Butter Pecan Cookies

Ingredients

For the Buttered Pecans:

• 1 and 1/2 cups pecan halves, finely chopped
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Butter Pecan Cookies:

• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, melted until browned
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 16 pecan halves, for decoration, optional

Instructions

For the Buttered Pecans:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in chopped pecans and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside until needed.

For the Butter Pecan Cookies:

• In a large bowl combine flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda; whisk well to combine then set aside until needed.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove pan from heat and pour butter into a large, heatproof mixing bowl. Add in both sugars and whisk well to combine. Add in vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating until eggs are just combined.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, stirring until just combined. Fold in the buttered pecans.
• Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days. If you refrigerate for more than 4 hours, you'll need to let the dough sit at room temperature until it's scoopable.

To Bake:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Scoop 3 tablespoon sized rounds of dough onto the prepared sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie for spreading. Firmly press a pecan half on top of each ball of cookie dough, if desired, then bake in preheated oven for 9 minutes, or until edges are set and the center is still a little jiggly. Sprinkle warm cookies with a little granulated sugar, if desired. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

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