Butter Pecan Cut-Out Cookies with Royal Icing

These delicious Butter Pecan Cut-Out Cookies are perfect for the holidays! With a rich, buttery flavor enhanced by toasted pecans, they're sturdy enough to decorate with royal icing yet tender and flavorful. Whether you're making them for Christmas or any special occasion, these cookies are sure to become a family favorite.

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Butter Pecan Cut-Out Cookies

Ingredients

• Pecans (about 3/4 cup halves)
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup salted butter, cold and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon butter extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Essential Tools

• Food Processor
• Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
• Cookie Sheets
• Parchment Paper
• Rolling Pin
• Cookie Cutters
• Cooling Rack
• Piping Bags & Tips (for royal icing)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place the pecans on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove to a plate or bowl to cool. Place the pecans in a food processor and process until a fine crumb (but not pecan butter). Measure out 1/2 cup.
3. Combine the 1/2 cup pecan meal, flour and baking powder, set aside.
4. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling.
5. Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" to 3/8" thick, and cut into shapes.
6. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (I recommend freezing the cut out shapes on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking) and bake for 10-12 minutees.
7. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
8. Decorate with royal icing.

Royal Icing Recipe

This will cover 2-3 dozen 3.5-inch cookies in 2 colors

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons meringue powder
• scant 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound (454 g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• few drops clear extract, such as almond (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine the meringue powder and warm water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy. (Or whisk by hand, not the whisk attachment.) Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine.
2. Add in the corn syrup (this will help thicken the icing) and extract if desired. Increase speed to med-high/high and beat for about 5 minutes or so, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl a couple of times during the 5 minutes.
3. You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling. Do not overbeat.
4. Cover with plastic wrap touching the icing or divide and color using gel paste food colorings.

Decorating Tip: This "stiff" icing is perfect for outlining, monogramming, and piping details. To fill in your cookies, add water to your icing a teaspoon at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it is the consistency of syrup. This technique of filling a cookie with thinned icing is called "flooding."

The beauty of cutout cookies is their versatility - use different cookie cutter shapes and icing colors to match any occasion throughout the year. From hearts and roses to stars and seasonal shapes, these butter pecan cookies are your go-to recipe for every celebration. Don't worry about making them perfect - homemade cookies decorated with love are always the most special!

These cookies are perfect for any holiday - try decorating them using your favorte cut outs. Don't worry about making them perfect - homemade cookies decorated with love are always the most special!

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