Icebox Cookies

Buttery and nutty refrigerator cookies made with brown sugar and pecans. 

The Story

Stepping into Matrey Momma’s house during the holidays was like walking into a dessert wonderland. Her dining room table transformed into a sugar-coated dream, lined with treats that dazzled the eyes and delighted the soul.

There were cakes of every kind—moist pound cakes, rich chocolate cakes, and her famous strawberry cake that always disappeared first. Then came the pies: tangy lemon and silky sweet potato, each one a masterpiece. And the candy? Oh, the candy! Peanut brittle that could crack a tooth (in the best way), candy-coated pecans that stuck to your fingers, and divinity so fluffy it felt like biting into a cloud.

And let’s talk cookies—so many cookies that even the Cookie Monster would’ve needed a lie-down. But my favorite of them all? Her icebox cookies. Buttery, pecan-studded, and perfectly crisp, they were little bites of joy.

That cookie, more than any other, brings back memories of Matrey Momma. Not just of her baking, but of everything she passed down—patience, love, and a little bit of magic in every recipe.

Icebox cookies

Matrey Law

Buttery and nutty refrigerator cookies made with brown sugar and pecans.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

chill 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 36 cookies

Calories 112 kcal

Equipment

• 1 cookie sheet
• wax or parchment paper
• 1 Stand or hand mixer

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Ingredients

  

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• ▢ 2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 1 cup butter
• ▢ 2 egg
• ▢ 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

 

• Cream butter and sugar together until smooth; add egg and beat. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed. Add vanilla and nuts and blend them in with a spoon.
• Create a roll log and wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate over night or freeze.
• Cut into slices and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until brown (about 12 to 15 minutes).

Notes

• You can use light or dark brown sugar.
• This cookie dough can be frozen up to three months.  

Nutrition

Serving: 2cookiesCalories: 112kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 75mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 172IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content may vary depending on the brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and other factors.

Keyword cookies, pecans

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