Have pecan pie in cookie form! These Pecan Pie Shortbread Cookies feature a buttery crust and are topped with maple caramel pecans.
I love taking walks in fall – the changing leaves, the cooler temps.
But there’s one thing I can do without – & that’s everyone’s giant pile of leaves stacked on the edge of the street.
I learned early on that those things are dangerous.
One fine November day, my mom, golden retriever, Max, and I headed out for a walk. We proceeded up the street, everything seemed to be normal. And then – next thing I know Max is pulling me over into a pile of leaves. & a mighty big pile at that!
He must’ve smelled something amazing because one minute I was on my feet and the next I was swallowed by a huge pile of leaves! & just my luck – I had an audience – &, if memory serves me right, they were laughing at me!
These days leaf piles turn my walks into an obstacle course. When walking down the street and a car approaches, I have to hop over the leaves and then after it passes I crawl back onto the street. Not the most ideal walking situation.
I have a proposition – let’s stop the practice of leaf raking. Leaves will decompose and there’s no real reason to get them off the yard.
Since you’ll have some extra time since you won’t be raking – why not make these Pecan Pie Shortbread Cookies? They feature a buttery shortbread crust and are topped with maple caramel pecans. These are irresistible and maybe even better than a slice of pie 😉
I created these for the Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange. Be sure to head over and see what everyone’s making this week!
Are you in favor of leaf raking?
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 1.5 cups chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 tbsp margarine
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine flour, salt and powdered sugar in medium bowl. Cut margarine in chunks. Use fingers to incorporate flour and margarine. Dough will form. Divide into 12 pieces.
- Line muffin tins with liners. Press dough into bottom of liners and press into edges. Use a fork to poke holes into dough. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 5 minutes. Rotate. Bake for 7-9 additional minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast pecans for 4 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Combine brown sugar, coconut milk, maple syrup, margarine and salt over medium heat.
- Reduce to medium low. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add vanilla.
- Let caramel cool 30 minutes.
- Stir pecans into caramel mixture.
- Divide pecans among prepared crusts
- Allow to set 2-4 hrs, or until firm.
And did you know….raking leaves is BAD for the environment! You’re supposed to just leave them in your yard! So down with leaf piles!!!
My thoughts exactly! Leaves are natural, folks, and not a nuisance (unless you pile them in my way 😉 )
Megan!! you cookies look delicious! I agree there’s no reason to take the leaves off the yard! Happy middle of the week!
Thanks so much, Gaila 🙂
Compost those leaves,don’t just rake them into the street. Those cookies look perfect for fall
Great idea, John! I’m on board 😉 Thanks!
Wow! I bet these pecan pie shortbread cookies are totally packed with awesome flavors, Megan! And they look soo pretty too! Can’t wait to try them.
Hope you love them! Thanks Anu 🙂
LOL! That totally sounds like something my dog would do.. because she doesn’t listen at all and she tends to walk me, not the other way around. So I’m ALWAYS running into something during her walks. 😉 Anyways, LOOOOOOOOOVE these cookies, girl! Seriously, these look insanely delicious!! I love pecan pie, but in cookie form?! DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS! That buttery crust and those maple caramel pecans and screaming my name! Pinned! Cheers! <3
Thanks Cheyanne 🙂 & they are dangerous!
I have recently become obsessed with pecan pie, but instead of crust and turning them into cookies 😍😍 These look amazing!
Thanks Aimee!! These are a lot easier than pecan pie – so you can get your pecan fix more often 😉
Hahaha, you’re a goofball, Megan. But I think I can get down with less raking and more baking! WOOOO!
yep, that sums me up perfectly 😉 Thanks Lynn!
Hahaha – ok, since you said so – I will stop raking! When I bought my house – it came with a forest of trees – with a ton that were diseased. After I had those taken down, I put in an HUGE “island” around the largest one and every year, I just blow/rake all the leaves that fall into that island – but, I’d rather bake AND eat these cookie/pies instead! My daughter loves pecan pie and I love shortbread cookies so these are wonderful!
I like the idea of a leaf island 😉 Thanks Shashi!
These are the cutest things ever and I love pecans. This would be a huge hit at my holiday party! Can’t wait to try them.
Thanks Karen! I hope you do get a chance to try them 🙂
Two of my favorite desserts in one here Megan! I’m in love!!
Favorites of mine too 😉 Thanks Mary Ann!
