Butter Pecan Shortbread cookies will melt in your mouth. They keep for at least a week.
Course Bakery
Cuisine British
Keyword Vegetarian
Essential Ingredient Pecans
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
chill time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour25 minutesminutes
Servings 2dozen cookies
Calories 1445kcal
Ingredients
1/3cupground pecans
1/3cupfine cornmeal
1cupall-purpose flour
1/2teaspoonfreshly ground cinnamon
1/2teaspoonfine sea salt
2Tablespoonscornstarch
3/4cupunsalted butterroom temperature
2/3cuppowdered sugar
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1Tablespoonpure maple syrup
1/2 cuppecan halves
Instructions
In a medium bowl, stir together the ground pecans, cornmeal, flour, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a sturdy bowl and wooden spoon, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Beat well, for about two minutes, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides as needed. Add the vanilla and beat again.
Tip in the bowl of dry ingredients into the creamed butter. Mix on low until ingredients are just combined. It's okay if it's a little crumbly.
Empty the bowl of cookie dough onto a large rectangle of parchment paper. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a ball. Cover the dough with a second sheet of parchment paper and press to flatten slightly
Use a rolling pin and roll the cookie dough to an even ¼ inch thickness. Approximately a 9x14 oval. Slide the parchment–pressed dough onto a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator. Chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Dip a 2-inch round cookie cutter into flour and cut out circles in the rolled dough. Place on the prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart. When all the cookies have been cut out, chill for another 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325F. Dab the tops of the cookies with maple syrup using a pastry brush. Lightly press a pecan half into the center of the cookies. (I leave half the cookies plain)
Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the cookies on pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.