Kahlua Pecan Pie Cookies
Submitted by quincy
Kahlua pecan pie cookies with a buttery brown sugar cookie cup filled with a caramel pecan center spiked with coffee liqueur. A two-bite spin on pecan pie.
YIELD
72 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
10 minREADY
5 hrsThese pecan pie cookies pack all the gooey, nutty richness of a full pie into a two-bite package, with Kahlua running through both the dough and the filling for a warm coffee undertone that ties everything together.
The build has two parts. First, a brown sugar butter cookie dough that chills for four hours. Second, a stovetop pecan filling made from corn syrup, butter, powdered sugar, and toasted pecans that gets rolled into tiny frozen balls. At assembly time, you press each dough ball flat, bake it for 5 minutes, then push a frozen pecan ball into the center and bake 5 more minutes until everything goes golden.
The frozen filling trick is what makes these work. Room-temperature filling would melt and spread before the cookie sets. Frozen, it holds its shape and melts slowly into the cup as it bakes.
Kitchen Tips
- Toast the pecans before chopping. It concentrates their flavor and keeps them from going soft in the filling.
- Dip the wooden spoon handle in cold water between each indent. The dough sticks to dry wood and pulls the cup apart.
- Watch the filling closely on the stove. It only needs to reach a full boil, then comes straight off the heat. Overcooking makes the filling grainy.
- Let cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before moving. The caramel centers are molten right out of the oven.
Variations
- Substitute bourbon for the Kahlua for a classic Southern pecan pie flavor.
- Top each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt before the second bake.
- Use dark chocolate chips in place of half the pecans for a turtle cookie twist.
Ingredients
Directions
COOKIE CUPS: Beat together butter, brown sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg, cornsyrup and Kahlua.
Stir in flour in ½ cup additions, blending well after each addition.
Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.
PECAN FILLING: Combine butter, corn syrup and sugar in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until mixture comes to a full boil.
Immediately remove from heat; stir in pecans and Kahlua.
Refrigerate 1 hour, or until firm.
Roll half-teaspoons of mixture into 72 balls.
Place on a sheet, cover and freeze until ready to use.
ASSEMBLY: Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into balls, and arrange 1- ½ inch apart, on prepared baking sheets.
Use the tip of a wooden spoon handle to make ½ inch deep indentation in the center of each ball.
(Dip handle in cold water between uses.)
Bake cups 5 minutes, remove from oven.
Press balls of pecan filling firmly into center of each cookie cup.
Return to oven, and continue baking 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
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