Butter Pecan Cookies

I was wanted to make some cookies today.  I had seen a recipe on the King Arthur website that looked really yummy but the dough had to sit overnight.  I wanted a cookie today!!  I found this recipe on Simply Recipes. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/butter_pecan_cookies/

I got a few more cookies than she did.  They taste great but are a bit crumbly.  Next time I will sift my flour and see if it makes a difference.  I also rolled the cookie balls into Sugar in the Raw and flattened them a bit with a glass.

Butter Pecan Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toast pecans until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely; finely chop.

2 With an electric mixer, cream butter for about a minute. Add 1/3 cup sugar and cream until light, about 1 minute more. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.

3 Separate dough into 12 pieces; squeeze dough to shape into balls. Roll in sugar. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet.
4 Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass (reshape sides if necessary). Sprinkle with sugar.

5 Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with more sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Banana Cake

Here's a good snack cake recipe using a cake mix:

1 box yellow cake mix follow the directions in making the cake except use 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp nutmeg - I used fresh grated

Bake in a 9x13 greased pan at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until stick comes out clean.