Oh, I am totally on board with your proposal, Megan! I seriously hate blowing/raking leaves. Our town requires them to be bagged…and that’s a real pain. So I just blow them onto a huge tarp and drag them into the trees at the back of our property. It’s one of my least favorite chores each year. But these cookies? I would gladly stop raking leaves and bake these cookies instead! They sound delicious, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to trust myself around them. 🙂
Oh no – bagged leaves?! But that might be better for my walks 😉 & I hope you do bake these!
These cookies look amazing! They’re like mini pecan pies. Too cute! Can’t wait to make them.
Thanks Alyssa! You’ll have to let me know how they turn out 🙂
Ha! Who knew an innocent pile of leaves could be hazardous! 🙂 These little pecan cookies look so enticing! I love pecan pie so these would be a winner in my house! I’d need an extra walk just to even out all the cookies I’d eat! 🙂
ha ha! Sounds like a plan, Kathy 🙂 Thanks!
I’m all on board with the no-rake thing. Kitchen playtime>>>other chores. And lawn aesthetics always kind of annoy me. Like, why not make it a home for little woodland creatures instead of a dumping ground for pesticides?!? Okay, end rant. Man, I gotta go cool down with some of these pecan shortbread goodies.
I agree 100% Annie! especially on the importance of kitchen playtime 😉
I’m firmly in the anti-raking camp with you. Partially because I’m lazy and partially because we have no trees in our yard… but everyone else’s leaves in the neighborhood seem to end up in ours. 😉
These cookies sound and look absolutely DIVINE. Seriously. I need to whip up a batch of these beauties because they combine two of my favorite things.
Thank you SO MUCH for participating in this year’s Sweetest Season! I’m so thankful you brought these to the virtual exchange!
Thanks for inviting me, Erin! I had so much fun making these and seeing everyone else’s creations 🙂
Your cookies look great. I like the way they look out of the liners. Do you take the liners off before or after adding the Carmel pecan topping? Thanks.
Thanks so much, Donna! You leave the liners on when adding the caramel pecans. Once the caramel is set, you may remove the liners. If you do try them, please let me know how you like them 🙂
What temp do you bake the cookies at?
Hi Tom! I apologize the recipe was not clear. The shortbread cookie base should be baked at 350 degrees.
These look yummy! Could you tell me what size muffin pan you used?
Thanks Donna! I used a standard muffin tin.
How many does this recipe make?
Hi Nicole! This recipe yields 12 cookies.
Could you sub anything for the coconut milk? I have everything else, just trying to skip a trip to the store, but I will if I need to! These look amazing!
I highly recommend using full fat coconut milk due to its thickness and richness. You could try another nondairy milk, but the caramel may be thinner. Thanks Emily 🙂
These are amazing! How long can I keep them in the fridge?
Thanks Stephanie!! They didn’t last more than two days in my house, but I think they will last one week in the fridge. Enjoy 🙂
They look so delicious! I love pecans so much. You have a lovely blog 🙂
Thanks Ela! You’re too sweet 🙂
Got to try these. They look mouth watering, but I WILL not use margarine because it is extremely bad for the body .It is not food . It is one molecule away from being plastic. If you put it outside it won’t go bad because it is not food. Animals will not go near it.I cringe when I see it in a recipe. Butter is good for you .So, I will use butter in this recipe….
Thanks for sharing your opinion, Darle. I recommend Earth Balance Buttery Sticks in this recipe.
I made these a few days ago and I’m sad to say that I’m really disappointed. I thought they sounded really good. The taste is really good but they crumbled apart really badly and were a mess to eat. I followed the directions perfectly and didn’t make any changes.
Sue, I’m so sorry this cookie didn’t work for you. Other readers have had success with this recipe. Did the pecan topping fall apart? It may be the caramel needed to cook longer. If it was the shortbread cookie, the dough may have needed to be pressed more firmly in the muffin tin before baking and baked longer. Once again, I apologize – I know how upsetting it is when a recipe doesn’t work.
After I put my caramel making ingredients in my pan over med heat, do I let it come to a boil? or just til sugar dissolves? then reduce temp to med-low to simmer. Thank you. I will be making these cookies. I do like pecan pie.
They look absolutely yummy and I enjoyed the story about your retriever 🙂
Can you sub butter for margarine? How high up the liner do you go with the cookie dough?
Hi Michelle! Yes, you may sub butter for margarine. I recommend dividing the dough into 12 equal pieces (a kitchen scale is a lifesaver for this!) Then press the dough into the liners. Hope you love this recipe 🙂 Thanks for visiting!!