Pecan Thumbprint Cookies Recipe - Renfroe Pecan Company, Pensacola FL

Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

These tasty thumbprint cookies are a buttery treat with a delightful crunch and a sweet surprise at the center. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth cookie with a perfect balance of texture and flavor:  a toasty pecan on the outside, soft and delicate cookie inside, and a sweet, gooey center ties it all together.

Ingredients for Filling

  • 2 cups Renfroe Pecan halves
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg - white only (reserve yolk for cookie ingredients) 
  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 tsp. espresso powder
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt

  • ¼ tsp almond extract

Ingredients for Cookies

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¼  cup sugar
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar, divided; plus more for serving (optional)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste

Instructions - Filling

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Lightly toast Renfroe Pecans and let cool.
  • Set 1 ¼  cup Renfroe Pecans aside for making the dough
  • Pulse granulated sugar and remaining ¾ cup pecans in a food processor. 

  • Add egg white and pulse just to blend, then add butter, espresso powder, salt and almond extract. Pulse again just until mixture is smooth and combined

Instructions - Cookies

  1. Pulse flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 cup reserved Renfroe Pecans in food processor. 
  2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, and ¼ cup powdered sugar.
  3. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined and no streaks remain.
  4. Add dry ingredients.
  5. Cover bowl with plastic film and chill dough until it's firm
  6. Pace racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°.
  7. Place ½ cup powdered sugar into a shallow bowl.
  8. Working in batches, scoop out tablespoons of dough and roll into balls between your hands, then roll in powdered sugar.
  9. Transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets as you work, spacing 2" apart.
  10. Bake cookies until puffed, but edges are still soft, 6-8 minutes.
  11. Carefully remove from oven and make an indent in the center of each cookie with the handle end of a wooden spoon or a similar heatproof object.
  12. Spoon a heaping ½ teaspoonful of filling into each and top with a Renfroe Pecan half from remaining reserved ¼ cup.
  13. Return cookies to oven and continue to bake until edges are set and very lightly browned, 6-8 minutes longer.
  14. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets. Just before serving, dust cookies with more powdered sugar if desired.

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