Pecan Sandies are a favorite old-timey cookie that I had never made in my pre-gluten-free days. I was so happy to be able to create a gluten free Pecan Sandies recipe so that we could enjoy them anytime!
Most of my recipes requiring flour use my award-winning gfJules® Gluten Free All Purpose Flour as the only flour, to avoid the expense and frustration of having to find, buy and store multiple gluten-free flours for different recipes.
Every so often though, a recipe comes along that requires something my flour doesn’t have – grit.
Recipes like graham crackers and pecan sandies are supposed to be a bit gritty, so we have to resort to adding already gritty rice flour to create that classic taste.
Note: if the gluten free all purpose flour you’re currently using makes gritty tasting foods, I bet it’s got a lot of rice flour in it! Stop it! Just stop compromising on your gluten free bakes! It doesn’t have to be that way, just because you’re baking gluten free.
You can certainly make this recipe without running to the store to get gritty rice flour (just use an equal amount of my gfJules® Flour), but expect a smoother tasting cookie — an no complaints!
I mean, who ever complained about a lighter, cleaner tasting cookie!?
How to Make Gluten Free Pecan Sandies Cookies
(For more gluten free cookie baking tips hop to my article on gluten free cookie baking help!)
To make these gluten free Pecan Sandies, simply assemble your ingredients in advance — always a good idea so you are sure not to leave out any ingredients!
If using only my gfJules Flour and no added rice flour, you may not need the yogurt ingredient. Wait to add it until the dough has come together to see if you’ll need it.
The dough should hold together well and not be crumbly at all, but not be like a batter, either.
As with any cookie, flatten the cookies more and cook them longer if you want them to be crunchier; leave them in rounder balls and/or cook them a bit less for softer cookies.
But these cookies are going to want to stay pretty soft, so for all you soft cookie lovers, this one’s for you!
After cooling, enjoy these cookies with a glass of your favorite milk or on their own.
They’re worth sharing, but you may not want to!
Enjoy this blast from the past cookie anytime, now that you have an awesome gluten free recipe!
Gluten Free Pecan Sandies Recipe
Gluten Free Pecan Sandies Recipe
This old timey cookie favorite will bring back lots of fond cookie memories since it tastes as good as the gluten version!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks), room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg or egg substitute (like Ener-G® gluten-free Egg Replacer, prepared)
- 3/4 cup (101 grams) gfJules® All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1/4 cup white rice flour (or 1/4 cup/34 grams gfJules® All Purpose Gluten Free Flour for smoother texture)
- 2-4 Tbs. vanilla yogurt, dairy or non-dairy (e.g. So Delicious® Almond or Coconut yogurt) {depending on whether using rice flour, may or may not be needed}
- 1 cup pecans, finely chopped (leave some pieces larger for texture)
Instructions
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg/sub, beating until light and thoroughly mixed. Finally, mix in the gluten free flours and chopped pecans. Add yogurt if needed to get the dough to hold together. The dough should not be crumbly and should hold a ball well.
Refrigerate the dough until cold, at least 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350° F (static) or 325° F (convection).
Scoop tablespoons of the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, flattening the balls of dough slightly. The final product will look very much coming out of the oven like it did going in, so make 'em pretty!
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cooked through and slightly browned (baking longer makes crispier cookies). Cool for 5 minutes slightly before removing from baking sheet.
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 121Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 23mgSodium 51mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 1g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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Hi Jules,
I’m wondering if you could make these cookies into bars?
Thanks,
Hope
Hi Hope, I haven’t tried that, but I’m always up for a good experiment if you are!! I’d line the pan with parchment if you have it (easier removal and clean-up, plus less likely for the bars to burn), then spread the dough out in the pan and bake that way. You’re just going to have to keep an eye on the dough for timing to see when they’re done. You can see how I baked my gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars in this recipe for reference, but I wouldn’t bake these pecan sandies that thick. Let me know how it goes!!
~jules
I made the pecan sandies recipe , using all GFJules flour, and they were so dry I had to throw them out. This is the first of your recipes that I have been disappointed in.
Hi Sandra, I’m sorry to hear that! Did you use an egg substitute? What kind of yogurt did you use? Was the dough also very dry? If the dough was dry, the cookies would definitely also be dry. If you decide to try again, it could be a dry ingredient measuring issue or if you used Greek yogurt, for example, that is not as “wet” as regular American style yogurt, so you’d just need to add more to get the dough to hold together. I hope you do try again and perhaps know to add more yogurt if you find that the dough is particularly dry, as the cookies themselves are so yummy when the proportions are right!
~jules
Can Sour cream be used in place of the Yogurt?
Yes Carol, that would make a worthy sub! Enjoy the recipe!
~jules
I want to make thinner/flatter cookies in order to fill them with caramel frosting for cookie sandwiches. What would you suggest I change in this recipe to make these? I would chop the nuts finely; could they be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters?
