#52. Caramel Cinnamon Pecan Bites

I was a bit skimpy with the caramel glaze in the first batch because the cookies are sufficiently moist as is; however, feel free to add an extra ladle (and grab some extra napkins) if you want a better syrup to cookie ratio.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons white sugar

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup chopped sugar-glazed pecans

• caramel sundae topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine the 3 tablespoons white sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Blend dark brown sugar and white sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed. Add butter and blend until grainy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until light and fluffy.

4. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to sugar mixture, mixing at low speed just long enough to combine. Mix in glazed pecans.

5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then roll each ball into cinnamon-sugar to coat. Place cookies on cookie sheets and bake at 300 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Cool completely. Drizzle caramel topping over cookies.

#33. Pecan Sandies: Typos Can Still Be Tasty

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

STELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!, I yelped to no one in particular. Flash back to this past weekend, when I attempted to make pecan sandies using (Stella) Parks’ Bravetart, the newest addition to my out-of-control cookbook collection.

Although my mom, as I have oft noted, made some killer chocolate chip cookies, she also wasn’t adverse to purchasing packaged cookies, especially those vended by the playful Keebler Elves, whose treehouse villa just has to exist somewhere. #dreambig

And despite the fact that I generally loathe nuts in cookies, I have many fond memories of nibbling on Pecan Sandies while reading L.M. Montgomery. Something about the shortbread studded with buttery bits of hickory nut felt appropriate for tales of Anne and Avonlea.

Thus, homemade pecan sandies seemed the perfect way to break in Bravetart, but for some reason what I removed from the oven after following the directions in painstaking fashion resembled pancakes more than cookies.

My husband did not believe me. “You have to have messed up something with the ingredients.” I stuck to my story about following the recipe.

It turns out, we were both right. Yes, I adhered to every last detail of recipe, and in so doing, I unwittingly added too much butter because there was an error in the text! And that’s not fake news.

A Lovely Birthday Gift From My Dear Friend Alicia.

Rather than waste what remained of the batter (out of habit, I test half-batches at a time), I winged it with regards to a solution by adding more flour to balance the fat. What emerged in Round Two wasn’t a complete failure, i.e., not a flapjack.

The best bakers annotate their cookbooks with notes and tips based on past experiences, and I have already put a big strike-through on the specification for 1.5 sticks of butter (correct amount: 1.25) in the pecan sandies recipe.

And, Stella, dear, we all make mistakes. You’re still my hero.

#22. Discount Albeit Delicious Almond Crescents

Work has been crazy and my significant other was away, so I was keeping house, which meant spare time was spent harvesting vegetables from the rooftop garden and tending to the kitties. Could be worse. But my partner in crime is back in town, so it's cookie time! 

My addiction to discounted groceries compelled me to buy a half-price can of almond cake and pastry filling, which, in spite of its name, I was certain I could use in a cookie recipe. Turns out the good people at Solo agreed.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 tsp almond extract

• 1 can (12ish ounces) Solo Almond Cake and Pastry Filling

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• Confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.

3. Add in almond extract and almond filling until well-blended.

4. Gradually beat in flour until thick dough forms.

5. Let dough rest in fridge about 3 hours. Solo people say 4 hours but 3 was enough pour moi.

6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Remove dough from fridge. Dust both of your hands with flour to ensure dough does not stick to them. Shape dough into crescents approximately 1.5 inches in length.

8. Place on cookie sheets, leaving some space between each crescent and its neighbor, both of whom will expand just a bit in the oven.

9. Bake 15-20 minutes until crescents are light brown. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.