Melt In Your Mouth Pecan Crunchies
When I was a kid, there was a store-bought cookie called Pecan Sandies.
Now, mind you, in “those” days some of the commercially packaged products produced and sold in supermarkets were actually delicious; those were the days before all these God awful artificial ingredients were added. Nabisco’s Pecan Sandies which were “sandy” in texture due to the very finely ground pecans were one of my favorites, so I knew I had to recreate them for my stores with the necessary name change.
These cookies, along with the Rosie’s Thumbprints are perfect cookies for any fall or winter holiday. I always include them in my little gift boxes for Christmas, along with a bunch of other wonderful cookies and bars. They are a log cookie, super easy to make and the logs can be made and stored in the freezer WAY in advance.
The Recipe
Makes 48 cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ t. salt
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature (last time I made these I screwed up and forgot the extra 2 tablespoons and they were sill delish… just a tiny bit less rich, so don’t stress if you only have 2 sticks!!)
⅓ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 cup pecan pieces
An additional ½ cup granulated sugar FOR DIPPING JUST BEFORE BAKING (SET ASIDE IN A SMALL BOWL)
Instructions:
Place flour and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Grind the pecans in a food processor until they are finely chopped but not powdery, about 30-60 seconds, or just keep pulsing till they appear as directed.
Cream the butter and the ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar for the batter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a medium size mixing bowl until the ingredients are light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl with an electric mixer.
Add the flour mixture and the pecans to the butter mixture and beat on low speed for about 20 seconds. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula until the flour and nuts are completely incorporated, about 15 seconds.
Spread a 2-foot length of wax paper, parchment paper or plastic wrap on the counter and shape the dough into a rough log about 18-20 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter. And roll it up in whatever paper you are using, twisting the ends like a hard candy wrapper. (If necessary, the log can be cut in half and wrapped separately so as to fit in the refrigerator). Refrigerate the log(s) for a minimum of 3 hours and then roll to make a more perfect cylinder. Once this is done, the cylinder can be stored for weeks in your refrigerator or freezer if you really want to get a head start on your holiday baking. You can freeze the logs as well if you really want to plan ahead, and they are fine for quite a while if wrapped properly to avoid taking on freezer odor or burn!
Preheat the oven to 300° and line 2-3 baking sheets (depending on their size), with parchment paper.
Place the log on the counter, unwrap it and cut it into slices ½-inch thick. Dip one side of each cookie in the remaining ½ cup sugar and place them sugar side up, 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
Bake the cookies until they are firm to the touch and slightly golden, about 25 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake. You can always take one out of the oven let it sit for a minute and then break one open to see if it looks aerated the middle.
Adapted from Rosie’s All Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book published by Workman Publishing in 2011.
