Candied Pecan Sandies

Because you can never have enough sandies in your lunchbox!  These are a variation of the lemon coconut sandies I shared a few weeks ago.  You're going to love them!

Notes:
These are very similar to Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies.  I used nonfat milk to make these, but you could probably use 2% or whole milk with equally good results.  I made a batch of candied pecans to use in these cookies.  The only deviation from the candied pecan recipe was that I added ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.  If you don't feel like making candied pecans, you can purchase candied pecans at the store, or just substitute regular pecans, although the cookies won't taste exactly the same.  You'll have some sugary crumbles left over when you make the pecans; feel free to incorporate some of them into the 1½ cups of candied pecans that you add.  You'll want to roll these cookies in the powdered sugar while they are still warm, but not so hot that they burn your fingers.  The steam may make the powdered sugar coating seem damp, but it will dry eventually.  Once the cookies have cooled, I like to lightly sift a bit more powdered sugar over the tops so they look nicer.  For extra fancy occasions, serve the cookies in decorative paper cups, just like my mom does. 

Adapted from the Christian Home Cook Book

Ingredients:2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups finely chopped candied (cinnamon sugar) pecans
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
powdered sugar for rolling

Yields about 4½ dozen cookies

Whisk, Cream, Add, Shape, Bake, Cool, Roll:
Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds and preheat to 350°F.  Line two cookie sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper and set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour and chopped candied pecans, and set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, ¼ cup powdered sugar, and tablespoon of granulated sugar, and beat until the mixture is light a fluffy.  Scrape down the bowl and beater, add the vanilla and milk, and beat until they are fully incorporated.  Beat in the flour mixture in halves, beating just until no more flour streaks remain and scraping the bowl well between the flour additions.  Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to portion the dough out into a tablespoon-sized ball.  Roll the dough ball gently in the palms of your hands to smooth out the surface.  Place the dough ball on the cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.  Bake the cookies at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are baked through, but not browned, rotating the sheets halfway through baking.  It is ok if the cookie bottoms are a light golden color.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.  Once the cookies are cool enough to handle, roll them in powdered sugar, and place them back on the rack to finish cooling and dry.  The powdered sugar may seem damp after you roll the cookies.  Once the cookies are fully cooled, the powered sugar should begin to dry out.  Lightly dust the cookie tops with additional powdered sugar.  Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

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