Melt-in-your-mouth buttery shortbread cookies get a beautiful toasty crunch from pecans. These gluten free pecan shortbread cookies are rolled into a log, refrigerated, sliced and baked to sweet perfection.
I’m not going to lie – this recipe took a long time to get right. While it seems fairly simple and straightforward, creating this recipe to be gluten free proved to be tricky. I can’t tell you how many batches I pulled out of the oven flatter than a pancake. The cookie would hold its shape until about 8 minutes into baking and then, as if it could not longer bear the weight of keeping itself together, gave up in a pool of sugary pecan mess. If you’ve ever had this happen you know how frustrating it is!
There are a few reasons gluten free cookies spread. It could range from using the wrong temperature of butter to not refrigerating the dough. In the case of these gluten free pecan shortbread cookies, sugar rose as the main culprit.
I started by reducing the amount of sugar used, but it just didn’t work. It wasn’t until I made the switch from using granulated white sugar to powdered sugar that the cookie held its shape beautifully and the cookie tasted delicious.
Step by Step Guide to Making Gluten Free Pecan Shortbread Cookies
I like to use my stand mixer to get the dough going. Once you mix everything together the dough will look sandy. I wonder if that’s why they’re also called pecan sandies??!!
Next, and you should probably get your hands in this one, press the dough together to form a ball.
Parchment paper worked great for these next few steps. Take the dough and roll it out into a log. Sometimes you need to compress the dough to keep rolling it out, especially if cracks form. If you roll the dough to about 1 ¾ inch in diameter and about 12 inches long, you can slice each cookie ½ inch which will result in 24 cookies.
Keeping with the same parchment paper, make a line of turbinado sugar and the remainder ¼ cup of toasted pecans.
Roll the log back and forth (without changing the shape of it), gently pressing the sugar and pecans in so they stick. If you wait and do this step after refrigerating the dough it is more difficult to make it stick.
Shake off any excess sugar and pecans, roll the dough log in the parchment paper and twist the ends to seal. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. If you’d like to leave the dough in refrigerator longer, consider using plastic wrap instead of parchment paper to seal in moisture. You can leave it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours (I haven’t tested longer!) before baking.
The gluten free pecan shortbread cookies will have a nice golden color when done. They may initially be soft to touch, especially in the centers. Please let them sit for a while before eating. They will be soft, but crumbly throughout.
Hey there! Just As Good Gluten Free LLC participates in the Amazon Associates Program, which mean many outgoing links on Just As Good Gluten Free are affiliate links. After clicking on a link, I may receive a small percentage of the sale for referring you, which comes at no extra cost to you. This allows me to continue creating gluten free recipes for you! Many thanks – Amy
What kind of flour to use in the gluten free pecan shortbread cookies
Most gluten free flour blends you purchase contain xanthan gum, which I found out early on does not settle well with my stomach! As a result, I make my own flour blend using a variety of flours and starches, blended and measured to create a perfect blend I prefer over any other blend to date. Guar gum or Tara gum are great replacements for xanthan gum; however, I prefer to add it to the recipe as needed and you’ll see notes in every recipe on Just As Good Gluten Free with the recommended amounts to use. You can find the recipe to make your own mix here.
I completely understand this takes time, effort and space to make your own mix. Believe me, I’ve tried purchasing blends from stores, but I ALWAYS come back to this one. If you do not have the margin or desire to make your own blend, here are two I would recommend as a suitable substitute: King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1to1 Baking Flour. NOTE*** If you use a different gluten free flour blend than what is stated in the recipe, please check your brand to see how many grams per cup is recommended. It varies significantly in flour blends and can entirely throw the recipe off.
Want to keep in touch on a regular basis? Sign up below so I can send you new recipes!
If you made this recipe would you please share a comment below, share a picture on Instagram or Pinterest, join our Facebook group, or sign up for occasional email updates. I’d love to see your pictures!
I hope you enjoy these cookies! Happy baking – Amy
Gluten Free Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 14 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup (338 grams) gluten free flour blend
- ½ teaspoon Tara, guar or xanthan gum (omit if in blend)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans, divided
For Rolling:
- ¼ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar
Instructions
- In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, toast 1 cup of the finely chopped pecans until light brown. Remove from skillet onto a plate to cool.
- In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine butter, powdered sugar and brown sugar until combined. Add vanilla extract.
- Add gluten free flour, Tara. guar or xanthan gum (leave out if in flour blend), cinnamon and salt until combined.
- Add ¾ cup of the toasted pecans. Using your hands, combine the dough until formed into a ball and then roll into a log, about 1 ¾ inch in diameter, about 12 inches long. Make sure to seal any cracks as they won't go away during baking and can cause the cookie to crumble when slicing.
- Combine the remaining ¼ cup of toasted pecans and turbinado sugar and spread across a sheet or piece of parchment paper and roll the log in it, coating the entire log.
- Wrap the log in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until the log is chilled throughout.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make slices in log about ½ inch thick and place on baking sheet. Baked for 12-14 minutes or until the cookie is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Store cookies in an air-tight container.
Check out my cookie board on Pinterest for more gluten free cookies!
https://www.pinterest.com/JustAsGoodGlutenFree/gluten-free-cookies/
Leave a Reply