A traditional holiday cookie that melts in your mouth. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. (If you are using a convection oven, preheat it to 310 degrees.) Set the racks so they divide the oven into thirds. Cream the butter and the 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar using a mixer set on medium speed. Be sure to cream the mixture until it is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and add the flour, mixing on low speed just until the dough is blended. Scrape the bowl again and add the pecans, mixing on low just until they are blended in evenly. Remove the beater(s) and, using a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure the dough is evenly mixed. Roll a heaping teaspoonful of dough at a time in your hands to form a
ball, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. (At this point, they
can be frozen.) Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for about 15 to 20
minutes, or until they are just starting to turn brown and are firm to
the touch, rotating the pans half way through the baking time. Remove
the pans from the oven and slide the parchment onto cooling racks to let
the cookies cool for 3 minutes. While still warm, roll the cookies in
the powdered sugar, and set them on the wire racks to cool. When they
are completely cooled, roll them in the powdered sugar again. Store the
cookies in layers with wax or parchment paper between the layers, in an
airtight container. These cookies will keep for 3 or 4 weeks in a cool
place. |