Monday, November 27, 2017

Cinnamon Pecan Shortbread



The first Christmas cookies have officially been baked! The tree is up, but not yet decorated. It's beginning to look like Christmas around here.

This is a super simple recipe that would be great to make with kids. Little ones will love rolling the cookies in the cinnamon sugar and bigger kids can make the dough. I chopped the pecans quite fine so they wouldn't be too crunchy or stick out of the cookies. The flour and spices get dumped into the mixer (!) and then mixed on slow. Watch for the dough to begin to stick together in clumps, but don't over-mix it!

And for those with egg allergies—no eggs! Also handy when you have to bake a treat but you're low on eggs.

Cinnamon Pecan Shortbread

2 cups flour
1/4 cup pecans, chopped fine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, chopped pecans, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir well with a fork to mix. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the 1/2 cup sugar. Add the vanilla and beat well. Dump the entire flour mixture into the mixer bowl. On slow, mix until combined and it begins to stick together. It should be just sticky enough to make a little ball.

Mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl just big enough to roll around a 1-inch ball of dough.

Scoop a little bit of the dough into your palm, squeeze about two times and roll between your palms into a 1-inch ball. Roll in the sugar and place on the parchment paper. When the cookie tray is full, flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass. If it sticks too much, dip the bottom of the glass in the sugar bowl.

Bake 12-14 minutes.


Chop pecans

Flour, spices, and nuts.

Roll into 1-inch balls. Flatten as on left.





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21 comments:

  1. Delicious shortbread recipe; and I would love to read Not a Creature Was Stirring! EMS591@aol.com

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  2. Wow, you are on track! I haven’t started. Usually I do at Thanksgiving, but this year I am moving so no Christmas yet. I’ll have to run to catch up! Not a Creature Was Stirring is on my TBR list. Looking forward to reading around Christmas!

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  3. Those cookies sound super tasty. If I had the right kind of mixer, I would definitely make those! I'd be super jazzed to win a copy of Not A Creature Was Stirring. booknerdcat@gmail.com

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  4. Those cookies sound delicious and full of favorite ingredients! A lot of butter, but I am sure that is the key, right?! Looking forward to the new book! Thanks!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. The cookies sound delicious and easy enough for me. I’m not a great baker! cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

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  6. Yum. That is my kind of cookie!
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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  7. Shortbread with pecans? Brilliant.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  8. The cookies are delectable. Yum.saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. Those sound like the perfect treat for this time of the year! Thank you so much for the chance to win!
    magicgirl2357@yahoo.com

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  10. Love the cookie recipe, thanks for sharing. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  11. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

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  12. Hmmm...I just so happen to have an extra bag of chopped pecans from my Thanksgiving endeavors! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
    little lambl lst at yahoo dot com

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  13. Thanks for this enticing cookie recipe. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  14. The shortbread sounds delicious! bunkielisa (at ) gmail (dot) com.

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  15. Love shortbread cookies!

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  16. The Pecan Shortbread cookies look amazing, can't wait to try them. Looking forward to reading "Not A Creature Was Purring".
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. I haven't done any decorating or baking yet. These look yummy.
    turtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com

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  18. It sounds delicious! Not sure if I'll bake this year...hoping someone will send me cookies!

    cozyupwithkathy @ gmail dot com

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  19. I need to make some of those cookies. And, I'd love copy of your book to read while I eat them.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  20. Definitely going to make this Vegan! I'm really looking forward to the book_ I absolutely ADORE the cover!
    Happy Holidays~
    Kelly Braun
    Gaelicark(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  21. I would love to read the book...Christmas mood builders I call them...and all that baking is too yummy...
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete