Gluten-Free Browned Butter Pecan Cookies

4.32 from 45 votes

Gluten-Free Browned Butter Pecan Cookies

These scrumptious gluten-free butter pecan cookies taste a little like pecan shortbread - only chewy instead of a little crumbly - and you only need seven ingredients to make them.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Browning the butter 10

Total Time 30

Servings cookies

Calories 167kcal

Author Heather Dessinger

Equipment

stainless steel skillet
cookie sheet
parchment paper
food processor
measuring spoons

Ingredients

1 cup pecans (roughly chopped)
12 pecan halves (for topping)
1 cup blanched almond flour
¼ tsp baking soda
pinch sea salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp vanilla extract (how to make your own vanilla extract)

Instructions

To Brown The Butter:

Cut the butter into four equal chunks and place in a stainless steel shallow pan. Don't use a dark cast iron skillet because you won't be able to see when the butter has turned golden brown.
Heat the pan over medium high heat and stir the butter until it is light brown and smells a little like hazelnuts. It's important to watch it closely or it will burn, but browning the butter is what makes the dough so delicious. See this tutorial if you're not quite sure what to look for. Allow the butter to cool a little before moving on to the next step. It can be warm but not hot, and you can put it in the fridge if you're in a hurry.

To Make Browned Butter Pecan Cookies:

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place all dry ingredients (except 12 whole pecans) in food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
Add the wet ingredients to the food processor and pulse until it forms a soft dough. I like some pecan chunks in my cookies so I don't mix it too much, but it should be easy to form into a ball when it's ready.
Scoop out the cookie dough in 1 tablespoon increments, roll each one into a ball, and place it on the cookie sheet.
Press the whole pecans into top of the cookies.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 350F for 12 minutes.
Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack or other surface to continue cooling. Store in an airtight container.

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