Name: Pecan Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¾ cup pecans; 10 tbsp unsalted butter; ½ cup confectioner's sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; ¾ tsp scant kosher salt; 1½ cups all purpose flour; 1 egg yolk; ¼ cup Demerara or Turbinado sugar

How To Make Pecan Shortbread Cookies

A coating of sugar provides a crisp crust to these pecan shortbread cookies. The actual cookies are loaded with buttery and nutty goodness.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 20 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Serves:

Ingredients

¾cuppecans,chopped
10tbspunsalted butter,(1¼ sticks), softened
½cupconfectioner’s sugar
2tspvanilla extract
¾tspscant kosher salt
1½cupsall purpose flour,spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife, plus more for dusting
1eggyolk,beaten
¼cupdemerara sugar,or turbinado sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 5 five minutes, until fragrant. Cool on the baking sheet. (The nuts can be toasted and stored at room temperature.)
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and lightened a bit. Scrape the bowl with a spatula.
Add the flour and mix on low just until fully combined. Add the pecans and mix until evenly combined.
Turn the dough onto a clean countertop lightly dusted with flour. Dust the dough with a little flour. Shape and roll into a squared log between 1 ½ to 2 inches wide and 1½ to 2 inches high, dusting with more flour as necessary.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill for at least one hour or overnight, until the dough has gotten very firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Lightly beat the egg yolk and half a teaspoon of water in a small bowl and set aside. Pour the demerara sugar into a rimmed baking sheet or shallow casserole pan.
Slice the chilled log in half to make it more manageable. Working with one log at a time, brush all sides of the log with the egg yolk mixture, then roll in the demerara sugar, pressing as necessary, until fully coated. If there are any areas of the log that are bare, sprinkle with the demerara sugar to cover.
Use a serrated knife to slice each log into about 12 individual cookies, each about half an inch thick. Place the cookie slices onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
The cookies will keep in a covered container at room temperature for up to a week.