Yield:Description
It goes without saying, but I made these a one-bowl cookie. Also, Martha doesn’t call for toasting the nuts, but I think they add a more complex pecan flavor to the cookie. Since they’re the star of the show, it’s worth taking the extra time to stick them in the oven, but I’ve had the cookies with toasted and untoasted pecans and they’re irresistible either way.
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup whole or chopped pecans
- 1–2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Toast the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes at 350F (your toasting time will be longer if using whole pecans, much shorter if using chopped ones — watch the oven like a hawk), tossing the nuts halfway through so that they toast evenly. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
- Grind the nuts finely using a coffee or spice grinder. You can use a food processor, the nuts won’t be as finely ground and you’ll get small pieces of pecan in your cookie. I much prefer the finer grind, but that may also be because I only have a coffee grinder and not a food processor — if you don’t have a coffee grinder, use the processor by all means.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add the pecans, flour and salt. Beat until combined, about 1 minute. The dough will be extremely sticky.
- Flour your palms and begin rolling the cookies into 3/4-inch balls. Flatten them into discs, then place on a lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake at 350F until the edges are just beginning to brown, 20-25 minutes.
- Sift powdered sugar on top of the cookies while still warm. Allow to cool before sharing. Or eating an entire batch yourself — I won’t tell.