Description
Buttery shortbread studded with chopped pecans and sweetened with real maple syrup and brown sugar. Rolled in sparkling sugar for added crunch and flair!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1 large egg + 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
- 1/4 cup demerara sugar (or other coarse sugar), for rolling
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup until fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined and a dough begins to form. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Dump out the dough onto a clean work surface and gently knead to combine in any remaining dry ingredients from the bottom of the bowl. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log, about 6 inches long and roughly 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. (If easier, you can place each half of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help shape the dough into a log.)
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Once dough is thoroughly chilled and firm to the touch, brush the outside of each log with a light egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp water whisked together). Roll each log in the demerara sugar, pressing it in with your hands to stick evenly around the outside.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to cut 1/2 inch thick slices, about 12 slices from each log. (If dough falls apart at all, press it back together. It’s a very forgiving dough.) Place the sliced dough rounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges of the cookies. Keep the remaining sliced dough rounds in the fridge until ready to bake. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Store at room temperature, covered in an airtight container.
Keywords: maple pecan cookies, slice and bake cookies, maple pecan shortbread, pecan slice and bake cookies