Whenever I'm lucky enough to have some good pecans, these are the cookies I make. They're called Pecan Crispies, and they're made with pecans, egg whites, powdered sugar, cocoa, salt and a dash of vanilla. There's no flour, so they're naturally gluten-free.
There are several variations on the recipe, but of all the versions this one is my favorite. Since the ingredient list is fairly simple, it's best to use the freshest pecans you can find (I like Berdoll's) and high quality cocoa powder.
Overall these are pretty simple, but the consistency of the batter can be unpredictable depending on the size of your egg whites, brand of cocoa powder and powdered sugar, you may get a runny or thicker batter. But even when the batter is runny and you think the cookies won't turn out, they usually do. The above photo is batter from my last batch, which was not runny, and the cookie below is how it baked up. The cookie in the photo at the top was made with a runnier batter (the egg white was slightly larger and I used different powdered sugar) so it spread more.
For best results, use ingredients weights rather than volume.
Recipe
Pecan Crispies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups pecan halves 150 grams
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar 190 grams
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 30 grams
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 large cold egg whites 70 grams
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay pecans on a rimmed cookie sheet and toast for 6-8 minutes or until they start to release their oils and become shiny. Let the pecans cool, then coarsely chop.
- Have ready two large baking sheets lined with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, stir or sift (I just stir) together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt.
- In a large metal or glass mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer (I use a handheld) until soft peaks start to form.
- Turn off mixer and using a heavy duty scraper, stir in powdered sugar/cocoa mixture, scraping sides of bowl. With the electric mixer, beat on high for minute or until smooth and shiny (mixture will not be stiff, but more like a thick glue). Beat in vanilla. Fold in the pecans. The mixture may still be runny at this point, so you may need to work quickly.
- Drop the nut mixture onto the baking sheets (6 to a sheet) by rounded tablespoonfuls spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies or 5 minutes at 400,
- Reduce heat to 325 and continue to bake the cookies for another 8 to 10 minutes or until they appear dry and set.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet, then peel away from the parchment.
Notes
Anna says
I just sprinkled some on top of the hot cookies and allowed it to set. It is completely optional, but I nice addition if you have it. I'll add a note on the recipe.
Janice says
Chopped chocolate or chocolate pieces are listed in the ingredients, but I don't see when they are added or how much to use. Do I sprinkle them on the cooling cookies or add to the dough? Please advise.
Anna says
Sue, I don't know where all the good pecans are in Dallas. You may have to do a search. If you try some good ones, let me know! We go to Dallas fairly often now, but I haven't looked for pecans.
Sue says
I want to make these cookies right now instead of going to work! Living in the upper Midwest I suspect we never get “good” pecans. Is there an on line source you can recommend? I have a friend that moved to the Dallas area about a year ago. What should I look for there when I visit her?
Anna says
If you like pecans you'll like these cookies. They're not really meringue-like .
Sonya says
Oh wow! I'm not a big meringue person, but these look and sound really good!