pecan sandies

I love that baking is such a big part of the holiday season. Cookies in particular are always my dessert of choice. {hm or cake, brownies, ice cream, and pie!}. Pecan Sandies are delicious and slightly addictive with their salty-sweet quality. I was so excited to try this new recipe from Ina's latest cookbook Foolproof and they're just as good as you'd expect!

Pecan Sandies from Ina Garten's Foolproof Cookbook

makes 22 to 24 cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pecan halves (4 ounces)

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided 

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup demerara or turbinado sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

24 whole pecan halves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Place the 1 cup of pecan halves on a sheet pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until toasted. Set aside to cool.

Place the cooled pecans plus 1/4 cup of the flour in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until the nuts are finely ground. Place the mixture in a medium bowl and add the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour, the salt, and the baking powder. Stir to combine.

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and flurry. With the mixture on low, add the vanilla and the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together.

Using a small ice cream scoop or your hands, form the batter into balls about 1 inch in diameter (1 ounce on a scale). Place the balls 1 inch apart on sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Press a pecan half into the center of each ball, pressing the pecan halfway down into the cookie. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cookies turn golden brown around the edges. Cool for 5 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely.

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I bought a gigantic bag of pecans for this recipe so I think I'll have to make these cookies again, and soon! It would be way too hard to wait until next Christmas to make these again. Do you have a favorite holiday cookie you want to enjoy year-round?

xox