This page collects five pecan desserts with a mix of bar-style sweets, rolled candies, filled pastries, layered cake, and soft cookies. Each one uses pecans in a different way, from folded filling to topping and garnish.
The methods range from baking in mini muffin tins and cake pans to shaping logs, rolling crescent dough, and finishing with drizzled chocolate or glaze.
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- Pecan Pie Brownie Bombs
- Old-Fashioned Pecan Logs
- Pecan Cream Cheese Rolls
- Lady Baltimore Cake
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Pecan Pie Brownie Bombs
Pecan Pie Brownie Bombs combine boxed brownie batter with a sweet pecan filling for a handheld dessert that layers chocolate and nutty caramel flavors. The brownie mix is thickened with extra flour, then spooned into mini muffin cups with a teaspoon of filling and capped with more batter before baking.
After baking until set, the brownie bombs are cooled and finished with a smooth drizzle of melted chocolate. The chocolate chips are melted with vegetable oil in short microwave bursts, then the tops are sprinkled with extra chopped pecans so the garnish matches the filling.
Get the full Pecan Pie Brownie Bombs recipe
Old-Fashioned Pecan Logs
Old-Fashioned Pecan Logs start with a cooked nougat made from butter, corn syrup, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, powdered milk, vanilla, and milk. The mixture is pressed into a baking dish, cooled until firm, and cut into eight pieces before each piece is rolled into a log by hand.
The shaped logs are frozen so they stay firm for dipping, then coated in melted caramel and rolled in chopped pecans. Letting the caramel set completely keeps the coating in place, and the finished candies can be sliced or served once they are fully set.
Get the full Old-Fashioned Pecan Logs recipe
Pecan Cream Cheese Rolls
Pecan Cream Cheese Rolls use refrigerated crescent dough to wrap a filling of pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cubes of chilled cream cheese. Each triangle is rolled up and sealed, then arranged seam-side down in a greased baking dish.
Before baking, the rolls are coated with melted butter, sprinkled with any leftover pecan mixture, and gently surrounded by cream soda in the pan. They bake until golden brown and are served warm, giving the creamy centers and sweet nut filling a soft, baked pastry texture.
Get the full Pecan Cream Cheese Rolls recipe
Lady Baltimore Cake
Lady Baltimore Cake is a layered cake made with cake flour, buttermilk, whipped egg whites, and a flavored filling of raisins, dates, honey, rum extract, and chopped walnuts or pecans. The batter is mixed by alternating dry ingredients with the buttermilk mixture, then folded with stiffly beaten egg whites for a lighter cake crumb.
The fruit-and-nut filling is cooked until the liquid is absorbed, then cooled and mixed with some of the frosting to make it easier to spread. The frosting itself is cooked with sugar, salt, cream of tartar, egg whites, water, and vanilla until glossy and thick, then used to cover the layers and finish the cake with soft peaks and optional chopped nuts.
Get the full Lady Baltimore Cake recipe
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies bring together pumpkin puree, oats, and chopped pecans in a soft cookie dough sweetened with both white and brown sugar. The wet ingredients are mixed first, then the dry ingredients and oats are stirred in until no flour streaks remain.
The dough is portioned with a 2-tablespoon scoop, lightly pressed down, and topped with more chopped pecans before baking. After cooling a few minutes on the sheet, the cookies are moved to a rack and drizzled with a simple powdered sugar glaze made with water.
