These gluten free butter pecan cookies are soft, buttery, and loaded with toasted pecans. If you love a classic butter pecan flavor, you’re going to really enjoy these.

The secret here is toasting the pecans in butter before folding them into the dough. It adds a rich, nutty flavor that makes a huge difference.

And yes, they are 100% gluten free. You’d honestly never know it. They taste just as good as any traditional butter pecan cookie.

The dough comes together quickly with simple ingredients you probably already have. No complicated steps, no weird substitutions.

They come out with golden edges and soft, slightly chewy centers. Perfect with a cup of coffee or just on their own as a snack.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Butter-Toasted Pecans Make All the Difference – Toasting the pecans in melted butter before folding them into the dough gives these cookies an incredible rich, nutty flavor you just can’t get from tossing in raw pecans.

Perfectly Safe for Gluten Free Diets – These cookies use gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour so anyone avoiding gluten can enjoy a classic butter pecan cookie without worrying about a thing.

Soft Centers with Golden Edges – The short bake time gives you that perfect combo of slightly crispy edges and soft, chewy centers that makes you reach for a second cookie before you even finish the first.

No Complicated Ingredients – You only need about 10 simple ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store, so there is no hunting around for specialty items or obscure flours.

Ingredients

1 cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (for toasting pecans)

How to Make

Step 1

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pecans and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes until they are golden, toasted, and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely.

Step 2

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Step 3

Add the gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in the cooled butter-toasted pecans. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.

Step 5

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges are golden and set but the centers still look slightly soft. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Helpful Tips

Toast the Pecans Low and Slow

When you melt that butter and add the pecans, keep the heat at medium or even medium-low. Pecans go from perfectly toasted to burnt really fast, and once they burn there’s no saving them. Stir them almost constantly so every piece gets even contact with the pan.

You’ll know they’re done when your kitchen smells nutty and buttery and the pecans look a shade or two darker. Pull them off the heat right at that point because they’ll keep cooking a little on the hot plate.

Make sure they cool completely before folding them into the dough. If they’re still warm, they can soften the dough too much and mess with the texture of your cookies.

Get the Butter to the Right Softness

The 1/2 cup of butter for the dough needs to be properly softened, not melted and not still cold. You should be able to press your finger into it and leave a dent without it feeling mushy or greasy. If it’s too cold, your sugars won’t cream properly and the cookies will be dense.

The easiest way to soften butter is to leave it on the counter for about 30 to 45 minutes before you start baking. If you forgot to take it out, cut it into small cubes and it’ll soften in about 15 minutes.

Don’t microwave it unless you’re really careful. It’s way too easy to partially melt it, and melted butter will make your cookies spread flat and turn greasy.

Don’t Skip the Chilling Step

That 30 minutes in the fridge isn’t optional. Gluten free dough tends to be softer and stickier than regular cookie dough, so chilling it firms everything up and makes it way easier to scoop and roll into balls.

Chilled dough also spreads less in the oven, which means you get thicker cookies with better shape instead of thin flat discs. If your kitchen is warm, you might even want to go a full 45 minutes.

If the dough feels too stiff after chilling, just let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes and it’ll be easy to work with again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really need to toast the pecans in butter first?

Toasting the pecans in butter is what gives these cookies their signature butter pecan flavor, so it is definitely worth the extra step. It deepens the nutty taste and adds a rich, caramelized quality you just cannot get from raw pecans.

If you skip this step, the cookies will still taste good, but they will taste more like a regular pecan cookie rather than a true butter pecan cookie.