When I was growing up, everyone put out bowls of toasted pecans during the holidays. To this day, the heady perfume of toasting pecans brings me back to my childhood. To capture that memory in cookie form, I made a buttery-rich, highly addictive shortbread, then decorated it with toasted pecans.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 32 wedges or 36 rounds
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Mash with back of fork until coarse meal forms. Using fingertips, work dough until smooth; shape into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm but not hard, about 30 minutes.
Step 2
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. For wedges, shape dough into 2 disks. Place on 2 heavy baking sheets; cover with plastic. Flatten to 10" rounds. Remove plastic. Brush with glaze. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, then raw sugar; press to adhere. For round cookies, shape dough into 1-inch balls; arrange on 2 heavy baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Cover smooth-bottomed glass with plastic. Using glass, press each dough ball to 2-inch round. Cut with scalloped cookie cutter, if desired. Brush with glaze; top with pecan half and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Step 3
Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, about 30 minutes for large rounds and 22 minutes for small rounds. Cool large rounds on sheets 10 minutes, then cut each into 16 wedges. Cool all cookies completely on sheets.
Do ahead: Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
*Also called turbinado or demerara sugar; available at most supermarkets and at natural food stores.
