GUEST POST: The Blonde at Stylish3

We have a real treat for you today and by treat we mean a mouth watering guest post by our friend Mary Lane...The Blonde from the Stylish3!  We know you guys will enjoy and you will be hungry after you read her post!! Enjoy...

Hello!  I’m Mary Lane, a.k.a. The Blonde, one third of the Stylish.  I’m so excited to be guest posting for HLNC, one of my favorite blogs. Jayme and Mendi recently guest posted on my blog, and I’m flattered that they asked me to return the favor.

Today I’m going to be showing you how to make Pecan Sandies, a cookie very close to my heart.  My grandmother Fannie made these sweet, salty treats every time my family went to visit her and my grandfather on their farm, usually doubling the recipe so that we would have some to take home with us.  As I got older she started making them for special occasions - I don’t think I hosted a baby shower or bridal tea in the past five years without serving Fannie’s cookies! 

Unfortunately Granny passed away last year and I never got the chance to learn all her recipes.  I’ve gradually been trying to re-create some of her best dishes, including the Pecan Sandies.  I think I’ve come up with a pretty good cookie and hopefully I’ve done Granny proud.

Pecan Sandies

1 cup butter at room temperature, cubed

1/3 cup white granulated sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

¼ teaspoon salt (Only if you used sweet cream or unsalted butter.  If your butter is salted you can omit extra salt)

2 teaspoons water

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 cup pecans, chopped and roasted

About 1 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

Combine the butter and both kinds of sugar in a large bowl.  Cream with a hand mixer on medium low speed until smooth and creamy.

Add the water and vanilla and mix until blended.  Mix in the flour gradually, using a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.  Finally, stir in the pecans.

Shape the dough into a ball and cover it in wax paper.  Refrigerate 1-2 hours, or until dough is firm and easy to handle.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and remove dough from refrigerator.  Pinch off teaspoon-sized pieces of dough and roll them between your palms to form ovals or whatever shape you like (keeping in mind that the cookies will spread out a little while baking).  Place cookies 2 inches apart on greased or silpat-lined baking sheets. 

Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes, or until bottoms are pale golden brown and tops are no longer soft and doughy.  Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then roll them in the powdered sugar, shake off excess and place on cooling racks to cool completely.

A Few Tips:

• Don’t be shy with the powdered sugar!  This is going to make me sound like Paula Deen, but there is no such thing as too much sugar when you’re talking about pecan sandies!  Don’t let the cookies cool too much before you roll them in the sugar… the sugar won’t stick as well if they’re not still slightly warm.

• Never roasted pecans before?  Don’t worry – it’s easy!  Take whole pecans and place them in a single layer on a large baking sheet.  Bake at 325 for 5-7 minutes or until fragrant, stirring halfway through.  Chop your pecans in a food processor, mini chopper, or the good old fashioned way – with a knife and cutting board.  Don’t use the canned pre-roasted pecans you can buy at the grocery store; those are way too salty for this recipe!

• This dough freezes really well.  Prepare the cookies but instead of putting them on the baking sheets place them in single layers in a freezer safe container, separating layers with wax paper.  When you get ready to bake them, simply thaw them at room temperature and you’re ready to go!

• Whole or halved shelled pecans also freeze well, so stock up on them when they’re on sale, or buy them in bulk and separate them into smaller, 2-3 cup containers.  I actually made this batch of cookies with a bag of pecans my Grandmother gave to put in my freezer right before she passed away.

Thanks, HLNC readers for letting me visit with you today and get all sentimental on you.  I hope you enjoy the recipe!

 - The Blonde @ Stylish3