This easy White Chocolate Chip Pecan Shortbread Cookie recipe makes the perfect delicate, light shortbread cookies. The slice and bake dough freezes well, too, so you can bake them up whenever the urge strikes!
I just chalk it up to biorhythms. It’s been a few weeks of veggies, fruits, salsas, and gazpachos around here, and I’m feeling like something’s missing. I can’t help it, it’s chemical. When I go too long without anything sweet I tend to forage in the kitchen after dinner, sometimes I’ll land on a bag of chips, other times maybe the jar of peanut butter. That’s my signal to get baking.
Like my other shortbread cookie recipes, these are simple to make out of a very few basic ingredients. The slice and bake method means you can easily prepare the dough ahead of time and slice and bake it whenever. Make one, or the whole batch, it’s up to you.
TIP: Spoon some softened vanilla ice cream between two of these cookies, then wrap and chill. Yum.
Go ahead…
you know you want one…
White Chocolate Chip Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, (16 tablespoons/1 cup/8 ounces/220 grams )
- 1/2 cup white cane sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecan pieces
Instructions
- Set oven to 325°F.
- Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer and a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar together. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, chocolate chips, and pecans and mix well to combine
- Form into an 11-12 inch log on a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Roll the log in the paper, smoothing it out as you go. Twist the ends to secure.
- Refrigerate the log for about 2 hours.
- Slice the log into 3/8 inch slices and place on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until the cookies are just turning a light brown around the edges. The centers will still be quite pale.
- Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet to firm up for a few minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Notes:
- For a flourless gluten free white chocolate chip cookie try my Flourless White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Cookies.
- I always eat one cookie hot from the oven. Just saying.
don’t forget to pin these white chocolate chip pecan shortbread cookies!
An annual favorite! I found myself looking up this recipe for upcoming holiday celebrations and realized I had never reviewed this recipe to share my thanks. I can’t fathom why anyone would give negative reviews and am guessing that some weren’t sure what to think of the shortbread vs a cookie, but this is always a hit on both sides of our family. I think that part of the charm is that it is something different from the usual holiday sweet treats. Thank you for sharing the recipe as it has been a part of our holidays for at least 6 years now. Happy holidays!
I hope these will be similar to my mothers cocoons. Anxiousness to make them
325 seems quite low, and my batch is not getting done. Any ideas about temperature for this recipe?
You can cook shortbread at 325F or 350F, Kay, and it’s possible that for your oven 350F is better. Keep in mind that shortbread doesn’t become brown or golden, and seems quite pale and almost looks under-done when it’s fully cooked.
What are the exact measurements for two sticks of butter?
2 sticks are: one cup/16 tablespoons/8 ounces/220grams
I am going to make these for a cookie exchange, they look delish! Is it ok to make the dough the day before and let sit overnight in the fridge? Thank you!
That should be fine Stephanie!
Hi Sue,
Thanks for this recipe I’ve made the cookies a couple of times and they are always devoured really quickly!
Is it possible to freeze the dough or the cookies? I need to make some ahead of time, this time.
Thanks
Lisa
Shortbread dough freezes really well Lisa, so you should be good to go. I’m glad you liked the recipe, I love that combination.
These will go on my list of cookies I love. Everybody who ate the first batch raved and requested the recipe. I just need to make them as pretty as the picture.
Thanks Mary — I appreciate you letting me know!
I just attempted to make these cookies and the dough is delicious, but I am embarrassed to say I was unable to slice my dough after it sat in the refrigerator. For some reason when I tried to slice it the dough just crumbled into pieces. Do you have any tips as to what I could do for next time?
Hi Rachel — if you let the dough sit out a bit to soften, that will help. Also make sure you start with room temperature butter and the dough gets well mixed. In any case, if you get some crumbling, just push the pieces back together with your fingers. Hope this helps!
Sue, you always make the best variations on the classic shortbread! It’s always so inspiring.