60 Sweet and Festive Pecan Desserts

By Zoe Denenberg
September 29, 2009
Credit: Greg DuPree
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Southerners are crazy for pecans. The pecan is the South’s signature nut, and we sneak it into lots of sweet and savory recipes. But we can’t resist pecan desserts. We grew up snacking on Pecan Pralines and we know that no Thanksgiving dessert spread is complete without a classic Pecan Pie. After all, the smell of roasting butter pecans is the signature scent of Southern holidays.One of the best traits of pecans is their versatility. They pair beautifully with bittersweet chocolate and bourbon, like in our Kentucky Derby Pie, but they also complement the sweetness of fresh fruit like peaches (have you tried our Pecan-Peach Cobbler? Now’s the time). From Carrot Cake Cheesecake to Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, pecans play the supporting role in fresh twists on our favorite seasonal recipes. We’ve compiled our favorite classic and inventive pecan desserts to spice up your holiday table this year.
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Impress at the Dinner Party With These Scrumptious Pecan Desserts

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Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Switch up your holiday cake rotation with this dreamy three-layer cake. A tip from the test kitchen: When browning the butter for the frosting, pour the butter into a bowl as soon as it turns golden brown, or it will continue to cook and get too dark.

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Spiced Pecan Pie Bars

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Spiced Pecan Pie Bars

If you’re preparing Thanksgiving for a crowd, swap out the Pecan Pie for these portable, pre-portioned Pecan Pie Bars.

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Pecan Snowball Cookies

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pecan Snowball Cookies

Rolled in powdered sugar, these Pecan Snowball Cookies look like they've been coated with a fresh dusting of snow.

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Pecan Pralines

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe:

Make a batch of these indulgent candies and they’ll have disappeared by the end of the weekend.

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Pecan Tassies

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pecan Tassies

A cross between a cookie and a slice of pecan pie, these cute-as-a-button tassies will be the star of the holiday cookie swap.

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Mini Pecan Pies

Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski

Recipe: Mini Pecan Pies

The spirit of Thanksgiving distilled into tiny bite-sized pie crusts.

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Cranberry-Apple Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust

Credit: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Cranberry-Apple Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust

This Apple Cranberry pie is so fresh and versatile, we’re cooking it all fall long.

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Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Cups

Credit: Victori Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Cups

These precious cookie cups are the best bite-sized dessert for your party spread.

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Pecan Pie

Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Oxbow Bakery Pecan Pie

You can’t go wrong with the classics. If you really want to impress at Thanksgiving this year, bring this perfect pecan pie.

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter and pecans add new dimension to the classic chocolate chip cookie in this indulgent recipe.

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Kentucky Bourbon Pie

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Kentucky Bourbon Pie

Make Derby day every day with this decadent pie that combines chocolate, bourbon, and pecans.

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Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Carrot Cake Cheesecake

A base layer of carrot cake meets a fluffy stripe of cheesecake topping in this best-of-both-worlds dessert.

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Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Once you’ve made a pecan pie in a cast-iron skillet, you may never go back to a pie plate. Simply press a refrigerated pie crust into the skillet, sprinkle with sugar, top with the pecan mixture, and bake. Serving it in the skillet is also easy and makes the dish even more Southern.

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Bourbon Chocolate Truffles

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Bourbon Chocolate Truffles

Roll these chocolate truffles in crushed pecans and gift them to your neighbors, your friends, or just about anyone!

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Tropical Carrot Cake

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Tropical Carrot Cake

Warm spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger combine with pineapple and coconut in this Hummingbird-carrot cake fusion.

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Coconut Pound Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Coconut Pound Cake

Use a ridged Bundt pan to achieve the gorgeous shape of this unique pound cake.

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Millionaire Pie

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Millionaire Pie

This pink pie will be the belle of the ball at your next potluck.

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Mini Bananas Foster Sticky Buns

Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Mini Bananas Foster Sticky Buns

These sticky buns may technically be breakfast, but they’re so divine, we’ll eat these for dessert, too.

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Banana Nut Shortcake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Banana Nut Shortcake

Toasting the pecans brings out their earthy sweetness, complementing the light whipped cream and banana toppings.

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Buttery Toasted Pecans

Credit: Photo: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Buttery Toasted Pecans

Once you taste these simple pecans, you’ll want to keep a bowl of these nuts on your countertop at all times.

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Overnight Eggnog-French Toast Casserole

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Overnight Eggnog-French Toast Casserole

This extravagant French toast bake will feed a crowd—it’s perfect for holiday mornings or family brunches.

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Seven-Layer Cookies

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Seven-Layer Cookies

Graham crackers, coconut, pecans, chocolate, and butterscotch all mingle together in these decadent vintage cookies.

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Hummingbird Pancakes

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Hummingbird Pancakes

A twist on the beloved hummingbird cake that we can pass off as breakfast? Count us in.

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Coconut Dream Bar

Credit: Micah Leal

Recipe: Coconut Dream Bar

Pecans form the crust for this dreamy tropical bar that can be eaten on-the-go.

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Tenntucky Blackberry Cobbler Sundaes

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Tenntucky Blackberry Cobbler Sundaes

It’s creamy, it’s crunchy, and it’s absolutely decadent. This sundae hits all the right notes.

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Pecan Pancakes with Caramel Apple Topping

Credit: Luca Trovato

Recipe: Pecan Pancakes with Caramel Apple Topping

This sheet pan pancake is the best way to feed a hungry holiday morning crowd.

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Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Once you’ve put pecans in your cinnamon rolls, you’ll never go back to the plain kind.

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Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines

Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines

Buttermilk adds a creamy, smooth shine to these classic Southern candies.

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Fruitcake Bark

Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Fruitcake Bark

Tired fruitcake is completely transformed in this utterly snackable (and giftable!) chocolate bark.

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Coconut-Butter Pecan Sheet Cake