Butter Pecan Cookies

I love to bake, as you probably know by now. However, I do not eat many baked goods, as I do not like sweets much, and Walter does not believe that cookies are great for his waistline (he is probably correct). To remedy this without wasting food or stopping baking, I have started sending baked goods to work with Walter. This works fantastically--I still get to bake, but I don't have to worry about the food being wasted!

Butter Pecan Cookies



I got this recipe from Martha Stewart. The cookies were crunchy and crumbly in just the right way, and had just enough pecan taste without overpowering. The recipe makes twelve cookies, so I tripled it (but will post the measurements for just the single recipe).

Ingredients
-3/4 cup pecans
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
-1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toast pecans until aromatic, about six minutes. Let cool and chop finely (I put them in the blender until they were nearly a dust).
3. Cream butter and sugar until light, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.
4. Separate dough and roll into twelve balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place on a baking sheet about three inches apart. Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass. Sprinkle with sugar.
5. Bake until golden brown, about fifteen minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool on sheet for about two minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.