Pecan Sandies
There was a time in my childhood that a pack of pecan sandies was always in our pantry. I was more partial to boxed brownies or oreos myself and left the grown up cookies to the grown ups. Fast forward to one summer that our family decided to hike down (and back up!) the entire Grand Canyon in the course of a day. It was a doozie for a 9 year old, I can tell you. The best part is the only snacks we had were a water bottle each, a pack of nutrigrain bars, and that package of pecan sandies. I discovered that hunger truly is the best sauce because I devoured those pecan cookies like they were the best cookie I’d ever eaten. My tastes have refined a bit in the last 25 years and I can say I appreciate the subtle sweetness, the nuttiness, the “grown up” flavors of a classic pecan sandy.
Ingredients:
makes about 20 cookies
¾ cup pecans
1 ¼ cup flour
generous pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pop all of the pecans on the baking sheet and pop it in the oven while it preheats. Gather your other ingredients while they toast. You don’t want to burn them so keep an eye (and nose) out! Take them out to cool for a minute.
In a large bowl, stir the butter and sugars together with a wooden spoon until nice, light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and stir well again. Set the bowl aside and grab about 1/2 cup of the pecans. Put them on a cutting board and use a large knife to chop them very, very finely. Add them to the bowl and stir through the mixture. Now, add your flour, nutmeg, and salt. Give it another good stir until combined. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough and drop it on the lined baking sheet, repeating until all of the dough is gone leaving the balls about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten each ball and press a toasted pecan on the middle. Pop them in the overn for about 12 minutes. Check to see if they’re turning a golden brown, if not, bake for another 3 minutes or so. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before moving them! They store well in an airtight container for about a week if they last that long ;)
