Buttery Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies

I didn’t always love pecans.  No sirree, I hated the things.  I didn’t like the dryness in my mouth after eating them, I didn’t like cracking the shells (because let’s face it – the shells sometimes look too much like the actual nut and, well, it’s not that easy to chew.  Trust me), and I didn’t like the flavor.  This story is old news though – you guys know already that my love affair with pecans began when I first tried them toasted and always ALWAYS in Mom’s pecan pie.

Another thing that made me fall in love with them though?  When I found out Nate liked them too.  See, I’m not that girl that loves things because a guy loves them.  But food shared is food savored and we always were able to love the same foods together.  I’ll never forget when we were dating and Nate decided he wanted dessert one night when we were eating out.  He wanted pecan pie goshdarnit and who am I to say no to a man craving pecan pie?

 

The waitress came over and asked the traditional, “You guys ready for some dessert?” question that you have to ask when you’re in the restaurant business.  And my husband – my sweet, adorable husband – told that poor girl that he wanted a slice of “Peckin’ Pie.”

 

Silence followed, along with some confused look and a giggle or two from my direction.

 

“I’m sorry, what kind of pie?”

 

“Peckin’ pie.  You know, with peckins in it and the crust and the ice cream…”

 

(More confusion).

 

Finally, to put the poor girl out of her misery, I blurted out, “Pecan pie.  He’s trying to say pecan!”

 

Needless to say she walked away, put in the order and probably spit in our whipped cream while Nate and I sat there and died laughing about how ridiculous he was being.  And that pecan pie, although the flavor was nowhere near Mom’s, is probably one of the best slices I’ve ever had.

BUT………….I didn’t make pie for you guys today.  Nope.  I made cookies instead.  Not lazy cookies, but the real deal cookies that are shaped like circles because I baked them that way.  They have finely chopped pecans, too much butter and sugar, and will become your newest addiction.  I promise you this: I was wary at first because they didn’t have chocolate and cookies without chocolate just aren’t my think these days.  But I’ll be darned if I haven’t eaten almost every single one that I made and am contemplating making more tonight.

BUTTERY BROWN SUGAR PECAN COOKIES

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup very finely chopped pecans (I gave mine a whirl in the food processor)

Preheat your oven to 350.  Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the vanilla and egg and mix until combined.  Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  Fold in the pecans until evenly distributed.  Drop by the heaping teaspoon onto a pan lined with parchment or a Silpat and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  You just want to see a little golden brown around the edges at the bottom, and then remove them immediately to cool.  Cool for about 10 minutes before eating…if you can!

Maybe only make these when you have friends or family over…I can’t be held responsible for the stomachache that will ensue when you eat too many.  Trust me, it’ll happen.

Tagged as: addictive cookie recipe, brown sugar, brown sugar cookies, butter, Buttery Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies, finely chopped pecans, melt in your mouth cookies, Mexican vanilla, pecan cookies, pecans, simple cookies