Butter Pecan Shortbread
Butter Pecan Shortbread is a classic buttery shortbread loaded up with crunchy pecans.
Servings: 12
Video
Equipment
- 9x9 square baking dish
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar.
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp butter extract, optional
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 5 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup toasted pecans, rough chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Lightly spray a 9x9 square baking dish. I like to line mine with parchment paper so I can easily lift the shortbread out for slicing, but this is optional.
- Whisk the melted butter with the sugar and molasses in a large mixing bowl. Make sure to work out any lumps in the sugar.
- Blend in the extracts, and then stir in the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir just until the dough starts to come together.
- Fold in the nuts so they are evenly distributed and there is no dry flour left.
- Crumble the dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Pat the dough down with your hands, nudging it out so it fills the pan and is all even. You don't want a mound of dough in the middle, you want to flatten it out from side to side, evenly. I like to use an offset spatula to smooth the surface of the dough. If you like you can sink a few extra pecan halves into the top of the dough for a pretty look.
- Bake for about 25 minutes. The top will still look pale, but the dough will be just beginning to turn golden around the edges.
- Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
- To toast pecan halves, lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for about 10-15 minutes at 350F. Give the pan a shake once or twice during cooking. Let the nuts cool before chopping.
- Recipe was revised and updated in 2021.
Nutrition
Calories: 336 kcal · Carbohydrates: 31 g · Protein: 3 g · Fat: 23 g · Saturated Fat: 10 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 41 mg · Sodium: 6 mg · Potassium: 106 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 11 g · Vitamin A: 478 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 26 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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