Gluten Free Butter Pecan Cookies

Butter Pecan is hands down my favorite Ice Cream flavor so it was a given that sooner or later I would add a recipe for Gluten Free Butter Pecan Cookies to the website. These cookies are full of flavor, boasting crispy edges and chewy middles. The secret to their rich taste? Taking the time to brown the butter first and toast the pecans in some butter. Whether paired with a cup of coffee or enjoyed as a delightful dessert, these butter pecan cookies are a simple pleasure for everyone to enjoy.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I have tested this recipe for butter pecan cookies with King Arthur Measure for Measure, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 and my own gluten-free flour blend. All three work well, but they do bake up a little differently. Cookies made with King Arthur spread less and turn out more compact, while Bob’s Red Mill and my own blend produce slightly flatter cookies. The King Arthur version does stay fresh a bit longer, but for texture and overall preference, I reach for Bob’s Red Mill or my own blend here.

Brown Butter: These Gluten Free Butter Pecan Cookies are made with Brown Butter. Brown butter is a form of butter which has been cooked until it reaches a rich, nutty flavor and a golden-brown color. This depth of flavor complements the buttery pecans, creating a more complex and delicious cookie. Please be aware you will NOT be able to brown vegan butter.

Water: While browning butter it loses most of its water content. That water is required for the sugar in the cookie recipe to dissolve. Sugar molecules are highly hydrophilic meaning they dissolve easily in water but not so much in fat. Unless we add some of the lost water back to the browned butter the cookies may have a grainy texture and lack in caramel flavor.

Egg Yolk: The extra egg yolk gives the butter pecan cookies a chewy texture and adds richness to the dough.

Pecans: I use raw, whole pecan halves in this butter pecan recipe. Chopped pecans work just as well. If you don't enjoy pecans, you could replace them with walnuts.

How to make Brown Butter

Brown butter, is the result of cooking butter beyond its melting point. During this process, the milk solids separate from the butterfat and settle at the pan's bottom. This transformation imparts a rich, nutty flavor and a deep brown color to the butter. The caramelization of the milk solids further enhances its taste, lending it a delightful nutty and caramel-like profile.

If you've never prepared brown butter before, I suggest taking your time and using a low temperature. Opt for a heavy-bottomed saucepan, preferably a light-colored non-stick one, and a heat-proof spatula. If you would like to see step by step photos for how to make brown butter, check out this blog post: How to make Brown Butter.

1. Place your unsalted butter, straight from the fridge or freezer, in a heavy-bottom saucepan. If you happen to have a pan or pot with white enamel, I recommend using that. This makes it easier to see the milk solids caramelize.
2. Let the butter melt and allow it to simmer at medium heat. Once the butter has melted, it will start to get thick and foamy and within seconds can switch to a rapid bubble. Make sure to stir it with a heat-proof spatula and get to the bottom of the pan.
3. Continue cooking and stirring until the butter starts to smell nutty and turns a medium amber color. You will start seeing the brown specs on the bottom of the pan and will have a nutty aroma. Brown butter can burn very quickly at this point.
4. Remove the browned butter from the heat and transfer it into the bowl of your stand mixer or a heat-proof large mixing bowl. Make sure to get all the brown bits. Add 15 grams of cold water to replace the water lost during browning. Allow cooling for at least 15 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. I prefer placing the mixing bowl in the freezer to speed cooling up. Stir the brown butter every few minutes with a spatula until it starts to firm up.

How to make Butter Pecans

While the brown butter is chilling, it's time to make the butter pecans. These come together in no time.

1. To a small sauté pan add the butter and raw pecans. If you like you can chop the nuts beforehand. But since they break down during mixing anyways, I normally just skip chopping them.
2. Sauté the pecans in the butter in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Make sure to stir them frequently since depending on their size they can brown very quickly. This should take around 3-4 minutes.
3. Transfer your butter pecans to a small plate or bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and allow to cool completely. Make sure to get all the butter and bits and pieces from the sauté pan.

Butter Pecan Cookie Dough

Making the gluten free butter pecan cookie dough is pretty straightforward. The most complicated step may be browning the butter. If you don't want to brown butter, please use 113 grams (one stick) of room temperature butter instead and clearly SKIP the 15 grams of water.

1. In a small bowl combine the gluten free multi purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt and ground cinnamon. Whisk together and set aside until needed.
2. To the cooled but still soft brown butter add the light brown sugar, granulated white sugar and vanilla extract.
3. Beat the ingredients at medium speed for 4-5 minutes until fluffy and pale. Halfway through, pause to scrape the bowl and beater with a flexible rubber spatula.

