Place the cut out cookies in the prepared baking sheets. Use a cookie cutter (I like a pumpkin) and cut out the cookies until all the dough is used. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick.No longer or the dough will be too hard to roll out. Press the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 15-20 minutes. Turn it out on to your work surface, lined with plastic wrap, and bring it together with your hands until it forms a uniform ball.The dough may be a bit crumbly looking still. Place the flour, salt, pecans, and bacon in the bowl and mix on low speed just until combined.Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the maple syrup. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy.Prepared 3 baking trays by lining them with parchment paper.Dip the face of the cookies in the glaze and let dry 15 minutes till set. Mix 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, and ½ cup maple syrup, to form a maple glaze. If you like, these cookies can also be glazed. Any of these are great options, you can even make an only nut-based shortbread cookie by leaving the bacon out if desired. Out of pecans? Use walnuts, cashews, or even pistachios. Swap it for 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or two teaspoons vanilla extract. If you don't have real maple syrup, don't use fake. But here are a few slight changes you can do for slightly different flavors. There aren't many ingredients, so there are not many substitutions to be made. If I am going to take the time to make these I like to make a lot of them. It holds its shape great while baking and has enough fat to not stick to the rolling pin. This is a great dough for cutting and using embossed rolling pins on. The smaller the better, or it will be hard to cut with cookie cutters. It is best done in a food processor or blender. I roll out the dough with a flat rolling pin, till it is just a little thicker than I want, then dust some flour over it and wipe it across with my hands, then with gentle pressure, roll the embossed pin over it.īe sure the bacon and pecans are very finely chopped. If you use an embossed rolling pin like you see I have used in my photos, be sure the dough has some flour on top of it before you roll the pin over it. Just take care not to chill it too long or the dough will crack when you roll it out. The flour needs a moment to rest, and you want to cool the dough so it is easier to roll, cut, and lift off your bench. The dough has to chill after mixing, for two reasons. This dough holds ups very well to cut-outs and impressions, as long as you chill the cut-outs before baking. You will notice that there isn't much change. But they will taste great in whichever shape you cup them in.Ībove is the before and after of baking. This can be done in any shape you like, but as I mentioned earlier, I make these mostly in the fall so I cut them into pumpkins or use this fun embossed rolling pin to make impressions on the dough. Refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes to relax and chill it slightly, but no longer or it won't roll out easily. Turn the dough out onto some plastic wrap, wrap tightly and press into a disk. Add the dry ingredients, and prepared bacon and pecans, and mix just until a dough forms. Then beat in the maple until fully combined. To make the cookies, begin by creaming the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Toast the pecans and let them cool also, it is best done in a dry pan over medium-low heat on the stove until fragrant. Then let it cool and chop into very fine pieces, I usually do it in a mini food processor I have so it is nearly a paste. The first thing you should do, if you don't have bacon at the ready is crisp up 6-8 slices depending on the thickness. Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions. Just be sure it is extra crispy and that you chop it up nice and fine so the cookies are easy to cut out. If I get the time to plan ahead, I even make a little extra bacon on the weekend to use in them. What is also great is that you can make these cookies with any type of nut really, so there is always something available. Whenever I get news of someone coming to visit, or I need to take a treat to an event, I almost always have all these ingredients ready. What's great about this recipe is the minimal ingredient list. Among all the sweets, this slightly salty butter cookie, with a hint of maple and crunch of bacon, is a welcome treat. While these Pecan Shortbread Cookies may be great any time of year, they fall right in with my autumn baking.
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