Aunt Syl's Pecan Sandies

I yanked this recipe out of one of my Penzey's catalog, oh - maybe 5 winters ago? Like, seriously one of my holiday favorites. I'm lucky if the cookies survive from baking day to the holidays a few days later (I have no self control with these things).

They are so easy to throw together. And yeah, lots of butter but other than that seem fairly heavy for holiday cookies - not much sugar, no eggs (which makes eating the dough guilt-free!). I adore the crumbly texture and buttery pecan flavor. With chocolate chips to boot, mmm. These suckers are perfect.

Aunt Syl's Pecan Sandies

(from Penzey's)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. flour, sifted

1 c. pecans, chopped small

6 oz. chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (semi-sweet or bittersweet)

3/4 c. butter

1/3 c. powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. cold water

1/4 c. powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix flour, nuts, and chocolate chips, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream butter, add sugar gradually and cream until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and water and mix. Gradually add flour mixture and blend well.

Mold dough into balls, using 1 tsp. dough for each ball. Don’t worry if the dough is crumbly–add 1 extra tablespoon of water if you have a hard time making a ball.

Bake on ungreased baking sheets for about 23 minutes. While cookies are warm, sprinkle with powdered sugar (or give them a good roll in it, like I did). Store in an airtight container.