Pecan Shortbreads Tested Recipe

Pecan Shortbread Recipe

I have always enjoyed a good shortbread. Pecan Shortbreads are no exception, with their buttery sweet caramel flavor. What a difference substituting one ingredient can make in a shortbread cookie. While a plain shortbread cookie contains white sugar and are usually pale in color and mild in flavor; this changes when we replace the white sugar with brown sugar and add toasted and chopped pecans. What also makes these Pecan Shortbreads so delicious is that we bake them a little longer than most shortbreads, that is until golden brown, so when the pecan shortbreads come out of the oven they will be wonderfully crisp and crunchy. This recipe is one I adapted from David Lebovitz's excellent book Room for Dessert.

Pecans are a native American nut that descends from the hickory tree which belongs to the same family as the walnut. This buttery, soft-textured, slightly bittersweet nut is cultivated mainly in the Southern United States. It's smooth, reddish-brown, one-inch (2.54 cm) long oval shell encloses two golden-brown crinkled lobes with ivory-colored meat. There are regional differences in how 'pecan' is pronounced, ranging from pih-KAHN, pih-KAN to PEE-kan. If you cannot find pecans you could use walnuts in this recipe.

Once the shortbreads have been baked and cooled, you can dip them in melted chocolate. Use either semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate and be sure to use a chocolate that you enjoy eating out of hand.

As I have mentioned before, the secret to making a good shortbread is to use a high quality butter and pure vanilla extract. Butter in the States is graded according to flavor, color, texture, aroma and body and one easy way to tell the quality of the butter is by the letter code or numerical number listed on the butter's package. The highest grade is AA (93 score), then A (92 score), followed by B (90 score). Buying vanilla extract can also be a challenge as there are so many choices. The first thing to do is to make sure that it is labeled "pure". The best I have found, although it is quite expensive, is Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract that can be found in specialty food stores and on line. If your budget doesn't allow this expenditure or you cannot find it, don't worry, there are quality brands to be found in your local grocery store. Just stay away from the ones labeled "imitation" vanilla extracts as they are made with synthetic vanilla (from glycoside found in the sapwood of certain conifers or from coal extracts) and leave a bitter aftertaste


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To Toast Pecans: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Bake the nuts 8-10 minutes or until browned and fragrant. Cool on wire rack and then coarsely chop.

In a medium sized bowl place the flour and salt and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the flour mixture, mixing only until incorporated. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least one hour).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove one half of the dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll into a 1/4 inch (.5 cm) thick circle. Then, with a lightly floured cookie cutter, cut out rounds or stars. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up the cookie dough. Roll and cut out the remaining cookies.

Bake for approximately 13 - 15 minutes or until the shortbreads are a deep brown color. This ensures a crunchy and crumbly cookie. (Note: If you only bake the shortbread until they are light brown the shortbread will be softer in texture.) Remove cookies from oven and cool on a wire rack.

For Chocolate Dipped Pecan Shortbreads: Place 3 ounces (90 grams) of the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until it has completely melted and is smooth and glossy. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.

The shortbreads can be stored at room temperature for about one week or else frozen.

Makes about 36 shortbread cookies (depending on the size).

Pecan Shortbreads:

1 cup (100 grams) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (145 grams) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon (5 grams) pure vanilla extract

For Chocolate Dipped Pecan Shortbreads:

6 ounces (180 grams) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped