Pecan Crescent Cookies. A light buttery shortbread cookie with chopped pecan and rolled on powdered sugar. One of my families favorite holiday cookies. Nothing fancy just buttery goodness. This recipe is very easy for beginners bakers to make. Scroll down to see how you can preserve these Pecan Crescent Cookies for weeks.

More Crescent Cookie Recipes

BROWN BUTTER GLAZED PECAN CRESCENT COOKIES
SNOWBALL PECAN COOKIES

Variations of these Pecan Crescent Cookies

Create a shortbread cookie by omitting the pecans
Don’t like pecans? Use your favorite nut instead
Take out some of the flour and replace it with unsweetened cocoa
For a little crunch and caramel flavor add toffee bites
Add a brown butter glaze
To warm up the flavor add a sprinkle or two of pumpkin spice

Can I Freeze Pecan Crescent Cookies?

How to make Pecan Crescent Cookies

Mix butter until creamy, add the flour, nuts, ½ cup sugar, salt and extracts.
Mix until well combined.
Refrigerate covered 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Shape cookies into logs.
Shape the logs into crescents.
Bake 12-15 minutes.
When cool enough to handle roll hot cookies in the remaining 2 cups confectioners’ sugar.
Cool on wire rack.

Holiday Christmas Cookie Tray

Pecan Crescent Cookies

Name: Pecan Crescent Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: MAKES 30 COOKIES
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup ground pecans; 2½ cups powdered sugar, divided; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Yield: MAKES 30 COOKIES

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

A light buttery shortbread cookie with chopped pecan and rolled on powdered sugar. One of my families favorite holiday cookies.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup ground pecans
2½ cups powdered sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Mix butter until creamy, add the flour, nuts, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and extracts.
Mix until well combined.
Refrigerate covered 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Shape cookie dough into crescents.
Bake 12-15 minutes.
When cool enough to handle roll hot cookies in the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar.
Cool on wire rack.

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Comments

Pecan Crescent Cookies — 49 Comments

daisy on December 21, 2012 at 3:08 am said:

My mom used to make these! Thanks for the recipe! Enjoy your holidays!

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Lois Christensen on December 21, 2012 at 1:09 pm said:

These look delicious! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday! Please come back and vote on Sunday!

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andi on December 21, 2012 at 5:19 pm said:

All the above look very nice and tasty but the pecan cresent cookies are calling my name. I remember a lady that used to make these when I was little and I still remember them today. So good Have a great holiday and thanks for the post andi

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Winelady Cooks on December 21, 2012 at 5:53 pm said:

I just luv pecan sandies. Yours look delicious.

Thanks for sharing
Happy Holiday!
Joanne

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jody Benge on December 10, 2015 at 8:40 pm said:

Love these cookies. Definitely plan to make some this Christmas and share them with friends and family.

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- Sheryl on December 10, 2015 at 9:05 pm said:
  
  Lucky friends and family! 🙂
  
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Judy on December 11, 2015 at 1:47 pm said:

Thanks for sharing! These were my favorite cookies too!

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Tracey on December 12, 2015 at 8:18 am said:

If you wanted to have almond crescents, could you substitute the pecans for ground almonds and keep everything the same? Thanks!

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- Sheryl on December 12, 2015 at 10:17 pm said:
  
  Sure Tracey! 🙂
  
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  - Tracey on December 13, 2015 at 1:33 pm said:
    
    Thanks so much for your reply, Sheryl!
    
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Jeanne on December 13, 2015 at 8:34 am said:

How much dough do you use per cookie?

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- Sheryl on December 14, 2015 at 2:05 pm said:
  
  Hi Jeanne, I don’t measure it but if I had to guess about 1 tablespoon.
  
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Josie on December 14, 2015 at 1:17 am said:

I’m trying to modify my recipes for Gluten Free. Has anyone tried to substitute Almond Flower for the regular flour?

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- Sheryl on December 14, 2015 at 2:04 pm said:
  
  Hi Josie, I know my son has taken a lot of my cookie recipes and made them gluten free. He says they taste the same as if he had used all-purpose flour.
  
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  - Joy on December 23, 2017 at 12:44 pm said:
    
    Hi, I just made these with gluten free flour! Delicious!
    
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    - Sheryl on December 24, 2017 at 11:30 am said:
      
      Cool Joy! I’m glad they turned out using a different flour. Now everyone can enjoy them! Merry Christmas!
      
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Susan Baio Warriner on December 20, 2015 at 7:55 pm said:

I made the Pecan Crescents Cookies this evening. Followed the recipe exactly except I used 1/4 tsp Maple extract instead of almond.
Absolutely delighted because they are delicious! Thank you!

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- Sheryl on December 20, 2015 at 9:04 pm said:
  
  I’m so happy you like them Susan! Merry Christmas! 🙂
  
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Dolores on December 23, 2015 at 10:05 am said:

Hi,
Are you suppose to grease cookie sheet or not??

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- Sheryl on December 23, 2015 at 10:51 am said:
  
  No, you don’t need to grease the cookie sheet. I do like to use parchment paper, not because the cookies will stick, just because I like the way the cookies brown with it.
  
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Tanna on January 1, 2016 at 6:16 pm said:

Can these be frozen

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- Sheryl on January 1, 2016 at 7:11 pm said:
  
  Hi Tanna, You can freeze the dough to bake later but I wouldn’t freeze the baked cookies. I’m afraid when thawed the confectioners’ sugar will melt.
  
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  - Jeanette on April 10, 2017 at 2:14 pm said:
    
    Could you bake the cookies, freeze them, then roll them in confectioners sugar once thawed?
    
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    - Sheryl on April 10, 2017 at 2:53 pm said:
      
      Hi Jeanette, It’s best to roll the cookies while they’re hot. What you could do is make the cookie dough and freeze that.
      
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C on November 25, 2017 at 4:13 pm said:

These are a favorite from childhood!! A must make for the holiday

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- Sheryl on November 25, 2017 at 11:57 pm said:
  
  That’s awesome!
  
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Sandra Finney on December 5, 2017 at 5:32 pm said:

Are these like Mexican Wedding Cookies? They are really expensive on Amazon. I used to buy these at Christmastime at the grocery store. Now, super hard to find. I like pecans. Use almond extract with pecans?? Thank you. PS: Years ago, I added salt but had used self-rising four. Ewee big mistake!!!

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- Sheryl on December 5, 2017 at 7:12 pm said:
  
  Hi Sandra, I’ve never had a Mexican Wedding Cookie so…..all I can say is these cookies are delicious and melt in your mouth. The almond extract is what gives the cookies their delicious flavor.
  
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- Janan Morris on November 30, 2019 at 3:36 pm said:
  
  Eat fewer cookies and they won’t seem as expensive. Lol. I can’t stop eatng them til they’re gone.
  
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  - Sheryl on November 30, 2019 at 7:58 pm said:
    
    Hahaha….I’m right there with you Janan!
    
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Aziza on December 13, 2017 at 12:44 pm said:

Can I leave the dough in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days before baking?

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- Sheryl on December 13, 2017 at 4:41 pm said:
  
  Hi Aziza, Sure! You can freeze it too.
  
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Lizz on December 23, 2017 at 11:59 am said:

I made these using walnuts instead of pecans. They came out perfect. I also waited until they cooled to coat them with powered sugar. I don’t like the way the powdered sugar melts on the hot cookies. Thanks for the recipe and Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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- Sheryl on December 24, 2017 at 11:31 am said:
  
  That sounds delicious Lizz! Merry Christmas to you too!
  
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Anne on June 14, 2018 at 3:31 am said:

I make these every year with your recipe! Never disappointed.

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- Sheryl on June 14, 2018 at 8:59 am said:
  
  Awesome! Thanks Anne! ♥
  
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Vickie on December 16, 2018 at 2:14 pm said:

I’m thinking of tipping one end of the cookie in chocolate and then once everything has set then rolling the cookie in icing sugar?

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- Sheryl on December 16, 2018 at 6:36 pm said:
  
  I love the idea of adding a bit of chocolate Vickie. I’m not sure if the powdered sugar will stick once the cookie is cooled.
  
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Wendy on December 9, 2019 at 6:44 pm said:

I’ve looked for a pecan sandie recipe that I remember making from my childhood with my mother. I knew when I read the ingredients this was it! Just finished baking a batch and all an say is thank you soooo much! My Mom passed away a few years ago. These remind me of her. Will be sharing this recipe with my daughter. It is the best!

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- Sheryl on December 10, 2019 at 11:30 am said:
  
  Oh….Wendy that warms my heart! I’m so glad you found this recipe too!
  
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Liz on December 10, 2019 at 7:46 am said:

I make these cookies every year either with pecans or almonds. I bake them ,rolling in sugar and when cooled off I freeze them. When I thaw them out I sprinkle some icing sugar, through a fine sieve to make them look pretty. They taste the same as freshly made.

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- Sheryl on December 10, 2019 at 11:29 am said:
  
  Thanks Liz for all the great tips!
  
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Sharon on December 16, 2019 at 5:47 pm said:

Is 375 degree oven the right temp for baking these cookies. Also, can you shape them in balls instead of crescents?

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- Sheryl on December 16, 2019 at 6:53 pm said:
  
  Hi Sharon, Yes the temperature is correct at 375°. Yes you can! Snowball Pecan Cookies
  
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ML on November 23, 2020 at 6:19 pm said:

So by powdered sugar, do you mean icing sugar? I have a similar recipe but it calls for berry sugar which I believe is just a finer granulated sugar. Want to be sure before I make them!

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- Sheryl on November 23, 2020 at 10:29 pm said:
  
  Hi ML, Yes powdered sugar is also known as icing sugar and confectioner sugar.
  
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  - ML on November 24, 2020 at 1:04 pm said:
    
    Thank you 😊👍
    
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Deb on December 17, 2020 at 7:10 pm said:

This is the recipe I’ve been waiting for. So good. I used roasted, salted pecans, and omitted the salt.
Fabulous!

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- Sheryl on December 18, 2020 at 9:35 am said:
  
  Hi Deb, I’m so glad you like the recipe and I love the change up.
  
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