These Buttery Pecan Rounds just seem like Christmas to me. Every year my Mom would bake with cinnamon and nuts, pecans specifically.

Buttery Pecan Rounds are crispy with a hint of warm cinnamon.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, an Instacart Tastemaker, as well as a member of other various affiliate programs, I earn a nominal commission if products are purchased through links at no additional charge to you.

Pecans are one of my favorite nuts. They are what I reach for first when I want to add nuts to baking. I really associate pecans with Christmas, not only because I bake with them often, but because my Mom always had a bowl of nuts and a nutcracker on the cocktail table during the holidays. I would pick the pecans first.

I’ve never made a cookie like these buttery pecan rounds before. They are ultra thin and crispy, but also a bit on the chewy side. I used a nut grinder to get the finer grind for the pecans I used in the cookie. I thought when they baked they would look nice with a pecan half on top.

Millican Pecan Company, one of our sponsors, sent cinnamon pecans. Not cinnamon sugar pecans, just cinnamon. Though this cookie has tons of flavor from the butter, I felt it could use more so I chose to top them with the cinnamon pecans halves. That tiny burst of flavor change the cookie in a great way. Cinnamon is warm and comforting and synonymous with the holidays.

Package up buttery pecan rounds for a hostess gift.

A few notes about the cookie

Try substituting the cinnamon pecans in the cookie dough too, for more cinnamon flavor. A nut grinder really works well. See one in the recipe card.
When I say drop them on the cookie sheet 3-inches apart, do it! These cookies spread!
Use a small cookie scoop to get even cookies that are all the same size. Do not use a medium or large scoop. The cookies will be ginormous. Find my favorite in the recipe card.
Check the cookies at 12 minutes. They should be nicely browned around the edge, for about 1/4-inch. Any less and they are not done. See my photos for reference.
When adding the pecan half to the cookie, just a gentle press will do the trick. No need to try and flatten the dough.
Because there is so much yummy butter in the cookie, the dough is loose. Don’t worry about it or refrigerate it. You want the dough to spread, resulting in a thin, crispy cookie.

More cookies with pecans include toasted butter pecan cookies and brown sugar pecan Christmas tree cookies.

Buttery pecan rounds are topped with a delicious cinnamon pecan.

Print Recipe Save Recipe to Slickstream Save Recipe to Grow Pin Recipe

Buttery Pecan Rounds

A delightful aroma wafts through the house as these cookies bake.

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Total Time22

Course: Desserts and Sweets

Cuisine: American

Servings: 30 cookies

Author: Ellen Folkman

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans I used pecans from Millican Pecan Company
Cinnamon pecan halves (I used Millican Pecan Company)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside.
Sift flour and salt into a small bowl.
Into a second bowl combine butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium for 3 minutes until mixture is creamy. Mix in egg yolk until combined. Reduce to low speed. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in pecans.
Using a small cookie scoop, drop batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Press one cinnamon pecan onto the top of each mound. Bake in preheated oven until golden around the edges, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a 5-star review on the recipe card below.