipe. If using salted butter, eliminate salt from the recipe.
- Cream cheese: For super soft and flavorsome cookies.
- Granulated sugar: To sweeten the cookies.
- Egg: Now this is a small batch cookie recipe and I am using ½ of an egg. To measure it, beat an egg lightly and measure 2 Tbsps out of it. Use the leftover in my other small batch cookie recipes. Or apply it as a face mask, it's such a great mask to tighten your skin. 😉
- Vanilla and Almond Extracts: For flavor. Don't skip that almond extract!
- Baking powder: For rise and structure.
- Cake flour: Cake flour has some cornstarch in it, which makes the softest cookies that you know!
- Salt: To balance the sweetness in these cookies.
FOR THE PECAN FILLING: Chopped pecans, some butter, brown sugar, vanilla. salt and a little corn syrup
How to make Pecan Pie cookies recipe:
- Beating butter and cream cheese: We will begin by making the base of our thumbprint cookies. Now we are using cream cheese in these cookies to make them super soft in the centers. They will bake thick and chewy on the edges.
- Adding in sugar and then egg next.
- Beat in extracts and then all the dry ingredients.
- Chill the cookie dough for 2-4 hours. Or alternatively you may form dough balls, set them on baking tray and freeze them for around half an hour/ or till they are very firm to touch. This little trick will save you cookie chilling time!
- To make Pecan Filling, mix in all the filling ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave till the brown sugar melts. Cool down slightly.
- Press the centers of the dough balls with a round tsp and fill it with the filling.
- Bake and enjoy warm!
Oh and drizzling with some melted chocolate makes them look so pretty! And taste like Chocolate Pecan Pie.
Do cookies made with cream cheese need to be refrigerated?
Yes, as cream cheese has dairy in it. I recommend you store them in the fridge after a day and then reheat them in microwave/oven before enjoying!
How long will cream cheese drop sugar cookies stay fresh?
I'd say about a day at room temperature. Store the leftovers in refrigerator. If you wish to freeze them, they will be good for 1 ½ months!
More easy sugar cookies recipes for you:
Small Batch Festive Neapolitan Cookies
Thick cut out Christmas Sugar Cookies
Strawberry flavored Chocolate chip cookies
Pecan Pie Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Butter (unsalted, room temp.)
- 2 ounces Cream Cheese (softened to room temp)
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ large Egg (Lightly beat an egg and measure 2 Tbsps out of it)
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Almond extract
- ¼ tsp Baking Powder
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- 1 cup minus 2 Tablespoons Cake Flour
For Pecan Pie Filling
- ½ Cup Pecans roughly chopped
- ⅓ Cup Brown Sugar Both light/dark are fine
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch Salt
- ¼ Cup Light Corn Syrup (or ¼ cup maple syrup)
Instructions
To make the Pecan Pie Filling
- Combine chopped pecans, butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and salt in a microwave safe bowl and microwave till the brown sugar melts. It should only take about 30-45 seconds.
- Give the mixture a quick stir and set aside to cool down.
To make cream cheese cookies:
- Cream softened cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl for a minute. Now add butter and beat it again to combine. Add sugar next and beat it in for another minute.
- Next comes egg (to measure half an egg, lightly whisk a room temperature egg and measure out 2 tbsps, then beat it into the bowl) and extracts. Beat them in till they combine well. About 30 seconds.
- Sift cake flour, salt and baking powder over wet ingredients and fold in to form the dough.
- Cover and keep the dough to chill for atleast 2 hours or alternatively you can form the dough balls, place them on baking tray and chill in the freezer for ½ hour and bake the cookies.
- When ready to bake, line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicon mat. and Prehaet your oven to 375 deg F.
- Divide the cookie dough into 10 equal sized balls. Make an indent in their centers using the back of a tsp or with your thumb.
- If you find the cookie balls are sticky, coat your thumb/tsp in some flour to make indentations.
- Fill with 1 ½ tsp of cooled down pecan pie filling in each cookie and bake for about 9-11 minutes. Or till the cookie appear puffy and get golden brown bottoms.
- Enjoy warm.
Love it can I doubled or tripled the recipe?
Thank you
Of course you can. Happy Baking!
This recipe is so good if you love pecan pie you will be so happy with these cookies.
That filling looks wonderful! These must be such a tasty treat - great way to get that pecan pie flavor without needing to make a full pie!
How clever you are! I always find an entire slice of pecan pie a bit much to handle - these bites are just PERFECT!
Pecan Pie Cookies. Girl, you are genius! Such a great way to have mini bites of pecan pie even outside of Thanksgiving season!
Love the sound of these, can't wait to try them!