Pecan pie lovers rejoice! I bring you all the deliciousness of pecan pie in easy-to-make and easy-to-eat cookie form. You still get that buttery, flaky, tender “crust” with the shortbread cookie and that sweet, gooey, caramelized pecan pie filling in the center, but these cookies are so much easier to make and bake than a whole pie.
I’m so obsessed with these cookies I could hardly wait to share the recipe with you. Just in time for the holidays, they’d make for a great grab and enjoy treat to set out during your Thanksgiving gathering, or take a batch to a Christmas cookie exchange, or package and gift to your neighbors and friends this holiday season.
How to Make Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Cookie Dough: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour and beat on low until just combined and then on high until well combined and a thick, soft dough is formed. *It is important to use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the ingredients into a soft dough. Pinch off small portions of the dough and form into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Pecan Pie Filling: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla extract. Stir in the pecans until well combined.
Lightly press your thumb into the center of each ball and fill the indentation with 1/2 teaspoon of the pecan pie filling. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the filling starts to caramelize on top and the cookies start to turn a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
And that’s all there is to them. Such a great cookie to bake for the holidays that’s sure to excite and satisfy all the pecan pie lovers in your life!
Happy holidays and even happier cookie baking! Tis’ the season! If you make these Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. 
I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share.
xoxo,
Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Dessert
Description
These Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies are such an easy way to get your pecan pie fix without having to bake a whole pie. Tender, flaky, buttery shortbread cookies are filled with a sweet, gooey, caramelized pecan pie filling for a cookie eating experience that’s just too tasty to be true!
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pecan Pie Filling:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cookie Dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour and beat on low until just combined and then on high until well combined and a thick, soft dough is formed. *It is important to use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the ingredients into a soft dough.
- Pinch off small portions of the dough and form into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Pecan Pie Filling: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the pecans until well combined.
- Lightly press your thumb into the center of each ball and fill the well with 1/2 teaspoon of the pecan pie filling. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the filling starts to caramelize on top and the cookies start to turn a light golden brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
I’ve never been a huge fan of nuts but for some reason I’ve really been into pecan pie type baked goods lately. These look wonderful. I hope to try them this weekend 🙂
Looking soo delicious ????????????????
Hello! These look so good. How do they freeze?
They’re so yummy and they freeze great! Just make sure you let them cool completely and store them in a freezer safe bag or container. Then let them defrost, uncovered, at room temperature when you’re ready to eat them. Enjoy!
Do these freeze well?
Yes! Just make sure you let them cool completely and store them in a freezer safe bag or container. Then just let them defrost, uncovered, at room temperature. Enjoy!
I only needed maybe half of the filling
You should have been able to fit 1/2 teaspoon of filling in each cookie. I wonder if your indentions in each cookie just needed to be bigger to allow for more filling? Hopefully, they still tasted great!
Hi, these are delicious. However by the 3rd day the filling was rock hard. I had them seal in a ziplock bag. Do you have any suggestions as to how to fix this as I would like them to last longer. Thank you
★★★★★
Hi Christy! I’m surprised they hardened in a sealed container as the moisture trapped within should keep them moist. Did you keep them at room temperature or in the refrigerator? I always store ours in a sealed plastic container or covered in plastic wrap on the kitchen counter and they stay great for 3-4 days. Hope this helps!
Me too, I only needed half the filling. I use a cookie scoop, kind of like a small ice cream scoop. That makes all the cookies the same size, I measured the filling to be a generous half tsp. The filling is really stiff. Tastes good, I will see if the filling gets hard
Do you have any tips?
Hi Adele! Were your cookie dough balls just 1-inch in diameter. If so, you should have gotten 24 cookie dough balls and then filled each one with 1/2 teaspoon filling. I bake them often and very rarely have that much filling leftover. Sometimes a little based on how chopped the pecans are, but not much. If you store them in an airtight container at room temperate, the filling should have a crisp chew for a few days. Enjoy!
Is the flour 2 & 1/4 cups or 1/2 cup (two 1/4 cups)? I made last year and they were fantastic, but this year I read as 2 &1/4 cups of flour and the dough was beyond dry and wouldn’t stick together. Thanks in advance!
Hi Mandy! It’s 2 cups plus 1/4 cup. So weird that they didn’t bake up the same this time.
Tasted fantastic but……I sifted my flour and then measured (as if I was making a cake) so ended up using much less flour and they spread out like pancakes!!!! But my family ate them with no hesitation. Silly mistake.
Thank you!
Hi CM! Oh goodness. Bummer! I don’t sift my flour for the recipe so that probably is what made the difference. Hope you get to try them again soon!
These look sooo yummy! Can they made in advance and frozen?
Hi Jody! Absolutely, just let them cool completely and store them in a freezer-safe baggie or container, with parchment paper between each layer, for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Can this recipe be doubled? If not freezing, should they be stored in an air tight container?
Hi Claudia! Yes, you can definitely double the recipe and store them in an airtight container. Enjoy!
What can I use instead of corn syrup?
Hi Maryam! Here’s a great article with several corn syrup substitute suggestions: https://www.thespruceeats.com/light-corn-syrup-substitute-1388889. I haven’t tested the recipe without corn syrup so I couldn’t say which one would work best. I hope they turn out just as great. Enjoy!
