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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.
I love shortbread cookies, especially when pecans and chocolate are involved. Happy New Year, Julia!
yayy more cookies!! I love how gorgeous and delicious these look!
These shortbread cookies look delicious, love that chocolate dipped side on each, might just have to share these with friends and by share I mean eat the chocolate side on each of them. 😉
I can never ever turn down a good shortbread cookie!!
These look perfect! And not just for Christmas, I think 🙂
Amazing! Love these shortbread cookies! They are perfect for the holidays
I LOVE all your cookies!!! And these shortbread look divine!!! Hope you had a Merry Christmas!
These cookies are so festive and elegant!
Amazing recipe and amazing presentation.
Merry Christmas to you, Julia!
Thank you, Daniela!
What a wonderful variation on shortbread! I think shortbread is my favourite Christmas cookie, and yours look delicious.
Shortbread is my favorite, too!
Oh my, how beautiful are these?! Merry Christmas to you and yours, love.
Thank you, Kammie!
You've made cookie season so much more special with your mouthwatering recipes :). Merry Christmas Julia!
Thanks, Farah! Best holiday wishes to you!
Hi Julia!
Merry Christmas! Thanks for popping by this year and thanks for providing lots of really delicious recipes this year. Your blog is a lovely, inspirational kind of foodie blog that I really do enjoy reading (I know that I would LOVE to be a house-guest of yours with these kinds of wonderful bakes on offer!*). I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year.
Best wishes,
Tash
*P.s. May I suggest you consider opening a bakery? One that ships to the UK quickly 😀
Oh, Tash, always so good to hear from my British "blog" friend! 🙂 I love your blog so much, your thoughtful writing and inspiring photos! Would love to have you as a guest - you'd be a perfect person to have fun, interesting, and long conversations with and share good food with! 🙂
Just wanted to say all these holiday cookies look wonderful! I love nonpareil sprinkles and anything dipped in chocolate and then coated with nuts. Beautiful! Happy Holidays!
Thanks, Monica! Happy Holidays!
Yummy cookies! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🙂 ela
Best holiday wishes to you, Ela! 🙂
I love shortbread cookies dipped with chocolate. No words can describe how delicious it is. And adding pecan is just genius! Well done Julia! Have a great holiday and a fantastic week lady!
Thank you, Anne! Have fun during the holidays, all the best to you!