Welcome to the 3rd day of our 12 Days of Cookies! Now hold up because this may be the best one yet! These toffee pecan sandies are better than any store bought packs you’ll ever buy and it’s well worth it. The shortbread is buttery and filled with loads of toffee pieces and pecans. Also, it’s dipped in chocolate with more toffee, so isn’t this just a done deal?!

What are the best parts of these toffee pecan sandies?

Toffee Pieces – Hands down, the best part of these cookies is the toffee. I mean, they’re just the star of the show. No hate to the pecans, but the toffee is the perfect compliment to the shortbread, chocolate, and nuts.

Shortbread Base – Ok, now you’ve either had the best shortbread or a dry crumbly one that was bad. Look no further because these shortbread cookies are buttery and melt in your mouth. No dry crumbles here!

Chocolate Dip – To tie everything together, you dip these cookies in chocolate and it’s like you’re in fudge covered heaven. If you’re not a chocolate fan, you can totally skip the the dip, but it is a great addition. 😁

Ingredients You Need

• Pecans
• Toffee Bits (I used Heath)
• Brown Sugar
• Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Flour
• Salt
• Chocolate Chips
• Vanilla Extract

No really, it’s as simple as that.

How to Make the Best Toffee Pecan Sandies

Sometimes people panic when they hear shortbread, but these are foolproof and waaaayy easier than you think. Make the dough, add mix-ins, chill, bake, dip, done. Sounds like a lot, but they are easy peasy and welcome worth it. I have to be careful when these are in the house because they’ll go fast!

1. Start by creaming together your butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar. Why are we using powdered sugar? Most shortbread recipes rely primarily on powdered sugar along with some normal sugar. This gives them the flaky, melt in your mouth texture.
2. Next, add in your flour, salt, and vanilla to the dough. Mix until fully combined. Although this is cookie dough, you still want to be careful not to over mix it. At this point, you’ll be able to tell if you messed anything up because the dough will be almost complete.
3. Next, fold in your toffee bits and chopped pecans. I found it best to fold it in with my hands because the dough was already kind of hard so you have more control with your hands than a spatula.
4. Roll the dough into a long log that is 2 1/2″ around. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge/freezer for 1-2 hours until very firm. Towards the end of the chilling time, pre-heat your oven to 350 F.
5. After chilling, cut the dough into 1″ pieces. This is called slice-n-bake. Place on a greased cookie sheet or lined with parchment paper. The dough will only spread a little bit so you can place 10-11 on one sheet. Bake for 17-22 minutes until the edges are just golden.
6. Let the cookies cool before dipping in the melted chocolate. Dip in chocolate and top with more toffee pieces, always! Let the chocolate harden and enjoy!

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the Best Tips for the Perfect Shortbread

Sometimes shortbread can be a little challenging because it’s too dry, or flattens, you name it. Here are my best tips for getting the shortbread just right!

• Make sure to have softened butter! – If you don’t use softened butter, the butter won’t incorporate correctly with the dry ingredients and it’ll be very dry and crumbly.
• Measure your dry ingredients properly! – I am one of the laziest bakers and tend to dump stuff in the bowl, but hear me out, you want to measure your dry ingredients properly. If you have too much flour or powdered sugar, your cookies will be too dry.
• If your dough end up being too dry add a couple extra tbsp of softened butter and work it in with your hands. Only do this if your dough is not holding shape and very crumbly.
• Add extra toffee! – When I was first going through this recipe, I knew it needed more toffee. Like I said earlier, it’s the star of the show! It’s the perfect addition to the nuts and chocolate.

Troubleshooting the Cookies

If you’re having some trouble with your shortbread, chocolate, you name it, look here!

• Oh no my shortbread is dry and crumbly! – You might have added the butter when it was still a little cold, make sure it’s fully softened. Try adding 2-3 tbsp of softened butter to your dough and work it in with your hands.
• My shortbread spread in the oven! – You needed to chill your cookie dough log longer. Since the dough is softer from the beginning it needs the chilling time to harden. You’ll know when it done chilling because it’s like a rock.
• My toffee bits melted in the oven! – Yes, that’s going to happen when you bake the cookies. The toffee melts into the cookies making them the best bite EVER!
• My chocolate is thick and not smooth to dip! – Sometimes when you melt chocolate too fast it will become separated in a way and not shiny and smooth. Here’s what to do: Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 20-30 second increments. After each time, stir it because they will look like chips still but actually are melted. Add in 1-2 tsp of milk and continue to melt and stir until smooth and drizzly. If you can stir the chocolate chips and they are melted, stop! You don’t want to over cook the chocolate. This is what causes it to be dry and thick.

How do I store the cookies?

After the chocolate is hardened, you can store the cookies in a Tupperware in the fridge or at room temp. They will last for up to 1 week. That’s if they even last that long. They lasted 3 days in our house!

Can I make these gluten free?

Yes! If you switch out the flour for a gluten-free flour, you’ll be all set! I suggest Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour, which is gluten free.

For more of our favorite holiday recipes, visit our:

• Eggnog Snickerdoodles
• Christmas Cake Roll
• Peppermint Filled White Chocolate Cupcakes
• Ultimate Super Sticky Buns

Did you make this recipe? Let us know below or on Instagram @tuesday.treats or use #tuesdaytreats2016