- 32
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves, plus about 32 halves for pressing onto cookies
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 egg yolk
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
1. Process 1/1/2 cups of pecan pieces with both sugars in a food processor until the nuts are well-ground, about 20 1-second pulses. Add the flour and the salt and process to combine, about 12 1-second pulses.
2. Scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and process until the mixture looks damp and rides up the sides of the bowl, about 18 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg yolk and process until the dough comes into a rough ball, about 20 seconds.
3. Turn the dough onto a clean, dry work surface (it will look scrappy and uneven), and gently knead it until it is evenly moistened and cohesive. Using the palms of your hands, roll the dough into an even 12-inch log; cut the log in half, and wrap each half in plastic. Freeze the dough logs until very cold and stiff but still malleable, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the freezer, unwrap and roll on work surface to round off flat sides. Rewrap the logs in plastic wrap. Rewrap the logs in plastic and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and completely firm, about 2 hours.
5. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough logs, and using a sharp knife or string, slice the dough logs into 1/4-inch thick slices, slightly rotating the logs after each slice so that the logs do not develope a flat side.
6. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3/4-inch apart. Press a pecan half onto the top of each cookie.
7. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, about 24 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies for 3 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Almond Sandies: Follow the recipe for Pecan Sandies, replacing the pecan halves with an equal amoount of whol blanched almonds that have been toasted in a 350-degree oven for 8 minutes and cooled. Add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract with the egg yolk.