1/2 c. cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. pecan halves, finely chopped
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp. pure maple extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sugar for sprinkling
Into a medium bowl, sift flours and salt. Whisk in 1/2 c. chopped pecans and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about one minute. Add the maple syrup, egg yolk, and extract; beat on medium speed until well combined. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Dough should be smooth and pliable. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds using a two-inch round cookie cutter (or smaller); place one inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg; sprinkle centers with remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Sprinkle the entire surface with sugar.
Bake cookies until golden around the edges, 10-12 minutes (if cookies get too brown rotate the pan halfway through). Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container.
I just got to host my first baby shower - a "Nesting Shower" - last weekend for my friend Chantry, and we had a blast! We all had a lot of fun showering our sweet friend with food for the pantry, freezer meals, and diapers for the baby! My mom came to help me (what you should actually read is this: my mom showed me how it's done!) and she made these shortbread cookies as favors. She doubled the recipe and used a small (maybe 1.5") cookie cutter and ended up making 82 cookies :) Definitely plenty of cookies for favors and a few left over to nibble on after the shower!
Nesting Cupcakes - I have to admit that the idea was not my own, but they turned out so cute! Mom provided the cupcake trees, my new friend Sherri helped me make 3 doz. cupcakes, and Easter conveniently provided peeps and candy eggs!
um, yeah.
friends and family! We love you, Chantry!
these are THE best shortbread cookies - they are so soft! mom was asking me to get the recipe, so thanks for putting it up =)
ReplyDeletewe just got back from Tennessee - telling my grandma about what a WONDERFUL time we had at the shower. I felt so blessed! Thanks again for your sweet friendship and thoughtfulness in planning everything - it was just perfect =)