Brown Sugar + Pecan Cookies

 

 

Even though TECHNICALLY she didn’t request a dessert for Pearls + Girls Fan Favorite Month, I’m making one for her anyway.  Who?  HER.  Ya know, the one who faithfully commented on my blog for two solid months to make me feel like I had actual fans! 🙂  Mom, aka Grandma Cathy, lover of butter pecan ice cream.  When I was a kid, I thought butter pecan ice cream was perhaps the most un-fun ice cream flavor possible (besides vanilla, that is).  However, at that point in my life I was obsessed with bubble gum ice cream, so perhaps my taste buds were just a tad immature. 😉  Pssst, these days I love butter pecan AND vanilla ice cream.

I baked a few batches of Pecan Cinnamon Rolls for Valentine’s Day, and I was looking for a quick recipe to use up the leftover pecans in my pantry.  When I came across this recipe for brown sugar cookies, I realized not only did I have all the ingredients in my pantry (SCORE), but I could also mix in my leftover pecans (DOUBLE SCORE)!  After I baked the cookies and let them cool completely, I took my first experimental bite.  Um, wow!  Not only is the crunch on these cookies extraordinary, they taste exactly like butter pecan ice cream!!!!  Which, of course, made me think of mom, aka Grandma Cathy, immediately.  Enjoy! 🙂

Brown Sugar + Pecan Cookies

Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Yield:  About 18 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

* You can use just all purpose flour, I just try to sneak in whole wheat flour whenever I can

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

extra sugar for rolling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer with double beaters, cream butter and both sugars for about 2 minutes.  Add the egg and vanilla, mix on low until incorporated.  Add dry ingredients, mix on low until incorporated.  Stir in pecans.  Using a medium cookie scoop or a tablespoon, form balls of dough and roll each dough ball in sugar.  Don’t flatten.  Place on a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 12 – 15 minutes.