Pecan Sandies, Cookie Recipe

Pecan Sandies, Christmas Cookie recipe

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tbsp vanilla
1.2 tsp maple flavoring
1 tsp. salt

1 cup pecan pieces

This is your basic one, two, three cookie recipe with variations.

Melt butter in Microwave until it is soft.

Add flavorings and nuts.

Cream in sugar.

Cut in flour, until dough becomes soft, then mix (like biscuit dough) with your hands until it leaves the sides of the bowl.

With your hands, roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place with plenty of space in between on a greased cookie sheet. (I use the quick release aluminum foil to cover the sheets and make things easier to clean up -- an important step if children or grand-children are "helping."

Flatten each dough ball to 1/2 inch thickness, with the bottom of a glass. I use a neat glass with a cut-glass flower on the bottom that once belonged to my granny. We made these together when I was a child and called them "Flower Cookies." It makes a little flower pattern on each cookie.

But any glass will do.

Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies brown at edges. Allow to cool thoroughly before removing from the sheet.

Some people use a finger dipped in egg white to wet the top of the balls and then dip the glass in confectioner's sugar between cookies. Some wet them after they are flattened and then sprinkle little red and green sparklies from the supermarket on top. But they are perfectly good without any of that fuss.

Whatever ideas you come up with, will become a tradition in your family.