Honey!
After making, what is storage time and refrigerate or at room temperature?
Hi Yvonne! They store great in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, if they last that long. 😉 Enjoy!
Help! My dough is like sand. This doesn’t call for an egg?
Hi Ashley! No, no egg. Between the softened butter and granulated sugar, the dough should be thick and soft enough to roll into balls than hold their shape as they bake. I’m wondering if you didn’t add enough sugar or if your sugar was dried out? You could try adding some more butter until the dough comes together, but I’m afraid with too much butter, they won’t hold their thumbprint shape as they bake.
My dough turned out like sand also. I measured everything exact. The only thing I can think of is I don’t have the paddle attachment. I’m using a hand mixer. Any suggestions how to make the sand into dough? =)
Hi Rose! I would suggest mixing it with a wooden spoon next time as it sounds like your hand mixer beat the dough too much to where it wouldn’t come together. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
I’m not sure what happened. Followed exactly and they melted like pancakes. They still taste good so I’m sure they’ll get eaten. They behaved like there wasn’t enough flour. Have to try again and see what happens.
Mine melted like pancakes as well. It turned out like a brittle ha
I have a hand held mixer, what attachment would i use since i dont have a paddle attachment?
Hi Chelsea! You could mix the dough by hand or use the beater attachments for your hand held mixer. Enjoy!
Can I use sugar cookie dough from the tube? To replace the cookie ingredients?
Hi Leigh! Absolutely, it should work great and be even easier. Enjoy!
I made these they flattened out & the pecan filling leaked out. Disappointed!
Hi! Did you follow the ingredients and instructions exactly? Are you baking in a high altitude location? It sounds like your dough didn’t have enough flour or that your butter was too soft when you mixed it. You could have also over-mixed the dough which would result in them not holding their shape as they bake. It also sounds like you might have overfilled the center with the pecan filling or you didn’t make the indention big enough or you didn’t make your dough balls big enough to hold the filling. Hope this helps in determining what went wrong. Hopefully, you’ll be able to bake them again soon with success.
Can you substitute maple syrup or honey for corn syrup?
Hi L.B.! Yes, you can use honey as a one-to-one replacement for light corn syrup. It has the same thickness. If you use maple syrup, I would just use 3 tablespoons since it is thinner than corn syrup. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Can you use a miniature pan that holds 24 cookies?
Hi Barb! Yes, that should work great! I need to get one of those pans. 🙂 Enjoy!
These were crispy which is not what I expected. To me , they were rather tasteless. If you I like crispy cookies , you might like these. Be sure to make the wells deep otherwise the filling will spill over and become pecan brittle. Disappointed.
★
The flavor is great but they are a bit tough and dry. I added a little more butter to the second batch and it helped some. The center got hard and very chewy. In Denver so maybe it’s an altitude issue.
★★★
I made these tonight. Tried the wooden spoon after reading the comments and consulting with a baker I know. The dough was also gritty and fell apart. I added 1 egg and a half teaspoon of salt, made the ball and rolled in granulated sugar before putting the thumbprint with filling and they were perfect. You could half the filling as I had a lot left over and when it cooks it bubbles over and creates a brittle. I also toppled with drizzled caramel.
Epic fail! Dough did not come together. Made exactly according to recipe except I didn’t have paddle attachment.
The paddle attachment is key to the dough coming together or you could have mixed it really well together with your hands.
Did you change the recipe? I made these at thanksgiving and they came out perfect. I’m trying to make them again for Christmas abs I’m on my third try making the dough and it will not come together.
Hi Katherine! No, I didn’t change the recipe and I made them recently with great success too. I’m wondering if your butter needed to be softer from the start? I’m actually making them again today so I’ll report back if I notice anything off with the way the recipe is written. Merry Christmas!
Oh no. Following the recipe exactly and using a stand mixer, my dough is not coming together. It is also grainy. Not sure how to save this batch.
Hi Jill! Did you use softened butter? And an electric mixer with a paddle attachment? If so, you should be able to beat the dough until it comes together into a soft, thick ball.
Yum, these were great. Going to try making the dough again and filling with jam. Tastes like my granny’s shortbread.
★★★★
Good shortbread. I followed everything to a T, used a stand mixer and had no problems. I first used my thumb to start the indent. But then used my teaspoon to really make it a perfect hole. Like others said, i had 1/3 of the filling left. I used a teaspoon to fill them and had 24 cookies so idk if i didnt chop my pecans enough but i wanted some crunch, not a dusty powder of nuts. You can definitely use like id say a HEAPING tspn of the filling into each cookie. Make sure the hole is deep enough, mine were and the filling didnt spill over. I also cut down cook time to 16 min.
★★★★
Do you think I could substitute gluten free flour?
Hi Sarah! I haven’t tested the recipe with gluten free flour so I couldn’t say for sure, but I think it would work great if you’re using an all-purpose gluten free flour. Gluten free flour can sometimes make baked goods dry so I would recommend adding a few extra tablespoons of butter. Hope this helps. Enjoy!