
Studded with chunks of pecan and delicately flavoured with orange, my Orange Pecan Cookies are the chameleons of the cookie world. Delicate enough for afternoon tea with tea in china cups, but hearty enough to serve with a glass of milk, they make the perfect treat anytime.
A Recipe with a History
There’s a story behind my Orange Pecan Cookies. (If you would rather skip straight to the recipe, just use the Jump To Recipe button.)
I’ve always loved baking. When I won the Art Award at primary school back in 1977 (which came with a small prize in the form of a bookstore gift certificate), I bought the Betty Crocker Cooky Book (affiliate link) with it. (That is how they spelled cookie on the front cover, with a ‘y’.)
I remember choosing The Cooky Book at The Provident Bookstore in Stanley Park Mall in Kitchener, Ontario. Most of our books came from the library so actually purchasing a book was pretty exciting. I’m not sure it was a book my art teacher would have had me to buy, but I was incredibly pleased with it. In fact, not only have I kept it all these years, I still cook from it. Of course the recipes are a little dated in some cases, so I do play around with them quite a bit, but it gives me a peculiar thrill to know that I am still baking from the very first cookbook I ever bought all those years ago.
These Orange Pecan Cookies are from a section near the back of the book called Cookies for A Crowd. Featuring “easy to make, easy to multiply” recipes, the writers of The Cooky Book assure us they are perfect for “food plans for large affairs, such as receptions, church luncheons and club meetings. If you have been asked to be responsible for baking cookies for such an affair, these ….are just what you are looking for”. I love the language they used back in the day!
Slice and Bake Orange Pecan Cookies
What I like most about these Orange Pecan Cookies is that they are slice and bake. You make the dough into large, sausage shaped ‘logs’ and put them in the fridge for a good few hours or overnight before slicing and baking them. They keep for at least 3 days in the fridge or you can freeze them and they will keep well for at least a month.
Bake Orange Pecan Cookies from the Fridge or Freezer
You can freeze the dough logs and slice and bake the Orange Pecan Cookies from frozen. (You may need to allow the dough to soften just a bit before slicing.) This means you can have hot cookies fresh from the oven in less than 15 minutes.
Great For Last Minute Entertaining
I use slice and bake cookies like these Orange Pecan Cookies as ‘last minute cookies’. I keep them on hand for what I like to call “cookie emergencies”. You know, when guests turn up unannounced and you would like to offer them something to enjoy with a tea or coffee, or when someone has had a rough day and just plain needs a cookie!
There is a particular comfort to knowing you are never more than 15 minutes away from a fresh, hot cookie – or from having warm cookies ready to offer someone who really needs them.
Orange Pecan Cookies are wonderful served warm, but will keep in a sealed container for two to three days.
Whether you bake Orange Pecan Cookies for a crowd, or keep them on hand for cookie emergencies like I do, this recipe is likely to become one you reach for often. The ready to bake cookie rolls (with baking instructions attached) or a box of baked cookies also make fabulous foodie gifts any time of year.
Orange Pecan Cookies – Printable Recipe
Orange Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened butter I prefer to use unsalted butter if possible.
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour All purpose flour is also known as plain flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt This can be omitted if you are on a low salt diet.
- ½ teaspoon baking soda Baking soda is also known as bicarbonate of soda or bicarb.
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Add the egg, and then the orange rind and vanilla. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a medium bowl. Stir through the chopped pecans.
- Add the flour and pecan mixture to the creamed mixture and stir together very thoroughly.
- To form the dough into ‘logs’, take a large piece of waxed or greaseproof paper or baking parchment and sprinkle a little flour on it. Flour your hands a bit as well.
- Take a third of the cookie dough and put it in the centre of the piece of greaseproof paper.
- Using the paper to help you, shape the dough into a log about 11 to 12 inches (28 to 30 centimetres) long.
- Repeat this process with the two remaining thirds of the dough, using two fresh sheets of greaseproof paper and making two dough logs.
- Wrap the paper or baking parchment tightly round each log of dough.
- Place the cookie dough logs in a bag and put them the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- The next day, either freeze the dough, or bake it from chilled. (Cookie rolls will keep in the fridge for 3 days or for at least a month in the freezer.)
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F or 175°C (160°C for fan ovens).
- Meanwhile, remove the cookie dough logs from the fridge or freezer. You might want to give the logs a bit of a roll on the worktop before you unwrap them, just to round the edges. Sometimes the bottom goes a bit flat when they sit in the fridge.
- If the logs are frozen, give them at least 5 minutes to warm up before you attempt to slice them. Be extra careful not to cut yourself when you are slicing these firmer dough logs.
- Cut slices about one quarter inch thick (half a centimetre) and place them on baking sheets a few inches apart.
- These cookies don’t spread all that much, but be sure to space them at least an inch apart. Each log will make about 15 to 20 cookies depending on how thickly you slice them.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes from chilled (or 11 to 14 minutes from frozen) until they are lightly golden. It’s worth keeping an eye on them because they can suddenly brown up very fast.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and leave the cookies to cool for at least five minutes before carefully removing them from the baking sheets with a slice or spatula. Cool on wire racks.
Notes
Equipment
- 1 set measuring cups OR
- 1 set measuring spoons
- cling film or saran wrap
did you make this recipe?
