I made a distressing discovering today as I was preparing to post a cookie recipe for National Pecan Day. Although I have pictures from three different ways to finish the dough, I have never actually finished a post!
This is my Scottish grandmother’s recipe with a tweak. Although this is a year round cookie, using flower shapes for Beltane and May Day is always a possibility.
You will need:
1 pound butter, room temperture
1 cup brown suagr
4 cups all purpose flour
a pinch of soda
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
or
1 pound butter, room temperture
1 cup brown suagr
3 cups all purpose flour
a pinch of soda
1 cup ground pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Whip the butter and flour together add in the sifted flour and baking soda. Stir until the dough is just coming together. Add in the chopped pecans and stir until blended.
Turn out on the a floured counter and knead. Sprinkle flour as the mixture if the mixture gets sticky. My grandmother always used to say, ” knead and flour until the dough cracks“. Wrap and place in the fridge until needed.
If rolling right away, it might pay to place half the dough in the fridge and pull it out once the first half is rolled and in the oven.
I often use rolling rods to keep all the cookies the same depth. This helps to make sure they all bake at the same time and there are not a mixture of dark and light cookies on the tray.
Flour the rolling surface to keep the dough from sticking and roll doug the dough for cutting. Transfer the cut out pieces to a cookie tray. These will expand a little as they bake but not a lot.
Once baked, allow the cookies to cool before finishing them off and store in an air tight container.
Option One
Cut a fancy shape and once the uncooked dough has been transferred to the cookie tray place a half pecan on top and push down lightly.
Bake until lightly browned. The picture is above.
Option Two
Cut a fancy shape and transfer to the cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned. Once cool, ice the underside with chocolate icing and top with a second cookies.
These will soften as they sit due to the moisture in the icing. Do not store with cookies you would like to keep crisp.
Option Three
Cut a fancy shape and transfer to the cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned. Once cool, drizzle with a glaze made from icing sugar and extra strong coffee. Allow time for the glaze to harden before storing.
Pecan Shortbread Cookies, 3 ways from My Kitchen Wand
