These gluten free pecan cookies with vanilla are going to become your new favorite treat. I’ve been making these cookies for months now, and every time I bake them, they disappear within hours.
The combination of crunchy pecans and sweet vanilla creates the perfect balance that makes these cookies absolutely irresistible.
What makes them even better is that they’re completely gluten free, so everyone can enjoy them without worrying about dietary restrictions.
The texture of these cookies is exactly what you want from a homemade cookie. They’re soft on the inside with just the right amount of chewiness, while the chopped pecans add a wonderful crunch in every bite.
The almond flour gives them a rich, nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with the vanilla, and the brown sweetener adds that deep, caramel like taste that makes these cookies taste like they came from a fancy bakery.
But the real magic happens when you add the vanilla glaze on top – it takes these cookies from good to absolutely amazing.
The vanilla glaze is what really makes these cookies special. It’s smooth, creamy, and adds the perfect amount of sweetness without being overwhelming.
What Makes This Recipe Special
Loaded With Healthy Fats: These cookies are packed with the good kinds of fats that your body actually needs. The almond flour, butter, pecans, and heavy cream in the glaze all provide healthy fats that help keep you full and satisfied for hours.
Super Simple Ingredients: You don’t need to buy any weird or expensive ingredients to make these cookies. Everything on the ingredient list is easy to find at any regular grocery store.
Almond flour, eggs, butter, pecans, vanilla – these are all simple, whole food ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
Grain-Free Goodness: These cookies don’t contain any grains at all, which makes them perfect for people following paleo, keto, or grain free diets. Many people feel better when they avoid grains because they can cause inflammation and digestive issues.
By using almond flour and coconut flour instead, you get all the satisfaction of a cookie without any of the potential problems that come with wheat and other grains.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Melted Butter
- 1 Egg
- 1 cup Pecans (chopped)
- 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2/3 cup Swerve Brown
- 3/4 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Vanilla Glaze
- 2/3 cup Powdered Sugar or Powdered Erythritol
- 7 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
How To Make
Follow these simple steps:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2
Add the almond flour, coconut flour, chopped pecans, salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder to a medium bowl. Mix and then add the Swerve brown and the egg.
Step 3
Beat and whisk for about 2-3 minutes using a hand mixer until the dough forms. Roll balls (each about 50g) and lay them on the prepared sheet. Then, flatten them using your hand.
Step 4
Bake until golden brown – around 15 minutes. Let them cool for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile – make you can make the glaze.
Step 5
Whisk the powdered sugar or sweetener with the cream and vanilla extract and spread over the cookies.
Tips
1. Room Temperature Ingredients Work Better
Make sure your egg and butter are at room temperature before you start mixing. Cold ingredients don’t blend together well and can make your cookie dough lumpy or uneven.
Take the egg out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to bake, and if you forgot to soften the butter ahead of time, you can cut it into small pieces and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
When the butter is soft enough that you can easily press your finger into it, it’s ready to use. Room temperature ingredients mix together smoothly and create a better texture in the final cookies.
If you use cold butter, it won’t cream properly with the other ingredients, and your cookies might turn out dense or tough instead of light and chewy.
2. Watch the Baking Time Carefully
Gluten free cookies can go from perfectly baked to overcooked very quickly, so keep a close eye on them during the last few minutes of baking.
Start checking them at 12 minutes instead of waiting the full 15 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown but the centers still look slightly soft and underbaked.
They’ll continue cooking on the hot pan even after you take them out of the oven, so don’t wait until they look completely done or they’ll be overcooked.
Every oven is different, so your cookies might be ready anywhere from 12 to 18 minutes – use the color as your guide rather than just the timer.
3. Make the Glaze the Right Consistency
The vanilla glaze should be thick enough to coat the cookies but thin enough to spread easily. Start with the amounts in the recipe, but you might need to adjust slightly depending on your ingredients.
If the glaze is too thick and hard to spread, add heavy cream one teaspoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
If it’s too thin and runs off the cookies, add more powdered sweetener a tablespoon at a time.
The perfect glaze should coat the back of a spoon and drip slowly when you lift the spoon.
Try These Recipes Too
Check out these amazing recipes too:
Gluten Free Pecan Cookies With Vanilla
Ingredients
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Melted Butter
- 1 Egg
- 1 cup Pecans chopped
- 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2/3 cup Swerve Brown
- 3/4 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Vanilla Glaze
- 2/3 cup Powdered Sugar or Powdered Erythritol
- 7 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, chopped pecans, salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder to a medium bowl. Mix and then add the Swerve brown and the egg.
- Beat and whisk for about 2-3 minutes using a hand mixer until the dough forms. Roll balls (each about 50g) and lay them on the prepared sheet. Then, flatten them using your hand.
- Bake until golden brown – around 15 minutes. Let them cool for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile – make you can make the glaze.
- Whisk the powdered sugar or sweetener with the cream and vanilla extract and spread over the cookies.
These pecan cookies are so tasty and melt in your mouth! The vanilla icing adds the perfect sweetness. I’ll definitely make these again.
The toasted pecans give these cookies such a rich nutty flavor. The glaze was a nice finishing touch. Perfect with coffee!