Pecan Cinnamon Cookies

I have to say that making cookies for today ended up being quite the challenge. I had planned all of my holiday baking a long time ago. While things change and recipes get switched about, I try to keep close to my original schedule. I had planned to make a cookie version of Stollen for today but looking at the recipe it would take two days to complete. The recipe also called for you to roll out dough to a certain sized rectangle. That never works well for me.

I decided to make a traditional German cookie, a cinnamon star or zimtsterne. The recipe was not complex, but it was so sticky, and I added a lot of extra powdered sugar. They looked ok when they went into the oven but came misshapen and strangely puffed. While they looked terrible, they were tasty, but not something to put on the blog. On to another plan…

This recipe is very similar to a Russian Teacake/Mexican Wedding Cake, which is one of my favorite cookies. This version is slightly different, in the addition of cinnamon. I used pecans instead of walnuts as I have those on hand and prefer the flavor. The dough is easy to make, although they had you chop the nuts with the flour and spices in a food processor. I didn’t want to wash the food processor, so I chopped the nuts separately. These cookies taste very similar to my favorite Russian Teacake, but I thought the cinnamon added a good seasonal flavor.

Pecan Cinnamon Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups pecans, finely chopped
Powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium until creamy. Stir in the egg and vanilla on medium to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and finely chopped pecans. Stir on low until the dough comes together.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, forming rounds. Flatten the dough slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until set and barely beginning to brown along the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Once cool, place about 1 cup powdered sugar in a large ziplock bag. Place 3-4 cookies in the bag and shake to fully coat each cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Recipe from belle vie