pecan sandies

I know I'm not the only person who likes to recreate homemade versions of classics. When I saw the recipe for a simple version on Brown Eyed Baker, adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe, it looked very simple and quick, the type of cookie you could bake up in your sleep.

To further simplify the process, I divided the dough into logs to refrigerate until firm. Once ready, you can either roll the logs in sugar before slicing, or go ahead slice into uniform sizes. Although I doubled the recipe, I still got more than two dozen cookies, which was a great thing because these were the most light, buttery, and crispy cookies with a delightful caramel flavor coupled with the flavor of toasted pecans and walnuts.

Unlike a pecan sandy, these didn't have the characteristic sandy texture, being more like a shortbread. But otherwise these were a delicious snackable cookie that I'd almost want to hoard for myself.

Recipe after jump

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pecan sandies
From Martha Stewart

Makes about a dozen cookies

ingredients ~
½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.


2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract and salt until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, beating just until combined. Fold in the pecans.


3. Roll the dough into 1½-inch balls (I used a medium-size cookie scoop) and place on baking sheet 2 inches apart. With the dampened bottom of a glass, lightly flatten each ball.**


4. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

**My mods were to roll the dough into a 10-12-inch log, about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Use a sliced paper towel tube to keep the shape. Once chilled, I sliced the log into slices a bit bigger than 1/4-inch and baked as directed.