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Home » Dessert » Cookies and Bars

Cocoa Nibby Pecan Shortbread Cookies

By Traci · Jump to Recipe

A cherished and easy shortbread cookie, these Cocoa Nib Pecan Shortbread Cookies make a generous homemade gift or a festive treat. Make ahead easy and a long storage life make these cookies SO convenient. This recipe is vegetarian, but easily egg free or vegan. {See Video Below in Recipe Card}

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I may make a commission at no cost to you. See my Affiliate Disclosure for more information.
Cocoa Nib Pecan Shortbread Cookies on a marble slab ready to eat.

This recipe was first posted 11/2016. While the original recipe remains unchanged, I updated the photography and recipe notes to include how to make these cookies dairy free or vegan 12/2020. 

Cookie Season!

It’s cookie season and y’all know what that means: cookies on the brain 24/7! Around here, it’s shortbread. 

OMGeee. They’re my absolute favorite. But I gotta pace myself, else I won’t even be able to fit into my stretchy pants!

But this is just one of the many that I call favorite. There are SO many! 

Butter, sugar and vanilla in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer.   Cocoa nibs and cookie dough in the bowl of a food processor. Just mixed cookie dough in a stand mixing bowl.   Shortbread cookie dough ready for shaping on a board.

A Shortbread Love Affair

I’ve written about my love affair with shortbread when I shared these tasty treats on the blog:

  • Hazelnut Shortbread with Ganache Sandwich Cookies 
  • Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies
  • Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nib Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread is like a blank canvas to create with the flavors you love. I’ve even seen shortbread go savory!

The varieties are endless.

Why?

Shortbread cookies are easy to make, are make ahead ready, freezer friendly and, shortbread has a long shelf life!

Shaping the cookie log on a board.  Shortbread Cookie Log on a board.

Highlighting Simple Ingredients

Shortbread is not 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.

These Pecan Shortbread Cookies have a shortish ingredient list. Here’s what you’ll need to whip these up (see recipe card below for full details): 

  • Pecans
  • Butter – your favorite high quality butter, organic if possible, unsalted.
  • Cane Sugar
  • Bourbon – just a touch
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Cocoa Nibs
  • All Purpose Flour
  • White Whole Wheat Flour – or more All Purpose Flour
  • Egg White – optional 
  • Turbanado/raw Sugar – optional

Sliced shortbread cookies on a board.  Pecan Shortbread Cookie held between two fingers.

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.

Pecan Shortbread Cookies stacked tall on a plate with milk in a glass.

A Few Recipe Notes

  • 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.
  • Egg free? Yes Please! Simply leave the sugar coating off the edges of the cookie and bake as directed.
  • Vegan Cookies? Yes Please! I’ve tested this recipe with Earth Balance buttery sticks with delicious results. The only change is to add just a pinch of salt, omit the egg wash and raw sugar and bake for 19-23 minutes as they tend to darken more quickly.
  • An external oven thermometer will ensure the oven is at the proper temperature. Proper oven temperature is super important in baking for optimal outcome. 

More Shortbread Recipes to Love

  • Hazelnut Shortbread with Salted Ganache Sandwich Cookies
  • Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies
  • Vegan Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
  • Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nib Shortbread Cookies
Cocoa Nib Pecan Shortbread Cookies on a marble slab ready to eat.
Print Recipe

the recipe

Cocoa Nibby Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Prep Time:25 minutes
Cook Time:28 minutes
Resting Time:2 hours 48 minutes
Total Time:3 hours 41 minutes
Servings:53 Cookies
Calories:95kcal
Author:Traci York | Vanilla And Bean
*Advance Prep Required* A cherished and easy shortbread cookie, these Cocoa Nibby Pecan Shortbread Cookies make a generous homemade gift or a festive treat. Make ahead and freeze for later or bake and enjoy a long storage life.  *Plan ahead! These cookies need to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours prior to baking.
NOTE: Prep time above is an estimate based on my experience making these cookies. This time can vary depending on baker experience.
UPDATE (12/20) For Vegan or Egg Free options, see notes.

Ingredients

  • 1 C (112g) Pecan Halves
  • 2 Sticks (16 Tbs/226g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 C (170g) Cane Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 Tbs Bourbon *see note
  • 2 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/3 C (40g) Cocoa Nibs
  • 1 C (170g) All Purpose Flour
  • 1 C (170g) 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 bean 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" (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.

Video

Notes

*Water may be substituted for bourbon if desired. 
To Make Egg Free Cookies: Omit the egg wash and sugar on the surface of the cookie log. Bake as directed. 
To Make Vegan Cookies: Use Earth Balance buttery sticks, add just a pinch of salt and omit egg wash and sugar on the surface of the cookie log. Reduce the bake time to 19-23 minutes. They tend to brown quicker than with dairy butter. 
Recipe adapted from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet.
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Loved it? Take a snap of what you made and share on social: @VanillaAndBean, tag #VanillaAndBean!

Stacked pecan shortbread cookies.

You might also like:

Dark chocolate shortbread topped with white chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nib Shortbread Cookies

Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies stacked tall.

Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies

Overhead shot of Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies with a glass of milk.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies (Vegan)

Hazelnut Shortbread with Salted Ganache Sandwich Cookies

Hazelnut Shortbread with Salted Ganache Sandwich Cookies

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