“These pecan cookies have been a Christmas tradition in my family for years. It’s something I look forward to every year, but you don’t have to wait for the holidays to enjoy these cookies.”
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pecans
- 1 cup butter
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread pecans out on a baking sheet.
- Bake pecans in the preheated oven until fragrant and lightly toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Cool completely and chop in a food processor.
- Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt. Slowly mix pecans into butter mixture. Stir flour into pecan mixture until dough begins to come together.
- Roll the dough into a ball and divide it in half. Roll each dough half into a 1 1/2-inch thick log. Wrap each log in wax paper and refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet parchment paper.
- Unwrap dough logs and cut into 1/3-inch thick slices. Transfer slices to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