Hi Michelle – that sounds like such a yummy idea!
I’d suggest refrigerating the dough and then flattening the cookie dough before baking to help with making them flatter, and yes, definitely chop the nuts finely as well. Let me know how they turn out!
~jules
Hi Jules!
Can I substitute 1/4 cup almond flour for the white rice flour? Also, is there a formula for making up a batch of self rising flour using your GF flour blend? Thank you!
Hi Sandra, you should be able to use almond flour in place of the white rice flour ingredient here; I haven’t tried it myself, but it will likely be tastier, but heavier, if that makes sense. Regarding the self-rising flour question, sure thing! You can always check my FAQs for info like that (it’s at the top of every page with the ? icon). I’ve copied that info for you here though to make it easy 🙂
1 cup gfJules Flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Whisk together and store in a sealed container.
Enjoy!!!
~jules
Thank you very much!
You’re very welcome!! Happy baking!
~jules
I love your recipes but as I live in England I don’t have access to many of your ingredients or I don’t know what the equivalent item is called over here. Would it be possible for you to help with these problems?
Thanks.
PS I think your flour is wonderful and it has made gluten free food delicious again! ❤️
Hi Janice, I hope this article helps you! It’s all about gluten free flours and should help you find equivalents available in England. So you know though, we do ship my gfJules Flour and mixes to England if you select international shipping at checkout! Enjoy my recipes and if you have specific questions I can help with, please let me know; I’m happy to help however I can!
~jules
Amazing!!! Better day 2
Good to know! I haven’t made these in awhile – I need to get on that!
~jules
I just made this recipe. My main comment is that it really needs something like xantham gum to stop the cookies from falling apart. Maybe the recommended flour blend already contains it, but I couldn’t find a list of the ingredients so that was a mystery. Maybe if you put a note in about that it would help. I already had Gluten-free flour at home so ordering another blend without knowing what it contains wasn’t logical. Do you ship to Canada? I’ve found the hard way that getting items shipped to Canada can be prohibitively expensive when you add the customs surcharge (a nefarious money-grabbing scheme if there ever was one!) to the shipping charges it’s disappointing. Really, small businesses are so important on both sides of the border. Anyway, off the soap-box – the cookies are very good but I’ll add a gum next time.
Hi Ann, I’m glad you tried the recipe but I’m sure you’re right in that it didn’t perform as well without using my gfJules Flour Blend (which already contains xanthan gum). We DO ship to Canada; the first 10lbs of product tend to be expensive, but after that it’s super cheap to add to your order. Most of our Canadian customers plan ahead and order lots to spread the shipping across more products and make it affordable — some even combine orders with friends to get more products across the border for less. Here’s another article on flour blend comparisons that might help you next time you try this recipe (or others) if you don’t have my gfJules Flour: https://gfjules.com/gluten-free-flour-comparison/
~jules
What can I use instead if yogurt? Cannot have dairy or soy.also no almond or rice yogurt. Please advise. Thank. You.
Hi Marcie, can you use coconut yogurt? That’s the best here, but since it’s only 2 Tbs., you could use applesauce instead. Let me know how they turn out!
~jules
I used coconut cream (from a can) and 1 tsp lemon juice to sour it. Let sit for 5-10 min.
I don’t see how you can claim that your gluten free flour doesn’t already have “grit”. Aside from starch, it is made up of three types of rice flour! I’m not saying it’s not a useful flour blend. Like all gluten free flour blends, it has its uses and its limitations. I used it in a recipe for oreo cookies and my coworkers said it was as if I had made the cookies from sand. I agree. Next time I will try using only a portion of your blend combined with a more mealy or cakey flour, like almond, coconut, or sorghum.
Hi Kay, maybe you’re thinking of another blend? My flour only has a very small portion of very finely ground white rice flour. There is no other rice flour in the mix. It’s a fine blend akin to a regular cake flour, so perhaps you have it confused with another kind of all purpose GF flour? I hope you get to try mine sometime – it’s smooth and fine and definitely has no grit!
Why won’t receipe print. I had to hand copy it.
Marika – there is a “print this post” link at the bottom of each recipe. That should allow you to print. Hope that works for you!
Hi Jules
I’m from south Africa n gluten free is still relatively new here. How can I buy your flour?
I just ordered your flour after reading so many rave reviews- I cant wait for it to come! My husband has just been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance last month and I have been baking up a gluten free storm ever since… my kitchen has become a science lab! I am really excited to try your flour and these cookies… they will knock his socks off if they are as good as they look.
Wow! I just made them. I used greek yogurt. The dough tasted like it had sour cream in it and it was divine! The baked cookies are light and very good…but the dough is…oh, so much better. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh – a cookie-dough-eating girl after my own heart!!