Cookies Preferences
Whenever the guests came back to the house after a day of shooting birds, wet, dirty, and tired, we had to have an extensive afternoon tea set up in the entryway for them to grab on the way to their rooms to rest up before dinner. Little crustless tea sandwich triangles and lemon poppyseed tea cakes and chocolate truffles and these delicious pecan shortbreads. The best part is that they lasted for 2 weeks in an airtight container because absolutely no one but us in the kitchen actually ate the tea we were required to set out. Why would they? They'd just eaten an elaborate lunch in the fields a couple of hours before and were about to have a three course formal dinner. I suppose it's the gesture that matters....and all the more for me!
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely ground
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
flaky sea salt to garnish
Preheat your oven to 350/180 degrees and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
In a small bowl combine the flour and salt. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until quite light and fluffy looking. Add the egg yolk and mix completely. Now add the flour and ground pecans mixing until just only combined.
Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before rolling it out to about 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. I used cookie cutters to make my shapes but you can cut into whatever shape you wish. Place the cookies on your prepared tray and bake for about 10-12 minutes, until just browning around the edges. Allow to cool before eating.
Makes about 4 dozen
