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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).
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