Toasted Pecan Mounds and Soft Sugar Cookies

It's National Cookie Day!

What You need
1 cup pecans ( toasted and cooled)
1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter
cut into small pieces)
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Baking sheet
Food processor


Before You start preheat oven to 325°F.

Lets Make It! Pulse pecans with 3/4 cup of the sugar in food processor until finely ground (do not overprocess). Add butter, vanilla and salt; process, scraping bowl often, to blend. Add flour; pulse just until dough forms a ball. Lightly flour your hands and lightly roll into 1-inch. balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until tops are dry and set and bottoms are light brown. Cool cookies on sheet 10 minutes. Gently (they’re extremely fragile) roll warm cookies in remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar to coat. Cool, then roll in sugar again.

*Katies Tid Bits Storage Tip: Store airtight with wax paper between layers at cool room temperature up to 2 weeks. makes about 2 dozen

Soft Sugar Cookies

What You Need

    2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)

    1 1/2 tsp baking powder

    1/2 tsp salt

    1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)

    2 cups sugar

    2 large eggs

    1 tsp pure vanilla extract

   Whisk

   Electric Mixer

   Cookie baking sheet

   Wire Cooling Racks

   Sifter

Before You Start: Heat oven to 350°

Lets Make It! In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy (about 2 to 3 minutes). One at a time, beat in the eggs, and then add the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not over mix). Drop heaping Tbsp of the dough onto baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are golden, (about 12 to 15 minutes) Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Frost or leave plain. Makes about two dozen