Just Because

I baked cookies today, just because. I baked cookies, but I didn’t make dinner. How about that for priorities!

Pecan Cookies
Printable Recipe

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour, pecans, and salt in a medium bowl. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and roll into a 2-inch log.


Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Unwrap the dough and cut into 3/8-inch slices. Arrange the slices about an inch apart on parchment-lined baking trays. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Makes about 30 cookies. Also delicious with almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts. For more flavor, toast the nuts first, but be sure to let them cool completely before chopping. Pulsing the nuts in a food processor is the easiest way to chop them. For chocolate cookies, substitute ¼ cup cocoa powder for ¼ cup of the flour. Cookies keep for several days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place. The log of dough, or portions of it, may be frozen for up to 1 month tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.