23 Sweet and Festive Pecan Desserts

Jennifer Davick / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellers

Caramel-Pecan Tart

Surprisingly easy to make, this pecan and caramel dessert recipe pairs the cookie-like crispness of shortbread with a buttery-rich brown sugar-and-honey topping.

Recipe: Caramel-Pecan Tart

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

This pecan pie is to die for! Forget your tried-and-true pecan pie recipe and replace it immediately with this one. You'll never look back.

Recipe: Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Crispy Praline Cookies

In Louisiana it’s “prah·leen.” In Georgia it’s “pray·leen.” But no matter how you pronounce it, these cookies are reminiscent of the beloved pecan candy tradition from New Orleans, on the Mississippi River, where sugarcane and nuts were cultivated in abundance.

Recipe: Crispy Praline Cookies

Jennifer Davick / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellers

Pecan Cheesecake Pie

Pecan Cheesecake Pie starts with a creamy bottom layer of batter that rises to the top of the crust during baking.

Recipe: Pecan Cheesecake Pie

Praline Pecans

Pralines are best made when the weather is dry--humidity tends to make them grainy. Be sure to use a heavy saucepan, and work quickly when spooning the pecan mixture onto the wax paper.

Recipe: Praline Pecans

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Caramel-Pecan Pie

One bite of rich and gooey Caramel-Pecan Pie, and you’ll be thankful you tried this recipe.

Recipe: Caramel-Pecan Pie

Pecan Toffee

The tender-crisp texture of this rich toffee will quickly make it your holiday guilty pleasure.

Recipe: Pecan Toffee

Pecan Crescents

These nutty cookies are much like traditional wedding cookies. Let your kids help roll the dough into logs and bend them into shape.

Recipe: Pecan Crescents

Jennifer Davick / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellers

Roasted Pecan Fudge

Roasted Pecan Fudge is a delectable holiday treat. This recipe received our Test Kitchens highest rating.

Recipe: Roasted Pecan Fudge

Jennifer Davick / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellers

Pecan Tassies

Baked in mini muffin pans and filled with cream cheese, Pecan Tassies are a perfect bite-size addition to any occasion.

Recipe: Pecan Tassies

Jennifer Davick / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellers

Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes

Scrumptious Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting make a delightful sweet ending.

Recipe: Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes

Apple-Pecan Pie Cobbler

Tart Granny Smith apples, sautéed in brown sugar and butter, get topped with the tender, sweet crunch of a pecan-pie muffin batter. Bake this fall favorite in individual ramekins or a single casserole dish.

Recipe: Apple-Pecan Pie Cobbler

Double Chocolate Brownies with Caramel Frosting

These indulgent bars are filled with toasted chopped pecans and semisweet chocolate morsels, and topped with a warm Caramel Frosting. What more can you ask out of a brownie?

Recipe: Double Chocolate Brownies with Caramel Frosting

Mocha-Pecan Mud Pie

This indulgent coffeehouse treat is always a hit and fun for the whole family to make. To quickly soften the ice cream, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes; remove from the carton, and place in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric stand mixer. Beat at low speed, using the paddle attachment, 5 to 10 seconds or until just smooth enough to spread into the crust.

Recipe: Mocha-Pecan Mud Pie

Jennifer Davick / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellers

Velvety Pecan Candy

Make two batches of Velvety Pecan Candy, one each of chocolate and vanilla. Then prepare to see them disappear.

Recipe: Velvety Pecan Candy

Jennifer Davick / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellers

Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites

Package Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites in pretty airtight containers to add holiday jazz to your kitchen countertops. They can also be frozen in large zip-top plastic freezer bags for up to 1 month; just bring to room temperature before serving.

Recipe: Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites

Peanut Butter-Toffee Turtle Cookies

Traditional turtle candy calls for chocolate, caramels, and pecan halves to be molded into the shape of a turtle. For these cookies, traditional turtle candy flavors are teamed with creamy peanut butter for a Southern touch.

Recipe: Peanut Butter-Toffee Turtle Cookies

Mudslide Brownies

Yummy ingredients from the popular drink make a splash in these decadent bars.

Recipe: Mudslide Brownies

Chocolate Velvet Cake With Coconut-Pecan Frosting

A lavish amount of melted chocolate and sour cream gives these moist cake layers a tender, velvet-textured crumb. The recipe is a favorite with our Foods staff – one we use often for celebrations throughout the year. You'll find lots of imaginative ways to bake and frost the cake layers listed with the recipe for the batter.

Recipe: Chocolate Velvet Cake With Coconut-Pecan Frosting

Pecan Squares

Use salted butter and bring the filling to a rolling boil before pouring it over the crust.

Recipe: Pecan Squares

Ralph Anderson, Charles Walton IV / Styling Mindi Shapiro Levine, Rose Nguyen / Food Styling Marian Cooper Cairns, Angela Sellers

Salty Chocolate-Pecan Candy

The hardest part about making Salty Chocolate-Pecan Candy is waiting for the chocolate to firm up before devouring it.

To get the marbled effect, alternate white and dark chocolate squares on a baking pan. Bake as directed, remove from oven, and immediately swirl the warm chocolate with a wooden pick.

Recipe: Salty Chocolate-Pecan Candy

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Caramels, chocolate morsels, and pecans combine for a fast-disappearing treat.

Recipe: Oatmeal Carmelitas

Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies have a bit of crunch from the finely chopped pecans, sweetness from the almond extract, and richness from the butter. Strawberry and peach jams make beautiful jewel-colored fillings, but you can use other Southern favorite jams, such as blackberry, muscadine, or apple. They’re the perfect cookies to make with the kids―let them make the thumbprints and choose the filling.

Recipe: Thumbprint Cookies