These golden Pecan Cookies are perfectly soft and buttery, and laced with nuts… not the cuckoo or looney variety of nuts, but the delicious nutty pecan type! Just 5 ingredients and your new favorite treat is done!
Pecan Cookies
Something extraordinary is about to come out of your oven.
Can you smell it?
That blissful butter pecan fragrance is no dream. A truly wild pecan cookie temptation is about to make a grand entrance!
Dana writes: "These were very easy to make and turned out delicious!"
Every party deserves that one magnificent cookie that keeps guests coming back for more, and this is THE one!
These cute little pecan cookies are loaded with soft butter pecan satisfaction and a perfect nutty pecan finish.
Plus… they get bonus points for being ridiculously EASY to make!
Just like these cozy Spice Cookies, these cute Pretzel Turtles, and these wildly delicious Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies!
With just 5 ingredients, you’ve got the most tantalizing cookie recipe everyone will be obsessed with!
They’re sure to make an irresistible little addition to your party dessert table.
So surprise your guests or your family this weekend with one of the best quick and easy dessert recipes you’ll ever make.
And don’t worry… it will be our little secret just how easy these gloriously nutty cookies were to make!
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get baking!
Here’s what your grocery list is missing…
Pecan Cookie Ingredients
It takes just 5 simple ingredients to make the BEST southern pecan cookies recipe.
To get started, just grab these ingredients on your next Walmart grocery run…
- Butter Pecan Cake Mix – Vanilla cake mix can be substituted.
- Pecans
- Butter – Salted butter will bring out the best flavor, but unsalted butter can be substituted.
- Eggs
- Maple Extract
When it comes to baking cookies made with cake mix, you can use either salted or unsalted butter, as the cake mix will have a little salt in it. But to achieve a superior flavor, I prefer to use salted butter.
That’s it! Believe me, the cake mix shortcut will save you so much time!
These cookies truly are one of the simplest Easy Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes and Christmas dessert recipes you can make!
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Pin ItHow To Make Pecan Cookies
Just a few simple steps, and the best pecan thumbprint cookies will be ready to pop in your oven.
Here’s what you’ll do…
1. Mix up your pecan cookie dough and chill in the refrigerator.
2. After dough has chilled, roll your dough into small balls, and place on cookie sheet.
3. Bake in oven, then place a Pecan halve in the center of each cookie as soon as they come out of the oven.
4. Allow to cool, then enjoy & DEVOUR!
See… I told you this was going to be EASY!!
Cake mix cookies recipes truly are the ultimate lazy baking hack. They’re also the easiest way to create totally scrumptious buttery pecan cookies!
Scroll down for the printable recipe card with detailed, step-by-step instructions.
Make Ahead Cookie Baking Tips
These old fashioned pecan cookies made with cake mix are SO easy to prep ahead of time!
Your cake mix cookie dough can be made today, then stored covered in your refrigerator for up to 2 days prior to baking the cookies. That makes these maple pecan cookies ideal for party planning and to use as cookie exchange cookies!
Storage Tips
After your thumbprint pecan cookies have baked, they can be stored at room temperature, covered in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Pecan Cookies Reviews
Here’s what your frugal friends are saying about this easy pecan cookies recipe…
Rebecca writes: “Love these. Such a wonderful and easy recipe for a cookie exchange!”
Jeanne writes: “Yummy… delicious”
Jo writes: “Just made these!!! They are awesome and so easy to whip together.”
Teresa writes: “One of my favorites!”
Dawn writes: “Great addition to the holiday cookie tray!”
Katherine writes: “So festive and SO easy!”
Dana writes: “These were very easy to make and turned out delicious!”
Teresa writes: “A drizzle of powdered sugar icing is a perfect addition to these cookies!”
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Did You Enjoy This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a comment & review below!
Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 13.25 ounces Betty Crocker Butter Pecan Cake Mix, (if using a 15.25 oz. box, increase butter to 1/2 cup, Vanilla cake mix can also be substituted)
- 1/3 cup Melted Butter
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Maple Extract
- 36 Pecan Halves
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Combine Cake Mix, Melted Butter (or oil), Eggs, and Maple Extract in large mixing bowl, and mix with hand mixer or stand mixer until well combined.
- Cover dough and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.
- After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll cookie dough into 1 tablespoon sized rounded balls and transfer to cookie sheet.
- Bake on center oven rack for 7 – 13 minutes, or until done. (Note: Bake on the shorter end of the time range for non-stick cookie sheets & longer end of the time range for aluminum cookie sheets)
- Immediately after removing from oven, carefully place pecan in the center of each cookie, and very gently push down.
- Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to wore racks to finish cooling, and ENJOY!
Notes
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I’m all for easy recipes especially cookie recipes! I really love how yours only requires just four ingredients! So convenient and simple!
Thanks, Christie! These really are ridiculously easy to make! 🙂
These look so easy! I love using a cake mix! All of these look like incredible and simple recipes!
Aww… thank you, Danielle! Cake mix cookies really are such a fun treat… and so unbelievably quick & easy to make! 🙂
In the Easy Pecan Thumbprint Cookie recipe can you use 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of oil instead of 1/2 cup of oil?
Hi Carolyn ~ I honestly haven’t ever tried it that way before. You may want to experiment first with 1/4 cup oil + 1/4 applesauce? If you do test out different variations, let me know how they turn out!