SUE'S FAVORITE SPICED PECANS
Quick to make and a great gift! Be sure to give these plenty of tossing and drying room.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Combine the following spices in a small bowl & set aside ~~
1/2 teaspoon: ground cumin, chili powder, curry powder, & garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon: cayenne pepper, ground ginger, ground cinnamon
Heat 2 T olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add spices and stir well. Simmer 3-4 minutes to mellow the flavors.
Place 2 cups shelled pecan halves in mixing bowl, add spice mixture, and toss well. Spread nuts in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, shaking the pan a couple times.
Remove from oven and toss nuts with a rubber spatula to mix accumulated spices and oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and more garlic salt if desired. Allow to rest for 2 hours. Store in airtight jars.
Linda's Grandma Prudy's Butter Pecan Cookies
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt)
- 50-60 pecan halves
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat it for at least 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom.
- Add the egg yolk and beat well.
- Add the flour & salt. Mix until it forms a ball, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. When all the flour is incorporated, stop beating. (Over beating makes for a tough dough.)
- Cover the bowl and chill for about an hour. (If you are doubling the recipe, be sure to chill for more like 2-3 hours. They will bake flat if the dough is not cold. You can freeze the dough too, if you want.)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Form the dough into 1 inch balls. Place on the cookie sheet with one inch of space in between each cookie.
- Flatten each ball once with a fork. If the fork is sticking, dip it in flour, then press on the cookie.
- Press a pecan on top, perpendicular to the fork marks.
- Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes or until they are no longer shiny on the top or edges.* I don't let mine get brown, or if they do, it is a very small amount on the bottom edges.
