“Tis the season to bake cookies?”
Pecan Shortbread Fingers
My church has a lunch buffet every Sunday after the morning service. Because our congregation is blessed with many good cooks, I am regularly coming across some delicious foods and last week was another great find. My friend, Ms. Barbara R., baked a batch of "Christmas cookies" and they were extraordinarily delicious! At my request, Ms. R. emailed me the recipe explaining that she got it out of a Good Housekeeping magazine about twenty years ago; the name of the recipe was Butterscotch Fingers.
As the saying goes, Christmas is indeed the season to bake cookies but I'll let you in on a little secret ... these cookies can be enjoyed any time of the year! They are super easy to make using the slice-and-bake method. Other than the refrigeration time, they are quick. Most importantly, their taste is light, simple and delicious.
Butterscotch and caramel are both cooked sugar. But the main difference between the two is the sugar used to make them. Caramel is often made with regular white granulated sugar, while butterscotch is made with brown sugar. Caramel sauce doesn't always have butter, while butterscotch always calls for butter. Now that you've had this cooking chemistry lesson, just let me say this ... if you don't like butterscotch (and I don't) then please go on and try these cookies because they don't taste at all like butterscotch! My first thought when eating one of these cookies is, "nutty, shortbread with a gritty texture." So far, almost every person whose had a taste came back with "shortbread" to define the cookie. As a result, I have slightly tweaked the recipe and renamed it Pecan Shortbread Fingers ... I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Assemble the ingredients including two mixing bowls. Cut up the two sticks of butter into 1-inch cubes and place them in the larger bowl to soften. In the smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
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Allow the butter to soften for about 20 minutes and then add the sugar. Using a mixer at medium speed, mix the butter and sugar until creamy.
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Beat in the vanilla and then the egg. At a low speed gradually add in the flour mixture and continue to beat until blended.
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Using a spoon, stir in the pecan pieces.
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Over wax paper and using your hands, shape the dough into a brick measuring 12-inches by 3 3/4-inches by 1-inch.
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Using plastic wrap, completely cover and seal the brick. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, or overnight, until firm enough to slice.
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Just before the brick comes out of the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a large cookie sheet. Ready several cooling racks.
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Unwrap the brick and place it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the brick crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. (See Notes).
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Place the slices on the cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
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Using a spatula, carefully move the hot cookies to a wire rack to cool. Make additional batches with the remaining dough.
Serving Size 1 cookie
Servings 70
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 57kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 4g7%
- Saturated Fat 2g10%
- Cholesterol 10mg4%
- Sodium 33mg2%
- Potassium 11mg1%
- Total Carbohydrate 6g2%
- Sugars 3g
- Protein 1g2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
The time listed as "rest time" is actually "refrigeration time" but the recipe template wouldn't list it correctly!
Size of slices ... try to cut the slices of hardened dough to about 1/4-inch but don't worry if several are a bit larger at 3/8ths-inch, just try not to make them any smaller than 1/4-inch. The finish baked cookie should be just about 1/4-inch but 3/8th-inch is okay because both will bake in the same about of time but anything thinner might overcook.
By the time you get to step four to stir in the pecan pieces you are going to find the now thick batter a little difficult to stir. I typically re-wash my hands and manually knead the pecans into the dough. This is gooey and messy but it is easy to wash away and I think it is more effective.