Pecan Dulce de Leche Cookies

Happy Monday folks!

Sorry for the rather scant posting late last week. We've been preparing the house for another visit from Mother Humble and this time she's bringing friends with her. So we've been working hard to make sure the place is presentable. Even going so far as organizing the pantry and garage.



The pantry was a bit more fun than the garage. I got to go nuts with Italian canning jars. While putting the garage in order, the spiders went nuts on me.

I spent the weekend recovering from a spider bite. Fever, chills, nausea, aches and so much more! It was loads of fun! Rather than getting things done--like grocery shopping--I spent the weekend in a delusional state, thinking that in addition to every blanket in the house, I should cover myself with printer paper to keep warm.

So Monday rolls around and I'm feeling a little better and I hit my pantry, only to discover I have a single egg to bake with. One egg.

That really limits a gal's baking options, so we're doing pecan butter cookies today.



Pecan Dulce de Leche Cookies
adapted from In the Sweet Kitchen
yields roughly 25 2" sandwiches
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup rice flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped pecans

dulce de leche for sandwiching

In your food processor, combine the flour, rice flour, sugar and salt. Give it a quick whirl to combine. Add the butter cubes and vanilla and process until it begins to lose the fine crumbly texture and come together. Then add the pecans and mix. The less you blend the better. If you pinch the dough and it holds together, it is ready.



Pour the crumbly dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and cover it with a second sheet. Roll out the dough between the parchment to 1/4" thick. Cut out your cookies and transfer them to baking sheets lined with parchment. Place the sheets in the freezer for 10 minutes until firm and then bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes.

Once the cookies are firm and the edges just beginning to take on some color, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.



Sandwich the cookies with a little dulce de leche and serve.

For folks not wishing to bother with the caramel, the sandy pecan butter cookies are equally delicious without.