A cherished and easy to make cookie, my Cocoa Nib Pecan Shortbread Cookies make a generous homemade gift or a festive treat. Chock full of pecans and cocoa nibs, these shortbread cookies are buttery, crisp and rich in flavor. They’re make ahead easy and have a long storage life which makes these cookies SO convenient. This recipe is vegetarian, easily egg free or vegan. [ See VIDEO Below on Recipe Card ]
Cookie Season!
It’s cookie season and y’all know what that means: cookies on the brain 24/7! Around here, it’s shortbread. We made a lot of shortbread at the bakery and in pastry school. They’re a beloved holiday cookie, loved by many!
This recipe, these reader favorite Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies and my favorite, 6 ingredient Italian Wedding Cookies, is shortbread you’ll always find in my holiday cookie box. Everyone looooves shortbread!
These Cookies Are
- crisp & buttery
- slice and bake
- butter full or dairy free
But this is just one of the many Cookie Recipes that I call my favorite. There are SO many!
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How to Make Cocoa Nib Pecan Shortbread Cookies
step by step
About the Key Ingredients
- Pecans: add texture and earthy flavor. Buy from the bulk bins for best value.
- Butter: the main flavor component of shortbread. Use your favorite high-quality butter, organic if possible, unsalted. I use Organic Valley.
- Organic Cane Sugar: I do not recommend granulated sugar for this recipe since the sugar grain size is smaller. It makes a difference in how the cookies spread or don’t spread in the oven.
- Cocoa Nibs: these are raw chocolate bits with rich dark chocolate flavor. They are rich in flavor and crunchy in texture. Look for them in the bulk bins.
- Turbanado Sugar: this is used to sprinkle on the outer edges of the cookie after brushing on the egg wash. It is optional.
Shortbread isn’t typically overly sweet. Rather, the proportion of ingredients allow key flavors to shine, rather than being doused in so much sugar you can hardly taste the butter or inclusions.
Recipe Inspiration
The idea for this recipe came from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet. I strayed from her recipe only slightly by replacing part of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour, baking the cookies longer and using a tried and true method of chilling and finishing the cookies in raw sugar. Something ingrained from my former days in pastry school.
For fullest flavor development, make these cookies at least one day before you need them, rest the dough in the fridge overnight, then slice and bake the following day. The cocoa nibs infuse these cookies with their bittersweet notes and, even better, their flavor improves over time.
Traci’s Tips
- Plan ahead: These cookies need to rest at least two hours in the fridge prior to cutting and baking. However, they can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated or up to a month and frozen!
- Make ahead: Shortbread has a long shelf stable life, so they make perfect make ahead cookies to ship to friends and family near and far! They stay fresh for up to two weeks when stored properly.
- An external oven thermometer will ensure the oven is at the proper temperature. Proper oven temperature is important in baking for optimal outcome.
Cocoa Nibby Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (112 grams) Pecan Halves
- 2 Sticks (16 tablespoons / 226 grams) Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) Organic Cane Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Bourbon *see note
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) Cocoa Nibs
- 1 cup (170 grams) All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup (170 grams) White Whole Wheat Flour aka Ivory Wheat Flour or sub All Purpose Flour
- 1 Egg White optional
- Turbinado or Raw Sugar for sprinkling if using the egg white.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (163C). Spread the pecans on a cookie sheet and toast for about 8 minutes or until fragrant. Allow to cool, then chop into small pieces.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, cane sugar, sea salt and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for about 2 minutes or until smooth (not fluffy), stopping to scrape bowl at least once. Add the bourbon and mix again on medium for about 30 seconds, or until incorporated. Scrape down bowl. Add the cocoa nibs and pecans and mix on low until just incorporated. Scrape down bowl. Add the flour all at once, pulse to start, then mix on medium until the dough forms somewhat of a ball on the paddle and has pulled away from sides of the bowl.
- On a floured work surface, dump out dough and divide in half. Shape each clump into a log, 2 inch (5cm) thick, gently rolling and adding flour as needed so it wont stick to you or the work surface. You'll want to make sure a hollow doesn't develop in the center of the log as this will create a hole in the middle of the cookie. It this occurs, rest the dough for about 10 minutes, then use your rolling pin to beat and condition the dough, then reroll pinching where needed to avoid the dreaded hollow log! Once the log is shaped, wrap each log in plastic wrap. Carefully place in refrigerator on a flat surface for at least two hours or up to two days.
- At this point the dough can be frozen for up to two months. Be sure to double wrap the logs if freezing.
- Remove the log(s) from the refrigerator, unwrap the log. Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of egg white all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the log with turbinado or raw sugar, rolling it as needed to cover the surface areas.
- Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, cut the cookies 1/4" (6mm) thick, without sawing but rather with a firm cut down. Place on sheet pan with at least 1" (2 1/2 cm) between cookies. Place back in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes (do not skip this step or the cookies will spread). Preheat oven to 325F (160C).
- Bake cookies for 23-26 minutes or until golden, starting to check on them at about 20 minutes due to oven variations. They'll be darker on the bottom than the top when done. Remove from oven and using an offset spatula, carefully transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. They'll crisp up as they cool.
- Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Made the recipe as written, found it to be clear and easy to follow. Just took two trays out of the oven, and they look and smell divine!
SO happy to receive your note, Eleanor! Thank you for giving the recipe a go, and sharing your success!
I made the vegan version and they turned out perfect. I used Trader Joe’s vegan buttery spread (in a block). My baking time was 25 minutes. Followed the recipe as written. This is a keeper for me.
Hooray! Thank you for your note Jen and butter tip. SO glad you’re enjoying these tasty cookies!
I have made these before (love them) and they came out great. But today, they completely lost their shape and spread out while in oven. And I followed recipe exactly except I mixed in the cocoa nibs, pecans and flour in by hand. But why would that make a difference?
Hello Traci – I love these cookies, but why did they not hold their shape? As I wrote above, Ifollowed the recipe, so the log was chilled for three hours, and once cut, the cookies were chilled for more than thirty minutes. And still they spread on the cookie sheet in the oven! Have another log in the freezer, gonna make it tomorrow, will see what happens!
Hi Halyna! Because I’ve never hand mixed these cookies before, it’s hard to say if that’s what went wrong. Another variable: oven temperature. Are you using an external oven thermometer to check for accurate oven temperature?
I have not. I have a three year old Wolf range and it should be good, but guess should by a thermometer.
I sell shortbreads … I roll the dough and chill in fridge. When they are firm I shape them with biscuit cutter and freeze at least a couple of hours. Preheat oven to 300F and take the cookies straight from the freezer straight to oven. Bake for 10 mins, turn and bake another 4-5 mins for my 2″ cookies. This will prevent the cookies from spreading
Hi, I wonder if I used Aquafaba on the edges for the sugar in place of egg?? I will def be making these!
Hi Michelle! I’ve not tried it, but I’m curious too! If you give it a go, please keep us posted!
Loved these cookies! So simple to make and so delicious. I made these and your bourbon vanilla bean shortbread over the weekend, they are both delicious!
Hi Sarah! Oooh you made two batches of cookies.. what funnn!! SO happy to hear you enjoyed both recipes. I have a total weakness for shortbread :D
Is there any way I can make these cookies Gluten Free? Any suggestions?
Hi Melike! While I’ve not tried it, you can give an GF All Purpose flour a go. I’m sorry I’m unable to help further.
Have made these several times, love them…..a never fail winner!
Hooray! So happy to hear Jill! Thank you for your note and rating!