4-Ingredient Pecan Sandies
Updated Jul 01, 2025
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Pecan Sandies are the kind of cookies that make you smile. They’re buttery cookies, with crunchy pecans inside, and they have this amazing crumbly texture.
Read on and I’ll show you step-by-step how to make this Pecan Sandies Recipe by the legendary Thomas Keller, in just 25 minutes. Did I mention this easy cookie recipe uses only 4 ingredients?
✅ The Scoop on These Pecan Sandies 🍪
🕒 Ready in: 25 minutes
🍪 Yields: About 2 dozen cookies
👨🍳 Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
📦 Equipment: Mixing bowls, cookie scoop, baking sheet, wire rack
🥥 These pecan sandies are buttery, crumbly, and filled with nutty goodness. Just 4 ingredients—flour, butter, powdered sugar, and pecans—is all it takes to make these melt-in-your-mouth cookies.
📜 This recipe comes from the legendary Thomas Keller and skips the extras for a simple, elegant cookie that shines on holiday platters or as an anytime sweet bite.
🧈 No mixer required, but you can use one if you like. Just cream, fold, shape, and bake till golden.
🎄 Great make-ahead option! You can freeze the dough and bake closer to Christmas or when the cookie craving hits.
💡 Pro Tip: Dust with powdered sugar after baking for a snowy, festive finish. Use a scale for uniform portions (30g or 1½ teaspoons).
Table of Contents
What are Pecan Sandies?
This recipe comes from one of America’s most famous chefs, Thomas Keller. We’ve made several of his recipes before, including his simple roast chicken recipe and these classic chocolate brownies.
If you love pecans than this is a great cookie to add to your holiday cookie exchange this year. But like our easy pecan pie recipe made without corn syrup and our turtle dream bars, you can make this classic cookie all year round. I promise you won’t be judged!
Pecan Sandies are similar to Mexican wedding cookies and Scottish tea cookies but with a woody charm that makes them stand out on any cookie platter.
Ingredients for Pecan Sandies
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Like our old-fashioned Amish sugar cookies and snowball Christmas cookies, these pecan sandies use a short list of simple ingredients. This helps make these the perfect recipe for first time bakers and cookie experts alike!
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- Unsalted Butter: At room temperature, it mixes smoothly, creating a base for our buttery cookies.
- All Purpose Flour: We use this in almost all of our cookie recipes. I generally prefer baking with King Arthur Flour. It’s high quality and consistent so I always know what I’m getting. I love using this for my best homemade cake recipes and for making homemade bread recipes too!
- Pecans: Chopped, these add a woodland touch, giving a crunch with each bite of these crumbly cookies.
- Powdered Sugar: Growing up, my mom always called this confectioners’ sugar. It’s one of those ingredient names that I always stumbled over, so I definitely prefer the term powdered sugar instead!. We use this instead of brown sugar or white sugar that is commonly found in almost any type of cookie you can imagine. Using powdered sugar give these delicious pecan sandies a soft, sweetness that is a perfect match for their nutty flavor. You can also sprinkle a light layer on top of the cookies for a festive, wintry touch!
How to Make Pecan Sandies
(See the recipe card below for the complete directions.)
The nice thing about this easy cookie recipe is that you don’t need a lot of equipment. There’s no food processor involved and no fancy paddle attachment or anything like that.
If you want, you can use an electric hand mixer or you can just mix up a batch of these by hand.
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 350° F and get two cookie sheets ready by lining them with parchment paper.
Part One: Mixing
Combine the flour and pecans together in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir them together. Make sure the pecans are all covered in flour.
In a large bowl, combine the softened butter and sugar. Using an electric hand mixer, start at low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed until it’s well mixed.
Work the powdered sugar into the creamed butter until the mixture is nice and fluffy.
Add the flour and pecan mixture to the creamed butter and sugar.
Stir the flour and pecans into the rest of the mixture until it is just combined.
Forming Cookies
Use a cookie scoop to form dough balls, then gently flatten them on the prepared baking sheet.
For uniform cookies, use a small cookie scoop. If you’re using a kitchen scale, you’ll want each of these to be about 30 grams, or 1 1/2 teaspoons.
Space them each about an inch and a half apart to allow for spreading while they bake.
Baking
Bake until the bottom edges of the cookies are golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack afterwards.
Pro Baking Tip
Use a small hand-held fine mesh strainer to evenly sprinkle powdered sugar over the baked pecan sandies. This will give a nice, even coat of “snow” on the cookies.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten Concerns: Try gluten-free flours for gluten-free pecan sandies that are just as mouthwatering!
- Variations: Add chocolate chips for a different taste, turning them into chocolatey cookies that you’ll adore. This is a delicious alternative for those who have nut allergies.
- Vanilla Extract: Add a capful of this if you like. I find that it can elevate the nutty goodness of these little cookies.
Common Questions
Yes! You can wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge, then continue the next day.
Top Tips for Success
- Baking: Watch the cookies as they bake. You want a golden brown perfection, not an overbaked crunch.
- Storing: Keep your cookies in an airtight container or freezer bags to maintain their delightful texture.
Ready to create some baking magic? Get your ingredients and let’s turn them into some delightful pecan sandies cookies! Happy baking! 🍪
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4-Ingredient Pecan Sandies
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 Grams Flour, 1 3/4 cups + 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 80 Grams Pecans, 3/4 cup, Coarse chop
- 170 Grams Butter, 6 oz. Unsalted, at room temperature.
- 90 Grams Powdered Sugar, 3/4 cup + 1 3/4 teaspoons
- Additional powdered sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine flour and pecans in medium bowl and stir.
- Place butter in separate bowl mix until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, mix until fluffy.
- Add flour and pecans to butter and sugar mixture, mix until just combined.
- Roll dough into 30 gram/1 1/2 teaspoon portions.
- Arrange on cookie sheets, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between them.
- Press balls into 2-inch disks.
- Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- If desired, dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- For convection ovens, decrease the temperature by 25 degrees. Convection ovens will provide a more even browning of these sandies. However, they will not spread as much when compared to a conventional oven.
- The thicker the sandies, the longer the baking time required. Conversely, the “flatter” the disks, the shorter the time.
Store unused cookies in a sealed container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve loved sandies since I was a kid. These are incredible!
These are so delicious with a cup of tea! And so easy to make with ingredients I already had in my pantry.
Michael, I love dipping these in coffee, milk, and tea! So glad you enjoyed them and yes; so easy to make!