Ingredients
These cookies are a Christmas time favorite. Be sure not to spend too much time mixing the dough as the heat of your hands will begin to melt the butter and your cookies will end up flatter and softer than usual.
- 1 cup salted butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts
- Powdered sugar to dust cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, cut butter into bits.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, flour, and chopped nuts.
- Mix with hands just until combined. Form a large ball.
- Using a teaspoon or your fingers, pinch off a spoonful of mixture. Form a small ball by rolling the mixture between your palms. Place balls on a baking sheet.
- Bake about 15 minutes or until bottoms of cookies are very lightly browned. Remove cookies from pan and place on a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar when cookies have completely cooled.
Tips: Buy nut halves rather than the chopped or nut pieces. Place 1 cup of nuts in a ziplock bag and bang them with a rolling pin. You can bang a whole bunch of nuts and store them in the freezer until you need them. Be sure to use regular butter, not unsalted. Otherwise, you will need to add 1 tsp or so of salt.
