Gluten Free Brown Butter and Pecan Shortbread

When I was first diagnosed as Celiac in 2004, life as a 10 year old seemed immeasurably miserable: no more Oreos, sourdough toast, mac and cheese, Costco croissants, or hotel danishes. No more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! (my staple for packed lunches). It was a rough few months, to say the least, and those few months getting used to the new diet and figuring out what few items in the pantry I could still eat felt like a LIFETIME. Bowls of hot rice with butter felt like the best I could ever do, simply because the few brands in the US that were producing anything gluten free were woefully lacking. The sliced tapioca bread was a testament to bad taste and everything else was as dry and as flavorful as a piece of styrofoam in the desert. So you can imagine my immense gratitude when, one day in Food 4 Less pushing around our already-full shopping cart and helping my mom toss in more produce, we stumbled upon Pamela’s Pecan Shortbread – Gluten Free! HEAVEN. Absolute heaven.

Shortbread had always seemed like a cookie from the turn of the last century, that should accompany lace and long dresses and afternoon tea. Honestly, as a 10 year old, I had never given the poor, drab-looking cookies a second glance. Even selling Girl Scout Cookies every year, the classic Trefoil (a shortbread cookie in the shape of the GS logo) was the absolute least favorite of anyone (the numbers proved it – compared to Do-si-Dos, Tagalongs, Samoas, and Thin Mints, they were a sad double digit every year). But take away my gluten and shove a box of these buttery, pecan-y, glorious gluten free shortbread cookies in my hand and they became the most important dessert in the universe. Suddenly, the dry, crumbly Hallmark of gluten free baked goods became unbelievably appropriate in every perfectly-sandy bite.

Now, after over 15 years of gluten free baking, buying, and adventuring, I admit that shortbread is once again fairly low on my list of favorites, but that Pamela’s Pecan Shortbread left a mark, and I figured I should pay homage to the savior of cookies by coming up with my own recipe for them. After a few failed tries, this is the perfect nod to Pamelas brilliance (there are other flavors, try them all!) and a triumphant thumbing my nose to those horrendous first few months of gluten free drivel. Thankfully, the world is much bigger than those sad little months in sixth grade, and there are so many countries, let alone US grocery stores and restaurants, that have myriad options (and GOOD ones) for those of us inflicted with the Vampiric aversion to gluten (not garlic). If you’re looking for a subtly rich, buttery, nutty cookie (say that five times fast) to brighten up an afternoon or pair with your morning coffee or tea, give this one a try. And if you liek these, try the other shorbread-y recipes I’ve figured out along the way! Raspberry glazed shortbread and millionaire shortbread to name two. As always, do what tastes good!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Gluten Free Brown Butter and Pecan Shortbread

Source: Sisters Sans Gluten

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time17 minutes mins

Chilling Time3 hours hrs

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: browned butter, cookies, pecan, shortbread

Servings: 30 cookies

Calories: 100kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• Sauce pam
• Cookie sheet

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cup good quality salted butter browned – instructions below
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 1/4 Cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/2 Cups gluten free flour 1-1 mix
• 1/4 Cup arrowroot starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 Cups toasted chopped pecans instructions below

Instructions

• First, roast your pecans. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spread whole, unsalted pecans on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the nuts are a bit darker, dry, and smell fragrant (be careful not to let them burn!). Remove and let cool, then chop into small bits.
• Then, brown the butter. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt all of the butter and stir constantly until melted and simmering. Continue to simmer, on medium heat, for at least a few minutes, until the popping and hissing sounds have completely subsided (this is the water in the butter burning off – you’ll know once it’s silent). Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the butter reaches a deep amber color and smells nutty or caramelly. Once it reaches that color, immediately take off the burner and let sit until cool. Once cool, pour into a small bowl and chill in the fridge until it’s firm but not hard (essentially, the same softness as room temp butter).
• Once your butter is firmed up to room-temp texture, make the cookies! In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the brown butter, white and brown sugars, and vanilla until lighter and fluffy. Toss in the flour, starch, and salt, and stir together using a spatula or wooden spoon until completely combined. Dump in the chopped, toasted pecans and stir to combine. The dough should be dry and stiff – if it seems too loose, add more flour. Separate the dough into two chunks and roll each one into a cylindrical or square log, about 2-inches in diameter (the slices of these logs will be your cookies, so make them the shape you want!). Wrap each log tightly with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Once the logs are chilled, preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper and then unwrap the logs and slice 1/2 inch-thick cookies to place on the tray. They should not spread, so you can place the slices fairly close together. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the edges are very lightly golden (they should not brown). Let cool completely before eating or serving (or they will fall apart).

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your shortbread cookies!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber