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Sunday Table
May 28, 2025
These cut-out pecan sugar cookies are soft, buttery, and nutty thanks to a good dose of toasty pecans. And, they're coated in maple royal icing which I could honestly eat by the spoonful. These cookies are simple to make, full of cozy flavors, and perfect with a cup of coffee!
$0.00 / Serving 
Estimated Price / Serving
8 Ingredients
MEDIUM




1/4
Pecan Sugar Cookies With Maple Icing
Toasted Pecans
1
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Place the pecans in a sauté pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the pecans are toasty and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2
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Pour the toasted pecans in a bowl and cool to room temperature. Chop or pulse in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Set aside.
Sugar Cookies
1
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In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and Kosher salt. Set aside.
2
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Then, in a large bowl, cream the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until it's light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Then, mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
3
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Add the flour mixture and beat just until the dough forms. Fold in the pecans.
4
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Form the cookie dough into 2 discs and wrap in plastic wrap (it'll be a bit sticky). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
5
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Once the dough is chilled and you're ready to roll it out, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Then, remove one disc from the fridge. Roll the dough on a floured surface until it's 1/4-1/2'' thick (1/4'' for crisp cookies, 1/2'' for soft cookies). Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, as desired. For wreath cookies, use a 3'' cookie cutter and then a 1'' cookie cutter in the center. Repeat until the dough is used up. You can form and re-roll the dough up to 3 times.
6
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Place the cookies 1'' apart on the parchment-lined sheet pans. If the cookies have warmed up at all, pop them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes (this will keep them from puffing up too much). Bake for 9-10 minutes, flipping the pan halfway through, until the centers are set and the edges are light golden-brown.
7
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Let the cookies cool on the pans for about 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat this process with the second disc of dough.
Royal Icing
1
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To make the royal icing, sift the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the meringue powder, water, and maple extract.
2
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Whip the icing on high for 2-3 minutes, adding more water as necessary, until the icing is the consistency of thin honey. On dry days, you may need up to a cup of water (or more!). When you drizzle the icing, it should melt back into the rest of the icing in 10-15 seconds. That's how you know it's done! If it's too thick, add more water. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar or whip it for 1-2 more minutes.
3
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Color the icing, as desired and place in bowls, squeeze bottles, or piping bags with tips depending on how you'd like to decorate the cookies.
Wreath Decorations
1
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To decorate these cookies like wreaths, pour about 1/2-1 cup of icing into 3 separate bowls. Color one bowl of icing with red food coloring and the other 2 bowls with 2 different tones of green. You can also just use 1 green tone if you like. Pour the colored icings into squeeze bottles or piping bags with tips. Then, pour the remaining white icing into a shallow bowl.
2
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Next, dip the top of one cookie into the white icing. Let the excess drip off and then flip it onto a counter. Gently tap the bottom of the cookie to evenly distribute the icing. You can also use a toothpick!
3
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While the white icing is still wet, pipe a circle of green dots around the cookie. Then, use a toothpick to gently drag a circular line through the centers of the dots. (See a tutorial in the video above).
4
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Lastly, use the red icing to pipe 'berries' all around the wreath. Let them set on a wire rack for at least 5-6 hours. Store the set cookies in an airtight container with a piece of parchment between each layer of cookies.
5
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If you do not want to decorate the cookies like wreaths, decorate as desired with different colors of icing, sprinkles, chopped nuts, etc. Let the cookies set on a wire rack for 5-6 hours. Store in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer.
12.94 g
Carbs
6.91 g
Fat
1.11 g
Protein
71.76 kcal
Calories
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Intelligent Tags
Diet at a Glance
Low-Cholesterol
Low Fat
Low Sugar
Smart Nutrition 
Nutrition Per Serving
Energy
72 kcal(4%)
Total Fat
7 g(11%)
Saturated
0 g(1%)
Trans
0 g(0%)
Unsaturated
0 g(0%)
Cholesterol
15 mg(5%)
Total Carbs
13 g(4%)
Fiber
0 g(2%)
Sugars
6 g(17%)
Proteins
1 g(2%)
Sodium
34 mg(1%)
Polyunsaturated
1 g(0%)
Monounsaturated
1 g(0%)
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Glycemic Analysis 
Glycemic Index 0 Moderate
Glycemic Load 0 Low
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