Get ready to indulge in the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of Pecan Sandies, the shortbread cookie that’s bursting with toasted pecans and dusted with powdered sugar. With their crumbly texture and rich, buttery flavor, these irresistible treats have been a holiday tradition in my family for over 60 years. Whether you call them Mexican Wedding Cookies, Snowball Cookies, or Tea Cakes, one thing’s for sure – these easy, egg-free cookies are a must-make for your festive dessert lineup!
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Old-fashioned pecan sandies
These pecan sandies are like the cookies often sold as Mexican wedding cookies. In fact, these scrumptious little treats have several names – pecan sandies, Mexican wedding cookies, snowball cookies, tea cookies, Swedish tea cakes, and, who knows, maybe more? What’s important is that these buttery pecan cookies are good no matter what they are called.
It isn’t the holidays at my house without these cookies. These pecan sandies cookies combine crispy, buttery, and nutty goodness to make them all-time favorites. These pecan sandies pack well and are good cookies for edible holiday gifts or for a cookie exchange.
Pecan sandies history
Pecan sandies are thought to originate from the sweet treats found in medieval Arab cuisine. The name Sandies may have been inspired by the sand-like color of the finished product.
The Keebler Company owns the brand name Sandies, which is used on its line of shortbread cookies.
Why you’ll love this Pecan Sandies recipe
- Make-ahead friendly: Dough can be chilled or frozen for later baking
- Tried and true: A cherished family recipe passed down for generations
- Simple ingredients: Requires just a handful of pantry staples
- Egg-free: Perfect for those with egg allergies or dietary restrictions
- Versatile: Easily customizable with different nuts, spices, or add-ins
Ingredients you’ll need
This pecan sandies cookie recipe is super easy, requires only a few ingredients, and is a must-make for the holidays. This is an egg-free cookie recipe, so you can serve a perfect treat to those with egg allergies. Here is what you will need:
- Butter – The key to rich, buttery flavor and crumbly texture
- Sugar – Provides sweetness and helps create a tender crumb
- Water – Adds moisture and helps bind the ingredients together
- Vanilla extract – Enhances the overall flavor of the cookies
- All-purpose flour – The foundation of the shortbread dough
- Pecans – Chopped nuts add crunch and nutty flavor throughout
- Powdered sugar – Used for dusting the cookies, creating a snowy appearance and sweet finish
How to make pecan sandies
Preparation for these pecan cookies is pretty basic, as follows:
- Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Add the water and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add the flour and pecans and mix until combined.
- Chill the dough for 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Shape the chilled dough into balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 325°F for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the pan and let them cool slightly on a wire rack.
- Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while they are still warm. (The cookies will absorb some of the powdered sugar as they rest.)
CopyKat Tip: Roll or dust again in powdered sugar once the sandies have completely cooled and right before serving. It makes them look like they are covered in newly fallen snow! (Maybe that’s why they are sometimes called snowball cookies!)
Pecan sandie recipe variations
This pecan sandies recipe is quite flexible, and you can choose to have fun with some variations:
- Play around with various nuts – walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias.
- Add a touch of almond extract along with the vanilla.
- Try adding-ins such as chocolate chips, white chocolate, or dried cranberries.
- Any of your favorite spices will go well in this pecan cookie – cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, or cloves.
- For an extra kick, substitute bourbon or rum for the vanilla.
- If you like a minty flavor, stir crushed peppermint pieces into your cookie dough.
Pro tips for making pecan sandies
- Use pre-chopped pecans, which tend to be a bit less expensive and also save you a step.
- Measure your flour correctly. Adding too much flour to this pecan sandies cookies recipe is a common mistake.
- Chill the dough. The dough for these pecan sandies is easier to work with when chilled.
- When making balls, the dough might be a bit crumbly, so take time to press it together well so that the cookies hold their shape.
- When hand-working cookie dough, it helps to keep your palms slightly damp with a bit of water or oil. This prevents the cookie dough from clinging to your palms.
- Line your ungreased baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Switching racks and rotating your baking sheet halfway through baking will allow your cookies to cook as evenly as possible. Every oven is different, and many have hot spots.
How to store pecan sandies
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Make-ahead dough can be chilled for a few days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw before baking.
Love Pecans? Try these recipes
Do you find yourself with an overabundance of pecans during the holidays? Here’s how to use them up:
Favorite Christmas cookie recipes
- Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons with Condensed Milk
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
- Ginger Snaps
- Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
- Rum Balls with Vanilla Wafers
- Walkers Shortbread Cookies
- White Chocolate Covered Oreos
Check out more of my easy cookie recipes and the best Christmas dessert recipes here on CopyKat!
Pecan Sandies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and sugar.
- Add the water and vanilla, and mix well.
- Mix in the flour and pecans and chill the dough for 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Shape the chilled dough into balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet
- Bake for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the pan and let them cool slightly.
- Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while they are still warm.
Made these yesterday for the first time and they came out good. Mom made sandies like these every Christmas.
My variation – I used ground pecans instead of chopped pecans. Added a touch more water to compensate for the ground pecans. The pecan flavor comes out in the whole cookie instead of just by chopped pecans. Also a good variation if you intend to give to young children to avoid a choking hazard.
Conversion: 1 cup pecan halves = 3/4 cup pecan pieces = 1/2 cup ground pecans
Love these cookies. The dough is so hard I have to wait a little to roll them in balls.
In place of butter can I use Crisco butter just wondering how it would turn out
The flavor will be changed, it won’t have the rich flavor butter gives, but it will work.
Delicious, but the recipe needs salt. I added about a tsp. Thanks! Will be making them again.
I made this with the intention of doing the Mexican wedding cookie but decided to use it for regular pecan sandies. I rolled them as a lid and cut strips and baked. They came out awesome.
This is a nice twist on the traditional Pecan Sandie… more of a ball and then coated with powdered sugar. I love it.
These are the best cookies to each on beaches.
I make this, but they’re called Swedish Tea Cakes, and I make them with cake flour and they’re baked for 1 hour at 275 degrees.
I have also seen these called Mexican wedding cookies too. It must be a great selling point that these cookies are good no matter what you call them.
I absolutely love these cookies as well, and now I will try to make this using your way. I always cook with regular flour but never get it right. Using breadflour makes a whole lot better. Good thinking! thank you Right United. I will always keep this in mind. ????
Love these cookies! I often make them for Christmas!