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Chocolate Dipped Pecan Shortbread Cookies - buttery and crumbly, these cookies are easy to make and easy to decorate. Just dip them in melted chocolate and then dip them again in pecan crumbs. Beautiful holiday cookies.
You might have noticed that I've been on a cookie marathon this month, posting 9 holiday cookie recipes in the month of December alone! Today's beautiful chocolate dipped pecan shortbread cookies might be my very last (10th!) Christmas recipe this season.
This is one of the best shortbread recipes I've encountered, and I am definitely adding it to my Christmas cookie collection. Also, consider adding these holiday shortbread cookies to your Christmas cookie tray as well:
- Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
- Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Almond Shortbread Cookies with Amaretto
- Chocolate Covered Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
- Almond Crescent Cookies
- Cranberry Noels
Tips for making perfect shortbread cookies
A couple of tips on how to make sure the shortbread cookies come out the way they are meant to be:
- For shortbread cookies, it's very important to measure the flour correctly. Don't pack flour into a measuring cup. Instead, fluff it up, scoop it into a measuring cup or sift it. If you don't, you might end up with an overly crumbly cookie dough.
- Remember that it's a shortbread dough, so it's supposed to be reasonably crumbly but not so crumbly that it's impossible for you to roll it. You should be able to easily roll the dough into logs. Then, chilling these cookie dough logs in the freezer/refrigerator before slicing makes the job of slicing the cookies much easier!
- Use serrated knife to slice the cookie logs to help avoid crumbling the cookie dough.
- Before putting the cookies in the oven, make sure the oven is preheated to the right temperature.
- Do not bake the cookies for too long - every oven is different, and your oven might bake these cookies faster than mine. Don't let your cookies get brown - a little brown around the bottom edges is OK. If they are baked just right, they are light and so tasty. Let them cool on a baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer cookies onto a wire rack to continue cooling.
Chocolate dipped pecan shortbread cookies
Ingredients
Pecan Shortbread Cookies:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 oz unsalted butter , room temperature
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ½ cup pecans , toasted, finely ground
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for Decorating:
- 4 ounces dark chocolate , high-quality, such as Lindt, chopped
- ⅓ cup pecans , toasted
Instructions
How to toast and grind pecans
- Toast pecans at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn – they burn easily. Cool them off completely.
- To make finely ground nuts, place toasted pecans into food processor and process until finely ground.
How to make pecan shortbread cookie dough
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and continue beating. Add ½ cup finely ground pecans and beat to combine. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt, then add mixed flour and salt to the creamy butter-sugar mixture. Do not overmix, just enough to combine all ingredients and form a cookie dough.
- Shape dough into 4 logs of different thickness (to make cookies of different radius – large and small). Wrap each log in plastic wrap and put wrapped cookie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, then in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
How to bake shortbread cookies
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- After cookie dough has been in the freezer and in the refrigerator, unwrap plastic and slice each log into thin cookie slices.
- Place cookie slices on parchment-lined ungreased baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, don’t let the cookies get brown. After about 15 minutes of baking, let cookies cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
How to decorate shortbread cookies
- Melt chocolate in a small skillet over medium heat, just until chocolate melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Using spatula, brush half of the cookie on one side only (no chocolate on the bottom of the cookie) and along the cookie side. Dip the chocolate side of the cookie into coarsely chopped pecans. Return to rack.
- If you like, you can leave some cookies just covered with chocolate, without pecan crumbs. You can also leave some cookies just plain (no chocolate, no pecans on top of chocolate).
- Repeat with remaining cookies.
- Let cookies dry on rack for at least 1 hour, for chocolate to harden.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
oh these cookies came out so beautifully...dipped them in dark chocolate and covered with sprinkles and nuts as shown....terrific recipe and a great post...thanks for sharing 🙂
Another amazing cookie creation Julia! Wishing you a holiday full of snowflakes, mistletoe and sugar cookies!
Hugs,
Yelena
These look SO delicious! I made your hazelnut shorbread cookies yesterday and they were some of the most delicious cookies I've ever tasted. Now, I'm eager to try this recipe. They sound just as awesome as the hazelnut ones, yum! ;--)
Thanks for the recipe!
Shortbread cookies are perhaps my most favorite type of Christmas cookie! And, chocolate-y and nutty shortbread cookies are some of the best there are. Thank you for sharing all those great cookie baking tips, too. Best wishes to you and yours, Julia, for a meaningful and joyous Christmas holiday! xo P.S. I'm glad you found your Christmas tree ornaments to put your tree up this year!
Stacy, thank you for your always sweet comments! So glad we found our Christmas tree ornaments, literally at the last moment. We were about to have a very modest looking Christmas tree! 😉 Instead, we have a normal tree, festive and bright!
These look wonderful! I love the dip in chocolate with nuts. Good luck in the New Year!
Thank you, Diana, they are so GOOD. If you like pecans - make these! 🙂 Best wishes to you too!
I love the decor background...So festive! And oh, my! The cookies look quite scrumptious!!!! Merry Christmas and a happy 2014, Julia!
Denise, thank you! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you too and best wishes in the New Year!
Christmas is the time for the triple C- "Christmas Cookie Collections" - so bring em on!
I have been looking for a shortbread cookie recipe and these ones dipped in chocolate look ideal! Thanks for sharing Julia!
Shasha, you will love these cookies if you like shortbread and pecans! They are so good. Chocolate is perfect with this shortbread recipe.
I love how festive these cookies look!
Have a great holiday season, Julia!
Angie
Happy Holidays, Angie!
Thanks for the great tips!
You're welcome, Laura. Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Yum! I love desserts with pecans.
Me too! 🙂 Happy Holidays, Matt!
These look just fantastic! I love all the colourful accents in the background!
Barb, I knew you would appreciate the colors in these photos! 🙂
I can never turn down shortbread - there is just something about it! Love this version with the pecans and dipped in chocolate - adds such a nice finishing touch! I still have so much holiday baking I want to do but I just don't think it's all going to happen!
Ashley, I did so much "in advance" holiday baking, I now have to actually do the real holiday baking, like today! 🙂 So that we have the cookies for Christmas and New Year's!
Love all of your tips! I can never resist a shortbread cookie and these look extra delicious!
Thanks, Christin! Shortbread cookies are the best! Happy Holidays!
I agree..I could never have too many cookie recipes..thanks for all the sharing and tips..
See I like recipes betetr than shoes:)
Thanks, Monique! Having lots of shoes is not bad either! Happy Holidays!
I think it's impossible to have too many cookie recipes! And I love anything with shortbread. Or pecans! These look wonderful - thanks.
I love shortbread too - one of my most favorite types of cookies!