Pecan-Cinnamon Cookies

I know, I hear you. Cookies after Christmas? Well, readers, that's the way my life has been running lately. Sheer craziness, no time to even think or plan ahead. I've had this recipe sitting in the kitchen for two weeks, and I finally made it on Christmas Eve Day. The recipe says it makes 48 cookies, but I cut mine thicker and made about half that. They're delicious.

Pecan-Cinnamon Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used all-purpose this time)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the pecans.

Divide the dough in half and use lightly floured hands to shape each portion into a 6 inch log. Wrap each log in waxed paper and place in the freezer until firm: at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap the dough and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. On a shallow plate, combine the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the logs in the sugar mixture, then slice each into cookies. The directions say make the cookies 1/4 inch thick; I had to make mine thicker. They were crumbling like crazy.

Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Serve with coffee, of course. Or milk.

Hints: I had pecan halves in the cupboard, so I put them in a ziploc bag and pounded them with a meat tenderizer. It worked beautifully and felt oh, so satisfying.

Readers, do you use whole wheat pastry flour? I'm finding it recommended by more and more cookbooks and blogs. My grocery store doesn't carry it; where do you buy this kind of flour?

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