Did you know Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite dessert was pecan pie? In honor of his birthday, we’ve got a recipe for a delicious pecan dessert!
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 18-22 cookies
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Filling:
¼ cup corn syrup
⅓ cup light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
¼ tsp. Salt
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the wet ingredients. Continue to mix on low speed and scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until a nice, soft dough forms. About 1 ½ minutes.
6. Scoop the cookies into 2 ½ Tbsp. size balls and place about 2” apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the sides.
7. As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, use a 1 Tbsp. to press an indent into the hot cookies to create the “thumbprint” mark where the pecan filling will go.
8. Let the pressed cookies sit on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. In a medium sized sauce pot, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and butter. Place over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble.
10. Remove from heat then add the pecans. Mix to combine.
11. Spoon the pecan mixture into the center of the cooled cookies.
12. Repeat this process until all of the cookies are complete. Enjoy!
