Pecan Orange Cookies

Pecan-Orange Cookies are a unique and delicious award-winning cookie.

This cookie recipe is another Star Tribune (local newspaper) Cookie Contest. In fact, it was the 2010 winner! I made the tweak to use pecans vs. pistachios, due to the high cost of pistachios currently. I loved the version with pecans (I’m a big fan of pecans, but I do love pistachios, as well.) Either way, this is a great cookie that adds a touch of sophistication with its orange and pecan frosting and chopped nut finish. There is an inside funny story about these cookies…

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Simple and delicious almond-flavored butter cookie, edged with coarse sugar

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Cashew Butter & Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

A petite brown sugar cookie made with cashew butter and mini chocolate chips.

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Pecan-Orange Cookies

Sugar cookies with a buttercream frosting flavored with orange zest and ground pecans and chopped pecans around the edges

4 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Servings: 40 cookies

Author: Adapted from Scott Rohr’s Pistachio Orange Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar plus extra for rolling dough
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

• 1 1/2 cup pecans or raw shelled pistachios, divided
• 3/4 cup 1 1/2 stick butter at room temperature
• freshly grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk or orange juice

Instructions

Cookies

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda and reserve, In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed beat butter, 1/2 cup sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in thirds, mixing until just combined. Form dough into 1/2 inch balls.
• Roll dough in sugar and place 2 inches apart of prepared baking sheets. (It works well to roll a number of cookies at once in a larger container filled with sugar to speed up this process. Pat cookies lightly back into shape, if required, when you place them on the baking sheet.) Bake until cookies are set but not browned, about 8-10 minutes (cookies will puff up in the oven but flatten as they cool.)
• Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Filling

• In a food processor pulse 1/2 cup nuts until very fine (the nuts should almost clump together in a paste between your fingers.)
• In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add orange and vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar, in thirds, alternating with the milk (or milk and orange juice), and mix until smooth (you may need another tablespoon or so of liquid to reach the desired consistency.) Fold in ground nuts, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Assemble Cookies

• Finely chop remaining 1/2 cup nuts and place in a shallow dish. Spread a generous dollop of filling on the flat side of the cookie. Place the flat side of the 2nd cookie against filling to make a sandwich. Press gently until filling is at the edge of cookies (note – if you don't have enough frosting it won't reach the edge, and the nuts won't stick.) Roll edge in chopped nuts. Repeat with remaining cookies.