Chocolate dipped pecan shortbread cookies
These holiday Pecan Shortbread Cookies are buttery and crumbly and so easy to make. To decorate, just dip the cookies in melted chocolate and then dip them again in pecan crumbs. Perfect addition to your Christmas cookie tray.
Ingredients
Pecan Shortbread Cookies:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz unsalted butter , room temperature
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup pecans , toasted, finely ground
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for Decorating:
- 4 ounces dark chocolate , high-quality, such as Lindt, chopped
- 1/3 cup pecans , toasted
Instructions
How to toast and grind pecans
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Toast pecans at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn – they burn easily. Cool them off completely.
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To make finely ground nuts, place toasted pecans into food processor and process until finely ground.
How to make pecan shortbread cookie dough
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In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and continue beating. Add 1/2 cup finely ground pecans and beat to combine. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt, then add mixed flour and salt to the creamy butter-sugar mixture. Do not overmix, just enough to combine all ingredients and form a cookie dough.
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Shape dough into 4 logs of different thickness (to make cookies of different radius – large and small). Wrap each log in plastic wrap and put wrapped cookie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, then in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
How to bake shortbread cookies
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Preheat oven to 325 F.
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After cookie dough has been in the freezer and in the refrigerator, unwrap plastic and slice each log into thin cookie slices.
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Place cookie slices on parchment-lined ungreased baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.
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Bake for about 15 minutes, don’t let the cookies get brown. After about 15 minutes of baking, let cookies cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
How to decorate shortbread cookies
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Melt chocolate in a small skillet over medium heat, just until chocolate melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
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Using spatula, brush half of the cookie on one side only (no chocolate on the bottom of the cookie) and along the cookie side. Dip the chocolate side of the cookie into coarsely chopped pecans. Return to rack.
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If you like, you can leave some cookies just covered with chocolate, without pecan crumbs. You can also leave some cookies just plain (no chocolate, no pecans on top of chocolate).
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Repeat with remaining cookies.
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Let cookies dry on rack for at least 1 hour, for chocolate to harden.
Recipe Notes
The recipe is adapted from Epicurious