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Pecan Sandies

Source of Recipe


From "Baking Illustrated"



List of Ingredients



• 1½ cups pecan halves, plus about 32 pecan halves for garnish
  
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
  
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  
• 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• ¼ tsp salt
  
• 12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes (1½ sticks)
  
• 1 egg yolk
  






Instructions



1. In a food processor, process the 1½ cups pecans with powdered sugar and brown sugar until the nuts are ground -- about twenty 1-second pulses. Add the flour and salt, and process to combine -- about twelve 1-second pulses. Scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and process until the mixture resembles damp sand and rises up the sides of the bowl, about eighteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the yolk and process until the dough comes together into a rough ball, about 20 seconds.
   
   
2. Turn the dough (it will look scrappy and uneven) onto a clean, dry work surface and gently knead until it is evenly moistened and cohesive. Using the palms of your hands, roll the dough into an even 12-inch log; cut the log in half with a chef's knife, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Freeze the dough logs until very cold, but still malleable, about 30 minutes.
   
   
3. Remove them from your freezer, unwrap them and roll them on the work surface to round off the flat sides. Rewrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until thoroughly chilled and completely firm, about 2 hours.
   
   
4. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Unwrap the dough logs and, using a sharp chef's knife, slice the logs into coins ¼-inch thick, slightly rotating the logs after each slice so that they do not develop a markedly flat side. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about ¾ inch apart. Press a pecan half in the center of each slice.
   
   
5. Bake until just the edges of the cookies are golden brown, about 24 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from front to back, and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies for 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack with a wide spatula and let them cool completely.
   
   Makes about 32
   
   






Final Comments


Once the dough is shaped into logs, it needs to be chilled for at least 2½ hours and up to 3 days before being sliced and baked.