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My mom loves Keebler Pecan Sandies. I wanted to test some recipes to find one that was similar and surprise her with it. This Homemade Pecan Sandies recipe is very, very close. In fact, I’m not sure that I could get much closer. However, the real test will be when my mom tastes them. I’ll be sure to report back!
In my previous tries to recreate this cookie, I fell short. They just looked and tasted like a cookie that had pecans in them. This one has a sandy texture, looks very similar to those you buy, and the taste is just about spot-on! So, if you are a fan of the Keebler cookie, I encourage you to give this recipe a try!
These are also what you would call a pressed cookie. Similar to a drop cookie, only once you roll the dough into balls, you dip them in granulated sugar and then press them down with a flat surface, like a glass cup, but you could also use a cookie press, if it suits the cookie.
Ingredients for Homemade Pecan Sandies
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Using a nut chopper or a knife, coarsely chop the pecans.
Prepare the Cookie Dough
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the room temperature butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar. Beat in the large egg and then the extracts.
The first time I just used vanilla extract, but the cookies seemed to be missing something. The next time I added in butter extract, which made the difference. This addition received a thumbs up from my middle daughter–who also loves Pecan Sandies!
Using a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, and mix until combined.
If the resulting dough isn’t quite firm, you may need to add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, up to 1/3 cup. See the photo below for the dough texture you want.
Add the chopped pecans to the cookie dough, stirring to combine.
Measure out 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and place in a small bowl.
Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and then roll them in the bowl of sugar to cover. Place each ball about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using a flat bottomed cup or glass, gently press each ball to flatten.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until edges of cookies are just barely golden. Cool on a wire rack.
This recipe will make 2 dozen cookies. Enjoy with an icy glass of cold milk. You may freeze any extra cookies in a ziplock freezer bag for up to 4 weeks. But I doubt they’ll last that long!
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Homemade Pecan Sandies
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon butter extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (*may need extra flour, up to 1/3 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
- Using a nut chopper or a knife, coarsely chop the pecans.
Prepare the Cookie Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the room temperature butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar.
- Beat in the large egg and then the vanilla and butter extracts.
- Using a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Add to the creamed mixture, and mix until combined. (It may be necessary to add more flour to create a firm dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 1/3 cup.)
- Stir in the chopped pecans.
Prepare Cookies for Baking
- Measure out 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and place in a small bowl.
- Roll the cookie dough into walnut-sized balls and then roll them in the bowl of sugar to coat.
- Place each ball on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Using a flat bottomed cup or glass, gently press each ball to flatten.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 10 -12 minutes, until edges of cookies are just barely golden. Cool on a wire rack. This recipe will make 2 dozen cookies.
The recipe calls for one egg, but the directions say to beat in the eggs one at a time.
Hi Judy. Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. I double-checked my recipe and yes, it is for one egg. I just miswrote the direction part and have now corrected it. I hope you will enjoy the recipe!
I made this. But seem like too much better. Or maybe needed more flour. The dough very hard to work with.
Hi Edith, Thank you for commenting on this recipe. It had been awhile since I made this recipe, so after your comment, I double-checked everything to see what might be the problem. In so doing, I found a few possibilities. Please know that the measurements for the butter and vegetable oil are accurate. However, it could be that your butter was on the warm side and may have produced a thinner dough. Or possibly even the size of your eggs. I have found that large eggs are not all created the same. It might also have been the measurement of the flour. I do not weigh my ingredients, therefore, one may need to allow for a bit of discrepancy in the amount of flour in each cup. It may be necessary to add up to an extra 4-6 tablespoons of flour to produce the right dough consistency. (I have added a special note to the recipe in regard to this measurement.) I just made these cookies again yesterday to make sure the measurements were accurate, and I can confidently say that the cookies are delicious! Thank you again for writing.