These salted caramel pecan pie cookies are so easy and so delicious! I made them on the weekend for a dear family member’s birthday party. Tom, the birthday boy, thought they were one of the yummiest things he has ever eaten and as this man has a sweet tooth I take that as high praise.
They have the taste and look of pecan pies but in cookie form – how great is that?
These cookies would be lovely served with coffee after Thanksgiving dessert, or at Christmas a dollop of rum-spiked cream would finish them off perfectly.
Feel free to change the nuts around – I had walnuts in the pantry so that’s what I used but I imagine pecans or macadamias would also taste amazing.
I was inspired by a recipe online at Spoon University but try as I might I couldn’t find the link. The original recipe was for a muffin but I thought these would work really well when baked in a whoopie pie pan- I was right. I also reduced the sugar and added vanilla and cinnamon.
Another touch I created was to turn this already delicious dessert / pie / cookies hybrid into salted caramel, simply by sprinkling the tops of the unbaked cookies with vanilla salt. I have written about my fondness for vanilla salt before. If you can get your hands on the stuff I highly recommend it. The word ‘life-changing’ is thrown around a fair bit but in the case of this sweet yet savoury salt it is justified.
GATHER:
¾ cup brown sugar
1 ¼ cups broken pecan or walnut pieces – I used walnut
½ cup plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
150 grams melted butter, slightly cooled
2 eggs
vanilla salt
LET’S GET TO IT:
Grease a whoopie pie tin with non-stick baking paper and preheat oven to 170C.
In a large bowl stir together the sugar, flour, ginger and nuts.
Melt the butter then whisk in the eggs and vanilla and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
Scrape into whoopee pie tin and sprinkle with vanilla salt.
Bake for around 13-15 minutes – they should be light golden and starting to pull away from the edges.
Remove from oven and immediately tip out to wire rack to cool completely.
the hungry mum 
I wish someone would invent an Internet that allowed you to eat and enjoy the photographs. Those cookies look absolutely delicious.
I would so sign up for Eaternet 🙂 #GimmeAllTheFood
The Eaternet! Haha! What a great name for it. Someone will have to invent it now.
Oh, salt and sweet and what a great use for a whoopie pie tin. (One is currently languishing in my baking drawer.) Eaternet….snortworthy…
These cookies look so good! Love the salted caramel flavour! Yum! 🙂
Yummy!! I like your option of serving these with a dollop of rum-spiked cream… yes please!!
Hooray for rum-spiked cream 🙂
Salted caramel pecan, that is heaven in one bite 🙂
Thank you – they are quite delish 🙂
These look wonderful! I must now search for vanilla salt. That has me intrigued!
Vanilla salt is an enigma: the taste is hard to describe but suffice to say it is salty and sweet at the same time #amazing.
They look delicious! I pinned it to try later.
Hey, thanks! You will love these cookies/pies.
Wow, these look delicious! I love the suggestion of adding a dollop of rum-spiked cream. Yum 🙂
I absolutely love the way these look, they actually LOOK chewy, which is a texture that can’t really be captured but you definitely did! Love how bubbly they look and how loaded they are with pecans 🙂
Mmm Mmm! Sounds incredibly delicious to me!
I don’t have vanilla salt and now I hope I get some in my Christmas stocking. Your cookies look and sound perfect. These would make a lovely gift xx
Awww ta Charli! It is amazing. I bought mine from Salt Meats Cheese #loveThatPlace. These bickies are really amazing, if I do say so myself x
Sound delicious!! Thanks for sharing this delightful recipe 🙂 🙂
Thanks Linda! They really are scrumptious.
Cheat? Who cares? You had me with, “They have the taste and look of pecan pies but in cookie form.” Bring ’em on!
Ha! Some people are very precious about ‘correct ways of doing things.’ Me? I’m all about keeping it simple 😉
yumm these sound amazing and look delicious!
Thanks so much! They will be great for Christmas time.
oh yes I think so I love this flavor!
What’s not to love about pecan pie but in cookie form!! 😀
I REALLY hope salted caramel sticks around, holy moly it is gooooooood!
PS: Im with BunKaryudo. 🙂 🙂
Salted, caramel and pecan…I’m in for sure!
I know, right?! So super yum.
Yum! Salted caramel is a weakness of mine! Can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂
Me too! These cookies are soooo good 🙂