• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Contact
    • Photo Use Policy

Connoisseurus Veg logo

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up for email updates and receive a free copy of my veggie burger e-book!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Free Veggie Burger Book
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Dessert / Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies

    LAST UPDATED: January 28, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: October 30, 2016

    Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These crave-worthy vegan pecan shortbread cookies are rich, buttery, and loaded with crunchy pecans. You'd never guess they were dairy-free!

    Hand Picking Up the Top Cookie From a Stack of Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies

    My boyfriend texted me from work last week to notify me that October is national cookie month. He thought Connoisseurus Veg should know. He was right! I can always use an excuse to bake some cookies. I don't make cookies that often, and when I do I usually send them to work with him, not only to share the cookie love, but also to get them out of the house. Upon pondering what type of cookies to make on this particular occasion, I realized I'd been neglecting my favorite cookie monster: my dad.

    Dad's favorite while I was growing up was always Pecan Sandies, and since vegan pecan shortbread is an area of baking I've yet to explore on this blog, I decided I'd found the perfect solution. This also gave me a great opportunity to try out this recipe for coconut oil based vegan butter. I'd seen it a bunch of times on Pinterest and had been itching to incorporate it into some baking. I finally got around to making it a few weeks ago, but left it sitting in the freezer awaiting just the right vegan butter need.

    Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies

    Recognizing that you guys might not be up for making your own vegan butter, I tried two versions of this cookie recipe. One using store bought vegan margarine and another using the homemade butter. Both versions produced some delicious cookies, but the butter version was the winner, hands down.

    I have a few thoughts on the butter itself. First, it's awesome! It was really easy to make. The only unusual ingredients were xanthan gum and lecithin,  both of which were easily obtained through the magic of Amazon. I immediately decided I loved the taste. This does not taste like margarine: "vegan butter" is a much more accurate name. It has that subtle, rich buttery taste, with just a hint of coconut. I'd seriously put this on my toast (and probably will). It even looks more like butter, having a milky-white color and smooth consistency.

    Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies

    A few thoughts on the vegan butter:

    1. The butter was easier to work with. It mixed up with the sugar quicker and more smoothly than the margarine.
    2. The cookie dough made with the butter was way tastier. (Yes, of course I tasted the dough.)
    3. The butter batch produced prettier cookies. They had a nicer, more even color, and less, ummm, greasy appearance to them.
    4. The butter batch cooked more evenly. The bottoms were a nice, even golden brown, whereas the margarine cookies got a little darker around the edges than I would have liked.
    5. Most importantly: the butter cookies tasted better. I thought so right away, but I had to make sure I wasn't being biased. So I called my boyfriend into the room and without telling him what was up, asked him to try one of each cookie and comment. His observation was that the butter version was "demonstrably, remarkably and clearly better."

    There you have it. Now, both versions were great. Don't be discouraged if you don't feel like making the butter. Either way, you will have delicious, homemade, vegan shortbread. Happy cookie month!

    This post first published on Connoisseurus Veg on October 16, 2013.

    Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies
     
    Hand Picking Up the Top Cookie From a Stack of Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies
    5 from 2 votes
    Print

    Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies

    These crave-worthy vegan pecan shortbread cookies are rich, buttery, and loaded with crunchy pecans. You'd never guess they were dairy-free!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings 36 cookies
    Calories 84 kcal
    Author Alissa

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance or homemade vegan butter, at room temperature
    • ½ cup granulated sugar, I used coconut sugar, but white sugar works too
    • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
    • ¼ tsp. salt
    • 2 cups spelt flour or all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
    • 1 cup chopped pecans

    Instructions

    1. Using a mixer at high speed, blend butter and sugar together until uniform and creamy.
    2. Blend in vanilla and salt, then flour and cinnamon. Mix until completely blended. The mixture may be crumbly, but should hold when pressed together with your hands.
    3. Use a large spoon to stir in the pecans.
    4. Roll your dough into two 9-inch logs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
    5. Preheat oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
    6. Carefully slice your dough into about ¼ inch slices and distribute evenly on baking sheets.
    7. Bake for 15-17, or until edges begin to brown.
    8. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit before removing from baking sheets.

    Recipe Notes

    For a golden-brown color like you see in the photos, use spelt flour and coconut sugar. For a paler, more traditional shortbread, use all-purpose flour and white sugar.

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Pecan Shortbread Cookies
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 84 Calories from Fat 52
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5.8g9%
    Saturated Fat 0.9g5%
    Sodium 75mg3%
    Potassium 34mg1%
    Carbohydrates 7.9g3%
    Fiber 0.9g4%
    Sugar 2.9g3%
    Protein 1.1g2%
    Iron 0.4mg2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Tofu Chow Fun
    Nutty Pumpkin Burgers with Apple Relish »

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

    Subscribe

    Subscribe for email updates and receive a free copy of my veggie burger e-book!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jerrica says

      January 03, 2022 at 4:00 pm

      5 stars
      I made these with buckwheat flour and holy crap i love them. Are there any other version of these that you've done?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        January 03, 2022 at 8:24 pm

        Yay! Glad you like them! I haven't done any other versions, but I've been meaning to for a while. Thanks for the encouragement - I'll see what I can come up with!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Alissa Holding a Coffee Cup

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • The Best Vegan Banana Bread
    • Crispy Baked Teriyaki Tofu
    • Creamy Vegan Rice Pudding
    • Classic Lentil Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About
    • Contact
    • Photo Use Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more here.

    Copyright © 2013-2022 Tofu Press LLC & Alissa Saenz

    221 shares
    • 100