4. With the mixer running on slow add the room temperature egg and egg yolk. Turn the speed up again to medium and mix the mixture for an additional 30 seconds. Pause your mixer to scrape down the sides. Without scraping down the sides, butter/sugar builds up on the sides of the bowl. When you add the flour, that film of butter will create random streaks of fat in your dough. And we have all seen those ugly cookies where a pocket of butter makes them look sloppy.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients at a low speed into the wet ingredients until a dough forms. Turn off the mixer and add the cooled butter pecans. Reserve roughly ¼ of the butter pecans for topping the cookie dough before baking. Mix until the pecans are incorporated. With a flexible spatula, give the batter a few good stirs making sure there are no pockets of the flour mixture hiding.
6. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the dough for butter pecan cookies to an airtight container. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2hrs, preferably overnight so the flavors can develop. I found that allowing the cookie dough to rest for at least 12hrs, it really brought out the brown butter flavor and gave the cookies a delicious hint of caramel from the brown sugar.

Butter Pecan Cookies Baking Instructions

Once the gluten-free butter pecan cookie dough has rested peacefully for at least 2 hours, preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange the oven wire rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

This recipe should give you 12 butter pecan cookies depending on how much cookie dough you snacked on already. If the cookie dough was refrigerated for 4hrs or longer you may need to allow the cookie dough to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so it's easier to scoop.

1. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
2. In a small bowl combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon and mix.
3. Using a #20 (yellow) or large cookie scoop portion out the cookie dough.
4. Dip each of the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture so the top part of the cookies is covered with the sugar.
5. Place no more than 6 butter pecan cookies on each of the prepared cookie sheets. The cookies will spread and this way they have plenty of room.
6. Top each cookie dough ball with some of the reserved buttered pecans. Gently press them into the cookie dough flattening out the cookies a bit.
7. Bake the gluten free butter pecan cookies one tray at a time at 350F for 10-11 mins or until they look puffy and light golden brown. I recommend to rather underbaked them slightly than overbaking and ending up with dry cookies. If you make them smaller cookies, they will bake faster so make sure to adjust baking times accordingly. Also, the chill times does affect the baking time. If the cookie dough has been refrigerated for an extended period of time or even frozen, the cookies may need an additional 1-2 minutes in the oven.
8. Remove the cookies from the oven. If you want them to have a crackle top and thin, chewy butter pecan cookies, tap the sheet pan against the counter, they’ll settle into a flatter shape with a pretty crinkled top.
9. Use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookies to scoot them into a perfectly round shape. If you like, top them with additional toasted pecans and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
10. Allow the pecan cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking pan before moving to a cooling rack.

Storage & Freezing

Store fully baked and cooled gluten free butter pecan cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Make sure to allow them to cool on a cooling rack until fully cooled. If you plan on having them around longer, I recommend freezing the baked cookies. To thaw them place them in the fridge or the kitchen counter for a few hours.

To freeze the unbaked dough, prepare the butter pecan cookie recipe as written and portion it into individual cookie-sized portions. Top each cookie with additional butter pecans. Make sure to freeze the plain dough and wait to dip the cinnamon sugar until ready to bake. Place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or a tray. Make sure they are not touching each other. Place the baking sheet or tray with the cookie dough portions into the freezer. Allow them to freeze for about 1-2 hours or until they are firm.

Once the cookie dough portions are solid, place dough balls into a resealable freezer bag or an airtight container. Label the bag or container with the date and the type of cookie dough. When you're ready to bake the frozen cookie dough, preheat the oven according to the original recipe instructions. If you like, dip the cookies into cinnamon sugar before baking.

Why chill gluten free cookie dough?

Chilling gluten-free cookie dough, much like regular cookie dough, offers several benefits:

Flavor Development: Chilling the cookie dough allows the ingredients to meld and the flavors to develop. This resting period allows the fats (such as butter) to solidify, contributing to a better texture and taste in the final baked cookies.

Texture Improvement: Chilled cookie dough results in cookies with a better texture. The fats in the dough solidify during chilling, which helps control the spread of the cookies during baking. This can lead to cookies that are thicker, chewier, and less likely to become overly thin and crispy.

Reduced Spreading: Gluten-free flours and alternative ingredients often behave differently than traditional wheat flours. Chilling the dough helps firm up the fats and hydrate the dry ingredients, making the dough less prone to excessive spreading during baking.

Easier Handling: Chilled cookie dough is often easier to handle. It's firmer and less sticky, making it simpler to portion it into individual cookies.

Preventing Grittiness: Some gluten-free flours or ingredients may have a grainy or gritty texture. Chilling the dough allows these particles to absorb moisture, resulting in a smoother texture in the final baked cookies.

FAQ - Gluten Free Butter Pecan Cookies

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.