Chef Britt shares one of her most popular recipes: smoked pecan sandies! First she cold smokes pecans before mixing them into a buttery shortbread and then rolls them in smoked maple turbinado sugar! Perfect for sharing with loved ones!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Cold-smoked pecans: Smoking the nuts with the fan on and no heat adds a smoky edge without toasting them, so they stay raw and crunchy for the dough.
- Creamed butter and sugar base: Beating them until light and fluffy aerates the dough, giving the shortbread a tender crumb.
- Chilled, sliced dough logs: Shaping and chilling the dough into logs makes it easy to slice into even discs that hold their shape in the oven.
- Smoked maple turbinado crust: Rolling the logs in coarse sugar before slicing gives each cookie a crunchy, sparkly edge.
Smoked Pecan Sandies
Britt Shoffner
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Servings
12
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Calories
545
Indulge in a smoky-sweet treat with Chef Britt's famous Smoked Pecan Sandies! Cold-smoked pecans are mixed into a buttery shortbread dough and rolled in smoked maple turbinado sugar for a taste that will make you come back for more.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 pound Sugar
- 1 pound All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 oz (about 2 teaspoons) Salt
- 4 oz Pecan Pieces
-
1 Jar Noble Saltworks Smoked Maple Turbinado
Directions
Turn on Yoder Smoker YS640s to get the fan rolling. Do not set a temperature, we are just using the fan to circulate air at first.
To prepare the cold-smoked pecans, fill an A-MAZE-N Tube Smoker with Pecan Pellets. Set the tube smoker near the fan (left side) and ignite. Allow the pecan pieces to smoke on a Frogmat placed on the top shelf for approximately 1 hour.
- Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Sift together flour and salt. Add to butter mixture and paddle on low speed until incorporated. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to avoid any patches of butter that may have been missed. Once combined, add the smoked pecan pieces until evenly dispersed in the dough.
- From here divide the dough onto two pieces of parchment paper and shape into a rough log. Using the parchment paper and a plastic bowl scraper, press the dough into a log shape. Keep wrapped in parchment and transfer to a flat baking sheet and move to the fridge to set up.
Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, preheat the Yoder Smokers YS640s to 350°F. Remove from parchment and roll logs in a layer of Noble Saltworks Smoked Maple Turbinado to coat them. Cut 1/4” discs out of the log and space each disc evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake on the bottom rack at 350°F in the Yoder Smoker for 12-15 minutes. To check doneness, lift a corner of the parchment paper and look for a golden-brown color on the bottom of the cookies. They should bake up drier for the characteristic crumbly, “sandy” texture. Under baking them will make them chewy.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why cold smoke the pecans with the grill fan on but no temperature set?
Running only the fan circulates air and smoke without building heat, so the pecans pick up smoky flavor but stay raw and crisp. Real heat would start toasting them before the dough ever gets baked.
Why cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy?
Beating them together traps tiny air pockets in the butter. Those pockets help the shortbread bake up tender and crumbly instead of dense.
Why sift the flour and salt together before adding them to the butter?
Sifting spreads the salt evenly through the flour, so every cookie is seasoned the same. It also breaks up flour clumps so the dough comes together without overmixing.
Why shape the dough into logs and chill them before baking?
Chilling firms up the butter, which makes the log easy to slice into even 1/4" discs. The cold butter also helps the cookies hold their shape instead of spreading in the oven.
Why roll the logs in smoked maple turbinado sugar before slicing?
Coating the outside gives each disc a crunchy, sparkly rim and a faint smoky maple sweetness, without mixing extra sugar into the dough.
How do I know when the sandies are done?
Lift a corner of the parchment and look for a golden-brown bottom. Sandies should bake drier for the characteristic crumbly texture, and underbaking will leave them chewy.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5. A regular oven at 350°F bakes the cookies well, but the cold-smoked pecans rely on a smoker or grill with a tube smoker. Without one, you'd lose the smoky flavor that defines the recipe.
Recipe Highlights
Fan-only cold smoking: Adds smoke to raw pecans without heat.
Creamed butter base: Builds a tender, crumbly crumb.
Chilled dough logs: Slice into even discs that keep their shape.
Turbinado-rolled edges: Add crunch and a smoky maple finish.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4.13 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 545
- Carbs
- 49 grams
- Protein
- 5 grams
- Fat
- 38 grams
- Sodium
- 447 milligrams
