60 Sweet and Festive Pecan Desserts

By Zoe Denenberg
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

Photo: 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

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

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

Southern Living

Recipe: Pecan Pralines

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

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Pecan Tassies

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

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

Photo: 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

Photo: Victor 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

Photo: 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

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

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

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

Photo: 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo: 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

Greg DuPree

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

Southern Living

Recipe: Coconut-Butter Pecan Sheet Cake

Sheet cake is our favorite way to serve dessert to a crowd—and if there are leftovers, we bet you can find some way to make them disappear.

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Mama's German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting

Southern Living

Recipe: Mama's German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting

You’ll be requesting this indulgent layered chocolate cake every year for your birthday.

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Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake

Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake

They call this cake magic for a reason. With surprising layers and flavor combinations, this cake is a standout on any spread.

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Salted Chocolate Matzo Madness Toffee

Greg Dupree

Recipe: Salted Chocolate Matzo Madness Toffee

Take a crack at this Southern spin on a traditional Passover treat. But it’s not only relegated to the holiday. In fact, you can make this sweet snack year-round using saltine crackers for a crispy, salty base that makes the chocolate and pecans pop in your mouth. So do yourself a favor and indulge!

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Sweet Potato Casserole Hotcakes

Photo: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole Hotcakes

Make these flapjacks the day after thanksgiving or a few months after, when you’re still dreaming of Nana’s sweet potato casserole.

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Pecan Pie Bars

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Pecan Pie Bars

These chewy, bite-size bars require just 20 minutes of prep time.

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Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake

Jennifer R. Davick

Recipe: Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake

You’ve heard of pineapple upside-down cake, but have you ever tried swapping in apples? Spoiler alert: it’s delicious.

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Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Banana pudding and cheesecake, all in one bite? We must be dreaming.

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Amy Grant's Banana Nut Bread

Southern Living

Recipe: Amy Grant's Banana Nut Bread

When you have company, always have a loaf of this favorite breakfast or dessert bread on hand.

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Rum-Glazed Sweet Potato Cakes

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Recipe: Rum-Glazed Sweet Potato Cakes

These miniature cakes are just oh-so-cute! Plus, you can never go wrong with a little rum glaze.

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Double-Chocolate Pecan Pie

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

Recipe: Double-Chocolate Pecan Pie

Amp up your pecan pie this holiday season with a double dose of chocolate.

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Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Hummingbird Bundt Cake

No Southern dessert spread is complete without some variation of the Hummingbird cake, and this one is in Bundt form.

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Pumpkin Roll

Southern Living

Recipe: Pumpkin Roll

Serve this elegant pumpkin roll with chocolate-dipped pecans for a festive touch.

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Pecan-Peach Cobbler

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Pecan-Peach Cobbler

Two Southern favorites, pecans and peaches, come together in this ultimate summer dessert.