Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups pecan halves (6 ounces)
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Toast pecans in oven, then cool. Leave oven on.
- Pick out about 36 of the best-looking pecan halves for topping cookies and finely chop remainder.
- Blend together butter, sugars, vanilla, and salt in a bowl with a fork until combined well. Stir in flour and chopped pecans until a soft dough forms (dough will be sticky).
- Form 1-inch balls of dough and arrange 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets. Flatten balls to 1/3 inch thick using bottom of a glass (flour it if necessary), then push a pecan half onto center of each cookie.
- Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.
