Some of my favorite cookbook authors have opposing views on self-rising flour. For instance, in How to Bake Everything, Mark Bittman calls it "a silly concept". He says it's more expensive and can't be substituted for all-purpose. On the other hand, in Bakewise, Shirley Corriher states that it's "a perfectly uniform blend of leaveners and flour" and devotes a page to its merits. Me? I'm in the "I keep it around for biscuits" camp, but I also use it for a few particular cookies. And now I have a new one -- Butter Pecan Cookies!
This recipe for Butter Pecan Cookies is from The Savannah Morning News, courtesy of Teri Bell, co-owner of Miss Sophie's Marketplace. Teri, who bakes them for tour groups that come to The Mighty Eight Museum, says their flavor reminds her of Pecan Sandies.
They really do have a lot of good pecan and butter flavor, but to me the texture is more like tea cookies than Pecan Sandies. The Butter Pecan Cookies are a little more less crumbly and sand-textured. I love the size! I tend to make cookies too big, so these are more practical for groups.
I'll definitely make these again.
By the way, if you are in a part of the world with self-raising flour, consider adding an extra pinch or two of salt. American self-rising flour has salt in it. This recipe gets its salt solely from the salt in the butter and flour blend.
Recipe
Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 230 grams salted butter, cut into chunks and softened (1 cup)
- 200 grams packed light brown sugar (1 cup)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 270 grams self-rising flour (2 cups)
- 1 ¾ cups chopped toasted pecans I used Trader Joe's roasted unsalted
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- With a heavy duty scraper or using lowest speed of mixer, gradually stir i n the flour. When flour is fully blended, stir in the pecans. Cover dough and chill for an hour.
- Shape dough into 1 inch balls, then roll in toasted pecans. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased sheet pan.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until browned. Let cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
