Brown Sugar Pecan Sugar Cookies
Brown Sugar Pecan Sugar Cookies are made with a classic sugar cookie base and topped with a brown sugar frosting and crunchy toasted pecans.
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With the holidays rapidly approaching, I can’t help but whip up tasty treats. Baking has always been a fond memory I have from my childhood. It’s where my passion for food came from — baking with mom all day before Thanksgiving or Christmas. There’s just something about the smell of fresh baked goods from the oven that makes the holidays so special.
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When I think of holiday flavors, I immediately think of brown sugar, molasses, spices, and nuts. And these Brown Sugar Pecan Sugar Cookies are inspired by those warm, inviting flavors. For this recipe, I participated in the Crisco® Bake It Better Challenge. Using the same sugar cookie recipe, I tested Crisco versus butter and let me tell you how it went.
The Crisco sugar cookies were visibly thicker and kept the shape of some fun cookie stamps that I used. The butter ones didn’t rise much at all and the stamp faded quite a bit. The Crisco cookies had a light-texture and were airy, compared to the denser butter cookies.
Side-by-side, you can see that Crisco cookies are noticeably better than the butter ones. Shortening is such a great substitute in many baked goods. Since it can be stored at room temperature, it is ready-to-go, saving you time and effort. I especially love the Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks. They’re each one cup so convenient!
After I nailed the sugar cookies, I topped them with a brown sugar frosting and toasted pecans for a tasty new holiday treat. These Brown Sugar Pecan Sugar Cookies are great to share with family and friends. Everyone who tried these were definitely happy about them. I hope you enjoy them too!
Try the Crisco® Bake It Better Challenge yourself by re-creating your favorite holiday treats using shortening instead of butter, and share your creations on social media using the hashtag #BakeItBetter.
Brown Sugar Pecan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Crisco® Classic Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs:
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon, & level)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (226 g) Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Brown Sugar Frosting:
- 1 cup (226 g) Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening, (one baking stick)
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, gently packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- 2-4 Tbsp milk
- 1 cup (112 g) pecans
Instructions
- FOR THE COOKIES: Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until combined.
- With an electric hand mixer, cream the shortening and sugar in a large bowl on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Gradually blend in flour mixture.
- Divide dough in half. Roll out each half on a lightly floured surface 1/4-inch thick for crisp cookies, or 3/8-inch thick for softer cookies. Cut with 2 to 3-inch cookie cutters. Place 2-inches apart on a parchment/silicone lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes, until edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven. Rest on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes, then and transfer to a cooling rack.
- FOR THE FROSTING: With an electric hand mixer, cream the shortening, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar while mixing. Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency.
- TOAST PECANS in a saute pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2-5 minutes, stirring continually. Cool and chop half of the mixture.
- Pipe or spread frosting on top of the cooled cookies. Place one whole pecan on top in the center of the frosting, followed by sprinkling a few chopped nuts. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
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