Every year around the holidays my cousin, Katrina, goes into warrior baking mode. It’s two solid weekends of sugar, butter and flour. She will literally spend an entire weekend — just making dough. She freezes it and the next weekend she bakes — from dawn to dark. I’m not exaggerating! I think she makes about 15 different varieties every year – which makes my 2-3 types of cookies look like a truly anemic effort. This is Katrina’s recipe and it’s become a standard every Christmas. She calls them Pecan Pie Cookies, but these sea salt bourbon pecan cookies are so much more than that. I call them fabulous!!!
The recipe starts with the cookie dough (of course). Creaming sugar and butter together, then adding the dry ingredients.
Then comes the filling: chopped pecans, brown sugar, cream and vanilla. *Sigh!*
To assemble the cookies, start by rolling the dough into a ball. Katrina says you can use your knuckle to make an indentation in the dough. I tried this, but my hands are too small to make a decent well and the dough stuck to my finger – so I used an old trick — I sprayed the back of a rounded measuring spoon with vegetable spray and pressed it into the cookies to hollow out the center.
Then I filled the cookies with the pecan mixture and… well… this is where I veered off her recipe a little. I sprinkled the cookies with fleur de sel — sea salt. Scott and I love the interplay of sweet with salty and those little pops mingled with the sugary cookie is outstanding!
And then there’s the bourbon glaze. I know. BOURBON GLAZE.
Just three ingredients: powdered sugar, bourbon and a dab of cream. Stir them together until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled cookies. With the crispy pecans, sweet, buttery cookie, pops of fleur de sel and the sweet, spiked glaze — these cookies have it all! Let the holidays begin!
More holiday cookies you might like:
Sea Salt Bourbon Pecan Cookies
ingredients
For Cookies
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup butter , softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For The Filling
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- sea salt for sprinkling
For Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (1-2 teaspoons more if needed)
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients for the filling. Stir to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
- In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt -- whisk together to combine.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until flour is incorporated. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined. With your clean hands, shape the dough into 1 1/4" balls. Spray the back of a rounded teaspoon with vegetable spray and make an indentation in the cookie dough. Add one teaspoon of the pecan filling to the indentation. Sprinkle cookies with a pinch of fleur de sel. Bake for 8-12 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
- In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar, bourbon and heavy cream, stir until smooth and creamy. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies sit until the glaze has hardened and store in an airtight container, separated by parchment paper.
Nutrition
I’ve made this recipe twice now this holiday season and it’s one of the best cookie recipes I’ve ever tried. Rave reviews from the family too!
So glad you like them!
These are great! I have made 2 batches, they made me look like a superstar! Thanks! Definitely going into my regular recipe box!
That’s ’cause you ARE a superstar! Enjoy!
These cookies are always a favorite each year. Your version look great too with the sea salt! Yum! I can’t wait for my baking day!
Thank you for sharing your recipe, Katrina! I can’t wait for your baking day too!!! Cookies!
I love these cookies and love Katrina’s baking obsession. 😉 I may actually try to make them myself this year! Thanks for the easy to follow instructions, Lisa!
It is an obsession, right? I call her the Pastry Dominatrix!
The sticky bourbon filling….I can’t even deal with how much I’m drooling over this recipe! This is like the most genius combination of pecan tarts and chocolate chip cookies. DYING over these!
LOL! Don’t die — just make a batch! My favorite part (aside from the bourbon — priorities, right?) is the flakes of sea salt – eye opening!
Great pics! I love cookies but these sound out of this world!
Thanks so much! I’m glad you like them!
Nice touch with the bourbon. Then, there IS the heavy cream and pecans…. : )
I know!!!
How gorgeous do these look! We are the same around Christmas, I have a few full baking days with my mum!
More power to you Sue! I give all you Baking Divas props!
What a fun holiday cookie! Love that you added the Bourbon!