This recipe comes from Karen DeMasco's cookbook, The Craft of Baking.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 5 or 6 minutes, until fragrant. Cool on the baking sheet. Step 2: In a mixing bowl cream the butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth and lightened a bit, around 2 or 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Step 3: Add the flour and mix slowly until fully combined. Add the pecans and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and make sure everything is evenly distributed and no white flour is visible. Step 4: Turn the dough onto a clean countertop lightly dusted with flour. Shape and into a squared log, around 1½ or 2 inches on each side and about 12 inches long. Dust the dough with a little flour as necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight, until the dough is fully hardened. Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Beat the egg yolk in a small bowl and set aside. Pour the demerara sugar onto a small, rimmed baking sheet. Step 6: Divide the chilled log into two havles. Working with one log at a time, brush all sides with egg yolk, then roll in the sugar, pressing as necessary to make sure the sugar sticks and the log is evenly coated. |
Ingredients:
Step 7: Use a serrated knife, like a bread knife, to slice each log into 12 individual cookies, each about ½ inch thick. Place the cookie slices onto lined baking sheets, leaving a little space between each slice. Step 8: Bake, rotating halfway, until lightly golden, around 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. (These freeze well and will keep in an air-tight container at room temperature for at least a week. |