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Frosted Butter Pecan Cookies: These homemade brown sugar cookies are made with browned butter, dark brown sugar, vanilla, and maple sugar toasted pecans—the secret to making them better than the rest. Each cookie is lightly dipped in a sweet, thick, and creamy pecan-infused maple frosting that sets overtop each buttery pecan cookie. These cookies are absolutely scrumptious. This is a new favorite cookie for the season of baking, sharing, and gifting.
Here we go! With Halloween on Thursday, my thoughts are slowly shifting to the Thanksgiving holiday, and I am so excited! One of the many fun things about creating and sharing recipes with you all is that I can really embrace and honestly overshare all holiday recipes, which are my favorite to create.
If there is one season I love the most for cooking and baking, it’s this time of year.
I want these recipes to sparkle and, and even more importantly, be delicious! I definitely got this from my Nonnie, whom I miss so much! She made everything special no matter the season, but especially in the fall!
And my gosh, she would love these cookies!! Just like my mom, Nonnie loved a good butter pecan cookie. Honestly, she loved pecans in general!
Taking inspiration from my Nonnie’s brown sugar pecan Brie, I baked up these cookies, and they are so good! I even added some chocolate to them!
Ingredients and Special Tools
Pecan Mix Ingredients
- pecans
- maple syrup (use real maple syrup, nothing with added sugars)
- dark brown sugar
- cinnamon
Cookie Ingredients
- butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking soda
- salt
- dark chocolate chunks
Frosting Ingredients
- powdered sugar
- vanilla
- milk
Special Tools
- small pot
- sheet pans
- electric mixer
- small whisk or fork
Step-by-step details
Step 1: make the pecan syrup
In a small pot, mix the maple syrup and pecans. Simmer until the maple syrup is steamy and you can smell the sweetness in the air.
Simmering the pecans in the maple infuses the maple with the pecan flavor.
Pull the syrup off the heat, use a fork to strain out the pecans onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Toss the pecans with brown sugar and cinnamon, then bake them until they’re caramelized. Let them cool, and then give them a good chop.
Step 2: brown the butter
Brown one stick of butter, leaving the other stick at room temperature. This gives you the flavor of browned butter but leaves you with a cookie that has great texture, too.
When the butter is browned, pour it into a bowl, then add the remaining stick of butter.
Step 3: make the cookie dough
To the butter you want to add the brown sugar and beat everything to combine. Now add the eggs and vanilla.
Mix in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 4: the mix-ins
Next, mix 3/4 of the chopped pecans and some chocolate chunks into the dough and roll into balls.
Save a handful of pecans for topping the cookies!
Step 5: chilling and baking
Chill the dough balls for 5 to 10 minutes. I don’t usually do this when baking cookies, but with this recipe, I found that a quick chill yields the best cookie. Thicker but not cakey and with just barely set edges!
Once chilled, bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes. When you pull the cookies out, give them a light tap on the counter to ensure they set perfectly.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
Finish these up!
Step 6: make the frosting
Use the reserved pecan infused maple syrup to make the frosting. Mix the maple with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
Add a pinch of sea salt too!
Step 7: dip each cookie
Finish the cookies with a dip into the frosting. Then sprinkle the tops of each frosted cookie with chopped pecans.
These are the perfect holiday cookies. I’m getting so excited about this year’s cookie box!
Looking for cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting
Chocolate Bourbon Chai Latte Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Frosting
Glazed Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Frosted Butter Pecan Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Frosted Butter Pecan Cookies
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 216 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Pecans
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cookies
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a pot, combine the pecans and maple syrup. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Strain the pecans away from the syrup and place on the prepared baking sheet. Set the syrup aside to use for the frosting.3. Toss the pecans with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 10 minutes, until toasted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt (if desired). Let cool, then chop.4. Add 1 stick of butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Add the remaining stick butter to the brown butter. 5. Beat the butter with the brown sugar and mix until combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips and 3/4 of the chopped pecans, saving the rest for topping.6. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon-size balls and place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 5 minutes.7. Bake for 11-12 minutes, until just set. Remove from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter to flatten, if needed. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook as they sit on the baking sheet.8. To make the frosting. Whisk the powdered sugar, 1/3 cup of the reserved maple syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Whisk in the milk, adding more as needed to thin the frosting. Dip each cookie into the frosting, then sprinkle with chopped pecans. Let the icing set. EAT! Or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
This post was originally published on October 29, 2024
Hi! I made these, swapping the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips (a family member has a chocolate allergy) they came out, GREAT! So tasty and delicious. Definitely adding to the bookmarks for next year!
