As a kid raised on Pecan Sandies, I can confirm that these pecan shortbread cookies, from the October 2009 issue of Food & Wine (and, by extension, my save-this-recipe three-ring binder), are an excellent and superior substitute. Rich, crisp and savory. And, because they’re a roll-and-slice style cookie, simple to make.
Vanilla beans: nuts to those. They rank in what I’m going to call the Saffron Pantheon of Spices. A jar containing two two-inch-long scrawny strands of bean runs more than $15—at Stop & Shop, no less. I substituted one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract per bean; the version of the recipe I've reprinted below includes this edit.
Also, my yield on the recipe was about 18 cookies while the reported yield was 2 1/2 dozen. Oh, man: but so good. In a sense, I’m glad I didn’t get those reported 30 or else I’d have eaten most of ’em by now.
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- 3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons demerara or turbinado sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the chopped pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 6 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour in 3 batches, beating at low speed until just incorporated. Discard the vanilla bean. Stir in the pecans.
- Transfer the dough to a work surface and roll into a 1 1/2-inch-thick log. Wrap the log in plastic or parchment paper and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until chilled.
- Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the demerara sugar on a platter. Brush the log with the egg yolk and roll in the sugar. Slice the log into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
- Bake the shortbread cookies for about 20 minutes, until the edges are golden; rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let stand until cooled completely, about 30 minutes, before serving.