Preheat Oven

Heat your oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 to 6 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Mix in the vanilla extract.

Add all the flour at once. Set the mixer to low initially to avoid flour flying out, then increase the speed. Mix until the flour is just combined, being careful not to overmix. The mixture will start crumbly but will come together into a dough.

Stir in the chopped pecans.

Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the dough and roll it into balls. Press down each cookie to about 1/2 inch thick using the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar. Re-dip the glass in sugar between cookies.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The cookies should just start to turn golden around the edges. Be careful not to over-bake.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.