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This post is sponsored on behalf of #ChristmasCookiesWeek. The generous sponsors, YumGoggle, Sprinkle Pop, Silpat, and Adams Extracts have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.

These Butter Pecan Nuggets are small bites of buttery shortbread with a pecan half in the center of the dough. Topped off with a light glaze drizzle and some festive sprinkles, these are a great cookie to put out on your holiday cookie tray!

Giveaway alert! Be sure to enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter at the end of this post! Effective 12/3/18 – 12/7/18

Butter Pecan Nuggets

Butter Pecan Nuggets are a winner recipe and a long time favorite of mine! The buttery shortbread cookie dough has a toasted pecan hiding inside. I always put a roasted and salted pecan half just because I like the sweet/salty contrast!

Butter Pecan Nuggets

Drizzled with white frosting and decorated with blue and white sparkly sugars. Or, you could go with red and green for a different color scheme. In either case, these cookies are still delicious and festive!

Butter Pecan Nuggets

These cookies are really easy to put together and start out a bit different from your normal cookie recipe. It all starts in the saucepan! All of your ingredients except for the flour goes into the pan and cooked over the stove-top until the butter is melted and all ingredients have been combined.

Butter Pecan Nuggets

HOW DO YOU GET THE PECAN IN YOUR BUTTER PECAN NUGGETS?

These cookies are actually bite-sized (or maybe two bites!).  You will scoop about a tablespoon of dough from your pan and shape it around the pecan. You may need to squeeze the dough together (making a fist) to get it to stick together in the beginning, but don’t worry, it will come together. Then I shape it into a log shape for aesthetics!
Butter Pecan Nuggets
Once the cookies come out of the oven, you will want to move them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting them. It’s ok if you’re tempted to try a couple warm as this makes about 4 dozen cookies. So go ahead, taste away!
Glaze for Butter Pecan Nuggets

WHAT FLAVOR EXTRACT CAN YOU USE IN BUTTER PECAN NUGGETS GLAZE?

I simply use a clear vanilla extract. However, feel free to try other flavors! One that may complement this buttery cookie very well is a caramel flavor. It will tint the color or the icing a little but it would probably taste amazing!
Butter Pecan Nuggets

MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THESE TIPS BELOW FOR A SUCCESSFUL BUTTER PECAN NUGGET RECIPE!

  • Watch the sugar/butter mixture carefully while on the cooktop. You don’t want this to start boiling, just bring it to melting temperature.
  • Gradually add the flour to your sugar mixture. Adding it all at once will make it difficult to combine.
  • When wrapping the pecan in the dough, you may need to squeeze the dough in your fist to compress it. 
  • Cool the nuggets completely before drizzling with icing
  • Bonus tip! To reduce your mess when drizzling with icing, be sure to do so on a cooling rack with some parchment paper underneath the rack to catch any icing drips!

Butter Pecan Nuggets

The only hard thing about this recipe, besides wanting to eat one after another, is deciding which colored sprinkles you like best. Do you want the blue and white, or the red and green? Oh, decisions can sometimes be so difficult!

Butter Pecan Nuggets

DON’T FORGET TO PIN AND SHARE BUTTER PECAN NUGGETS!

Butter Pecan Nuggets

Be sure to check below the recipe for the giveaway information!

Butter Pecan Nuggest

Butter Pecan Nuggets
Yield: 4 dozen

Butter Pecan Nuggets

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

These Butter Pecan Nuggets are small bites of buttery shortbread with a pecan half in the center of the dough. Topped off with a light glaze drizzle and some festive sprinkles, these are a great cookie to put out on your holiday cookie tray!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup pecan halves
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla
  • 4-5 teaspoons milk
  • colored sugars

Instructions

Spread pecans in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Toast in a 325 oven for about 12 minutes or til golden. Remove and cool.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Heat and stir til butter is melted. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Cool.

Stir in flour til well mixed. Shape into 3/4 inch balls. Press a toasted pecan half into each ball and enclose nut in dough to form an oval. Place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or til done. Remove and cool.

Stir together powdered sugar, clear vanilla and enough milk to make of drizzling consistency. Place frosting in decorating bag and cut at the very tip to make a small hole. Drizzle over cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

2 cookies
Amount Per Serving Calories 170Total Fat 10gCholesterol 20mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 1gSugar 10gProtein 2g

Did you make this recipe?

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© Shelby
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts
Thank you to Ellen at Family Around the Table and Christie at A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting #ChristmasCookiesWeek.

Prize Package #1:

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Disclaimer: Thank you #ChristmasCookiesWeek sponsors: Adams Extract, Sprinkle Pop, YumGoggle and Silpat for providing the prizes free of charge. The #ChristmasCookiesWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Four (4) winners will be selected at random from entries received. The prize packages will be fulfilled by and sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. #ChristmasCookiesWeek bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household are not eligible to enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #ChristmasCookiesWeek posts or entry.
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