Heather says:
These are not a copy cat recipe for Pecan Sandies, but with some tweaking they may be quite close (a little extra sugar and perhaps almond extract in addition to the vanilla, but I have not tested these thoughts). These cookies are buttery and taste of toasted pecans, simple flavors are sometimes all that are neded.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup white sugar + extra for coating
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 ts salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
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Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecan pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 6 – 7 minutes. They should smell fragrant, but not burnt. If you set off the smoke detector, you did it incorrectly. Please start over. Let these cool while you prepare the dough.
Use a stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar. Beat until fluffy.
Add the vanilla, flour, and salt, then mix on low just until the dough comes together. You’ll pass a stage where it resembles crumbs, just keep mixing. As soon as the dough comes together stop the mixer.
Finely chop the pecans and then fold gently into the dough. Folding simplly means to slide your spoon or spatular against the bowl underneat the dough, then pull, lifting up and toard the center. It’s a very gently way of stirring batters.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls, they should be just over 1″ in diameter. Roll each ball in white sugar before placing on an ungreased baking sheet.
use a glass to press each ball into a circle. Pinch the cokies back into shape if necessary. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes turning halfway through. Remove from the cookies from oven and place onto a wire rack to cool. Straight from the oven they will be doughy and soft, but as they cool they will firm up and become similar in texture to pecan sandies.
Enjoy!