Hey Julie,
Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your comment!
Happy Holidays!🎄
Can they be frozen?? SOOO good
Hey Louise,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed! Yes, I would freeze without the frosting.
There are a lot of steps to this recipe, but the results are perfection!! The sugared pecans and maple flavor come through with such a distinct flavor. They really added to our Thanksgiving dinner and will definitely be part of my Christmas baking!
Hey Nancy,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Happy Holidays!
These cookies look so yummy! I baked these cookie over the weekend. Following the instructions, I made the cookies one tablespoon in size, but ended up with nearly double the number of cookies to what the recipe says it makes. Maybe the cookies are supposed to be 2 tablespoons in size?
Hey Abby,
Thanks so much for making these cookies! I might be a little heavy handed with my cookie scoops:) I hope they taste delicious!
Delicious cookie! The only issue I had is the cookies didn’t flatten at all in the oven nor after tapping the pan, and ended up coming out pretty tall/rounded. I did bake them straight from the fridge as I prepped the dough earlier in the day – should I wait for the dough balls to come more to room temp before baking next time?
Hi Caitlyn,
I’m grateful you tried this recipe and took the time to comment. Delighted it turned out! Yes, definitely let the dough come to room temp next time:)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Have you ever made the dough ahead of time and chilled the rolled out dough for a day or 2 before baking?
Hey Michelle,
That would be just fine for you to do! Let me know if you give these cookies a try, I hope you love them!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I made these last night as a test run for Thanksgiving! Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe to a T, but did have to add a bit more milk to my frosting as it was too think with 2-3 tablespoons only of milk. Will make again!!
Hey Kristen,
Wonderful! Love that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for sharing back!
I followed the recipe exactly but these turned out very dry. Any ideas?
Hi Leah,
Thanks for trying these cookies, sorry to hear they were dry for you. Is it possible you adjusted something in the recipe?
Hi,
These did not turn out very chewy for me. Do you think I overbaked? What do you think about substituting part bread flour to increase the chewiness?
Hey Pacai,
So sorry to hear this! I have never tried with bread flour, but it sounds like a good idea! Let me know how it turns out!
Top notch cookies! We dove right into them after frosting them. So good!!
The recipe is very easy to follow. The toasted pecans with brown sugar and cinnamon truly add to this delish cookie! I will make again!!
Hi April,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I’m so glad it was a hit. Have the best week!
Hello! Another inspiring recipe. Can you make these ahead of time? Freeze?
Thanks so much, Suzanne! You bet, you can definitely freeze these cookies. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
I made the recipe! First batch maybe I undercooked because they sort of collapsed when I dip them in the frosting. Second batch we’re more sturdy. I don’t want them to stick together when I freeze them what would you suggest?
Thanks for trying these cookies, Suzanne!
I would stack the cookies with parchment or wax paper in between them. I hope this helps!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I always mess up recipes that call for browned butter. Should I wait for the browned butter to cool before adding the other stick to it? Any other tips? Thank you so much 🙏🏼
Hey Sam,
Yes, you can go ahead and wait until the butter is cooled:) I hope you love these cookies!
Ok thank you!!
Hello. I did the recipe with iHop to-go little cups of syrup instead of maple syrup and light brown sugar instead of dark brown.
They turned out okay but I have never cooked with dark brown and wonder if they would taste better?
The cookies seemed a bit soft after 10-11 minutes however, that could be my oven. Thru were a bit undercooked the first time (probably because I pulled them out too early) and once set, I dipped/ spooned frosting on and then scraped off the remainder and topped them.
I wonder if use real maple syrup and dark brown if it will change the taste and overall quality.
Dough was wet with this recipe and I added about 1/4 cup more of flour.
I look forward to trying them tomorrow!
Hi Brittany,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Yes, I would definitely try using real maple syrup and dark brown sugar next time:) I hope this helps! xx
My dad is from Italy and loves pistachios. I was making cookies for him, and our family, and I decided to sub pistachios for the pecans, and the maple syrup for honey, to emulate baklava – not Italian, of course, but the honey/pistachio combo that could work in place of the pecans. I had to add a few teaspoons of water to thin out the honey, while boiling the pistachios, but otherwise this recipe turned out so well. Very special and tasty! I think a new recipe for the annual cookie repertoire.
Hi Karin,
Happy New Year!!🎆 Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. XxT
There are steps to this te pie, but so worth it. The brown butter and pure maple syrup are scrumptious in this cookie!
Hi there,
Happy Holidays!🎄🎁☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well! XxT