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More Cookie Recipes
Slice and Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter and Honey Slice and Bake Cookies
Comments & Reviews
These sound fun April! This would be a nice recipe to convert to gluten free.
I am still waiting for it to cool down here in Arizona so I can bake again!
Thanks, Andrea. I’m glad you like the sound of them! Hope it cools down a bit for you soon 🙂
Please post your results! I’m also interested in gluten-free conversion. Thx
Love simple but interesting cookie recipes. I really get tired of chocolate chip cookies at every function. Great story about the cookbook. I’ve had the Cook’s Illustrated Bible for a long time, but I don’t think I have any cookbooks from high school very impressive.
Thank you, Diane 🙂
What a nice cookie recipe, I love the orange zest to brighten the flavor. Thanks for the post. A very fun story about the Betty Crocker Cooky Book too!
Thank you, Kathy. I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Looks delicious! I wanted to invite you to a brand new linky party…it’s live now, come join us!
https://abiggreenhouse.com/the-super-fabulous-friday-linky-party-4/
Thank you, Erin! I’ve brought the recipe over to your party. Thank you for the invitation. Have a lovely weekend!
Thanks for joining the party April! Can’t wait to see what you share this week >>https://abiggreenhouse.com/the-super-fabulous-friday-linky-party-5/
Hi Erin, I’ve shared a pumpkin cake this week. I hope you are having a lovely weekend!
Your cookies look delicious, one of my favorite types of cookies. My grandmother baked daily and almost weekly work make what she called Ice Box Cookies, a very similar recipe. But then I’m pretty sure she used lard or Crisco shortening. I know that she did for her pastries.
Thank you April for sharing on #omhgff I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Thank you, Karren! It’s lovely that your Grandma made a similar recipe, I love how food unites us like that! I think so many cooks used to use lard or Crisco. I remember trying so hard to get Crisco when I first came to the UK. I hardly ever use it now for health reasons, but it used to be a real go to! I hope your weekend was wonderful too.
These look perfect for a tea party! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thank you, Sarah!
Pinned!
Thank you so much for pinning, Michelle!
These cookies look so good. I bet they taste even better than they look though. I like your idea that they can be ready to bake when you are in need of a last minute snack. I will be making these soon. PS. I loved your sweet story of how you got your book and how you are still using it today!
Thank you so much, Catherine! I really appreciate the compliment and your very kind comment!
Yum, pecans make everything better! Pinning.
Making these for my family.
Have a great day,
Kippi
Thank you for pinning, Kippi! I hope you and your family enjoy the recipe. Please let me know what you think, and feel free to share a photo on my Facebook page 🙂 Have a lovely week!
Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
Thank you for pinning and sharing, Marilyn!
My mom used this cookbook for years. When I went away to boarding school she used to make and send cookies from this cookbook all the time. When I graduated, she gave a small box of assorted cookies to each graduate. The special ones got a copy of the book. My mom has since passed away but I still hear from friends who received cookies and the book . My book fell apart and I’m on my 2 nd copy.
What lovely memories, Cathie! Your mom sounds like a really thoughtful lady to make cookies for every graduate, and to share the book as well. I so enjoyed reading your comment, and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the book as well. Thank you for getting in touch!
Wow April, These cookies look so good and I love the story behind it. Thank you for sharing. I will be making these. Have a great week ahead. Take care
Thank you so much, Mareliz! Please let me know what you think when you make them. I hope you are having a lovely week too. Take care.
These cookies sound so good and thanks for sharing a beautiful story behind it….
Thank you, Nora! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
I’m making these first time right now. I’m a seasoned cook & baker but this mixture is just dry crumbs now? I’ve not made refrigerator cookies before and I’m not sure this looks right. I’ve triple checked the recipe and the one xlarge egg just doesn’t look like much liquid compared to all that flour. Should I nuke it to melt the butter? It was ‘soft’ when I began. Advice?
I’m sorry but these were terrible and went in the garbage. It’s recipes like this that turn me off from trying new online stuff. I hadn’t noticed that none of the commenters had actually made the cookies. My bad.
I’m so sorry you had trouble with this recipe, Lulu. It really perplexes me as I have been making these cookies for over 30 years as have my family and friends. Not only that, but I taught them in an online cooking class last year and every single one of the participants had a good result.
Unless I am actually in the kitchen with someone, and can judge the quality of their ingredients, their oven and their skill, it’s hard to unpick something like this. Also recipes can be affected by environmental issues like the weather and kitchen temperature.
However, most slice and bake cookie recipes do only have one egg, so again, I’m absolutely flummoxed as to what happened. I’m sorry you were disappointed, but in this case, I’m afraid it can’t be down to the recipe. I cannot control who comments on a recipe, but too many people have made it for too long with good results for there to be anything wrong with it in this case.
I’m sorry, Lulu, as I’m in the UK I was not available when you posted this comment. Please see my comment on your further comment.
These cookies look delicious and I think this recipe is the first cookie recipe I made when I was a kid. I loved them! I want to make them now, but with gluten-free flour. Question – has anyone tried this recipe with gluten-free flour? Thanks
Hi Steve,
Thank you!
I’m currently working my way through my recipes trying them with gluten-free flour. I have yet to get to this one, but I will let you know as soon as I do!