2 sticks salted butter
¾ c. powdered sugar, plus more for finishing
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. pecan halves, very finely chopped
- Place the softened butter, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Beat with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix on low speed, just until combined.
- Add the pecans and mix on low just until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- If using more than one cookie sheet, position one oven rack in the top one-third of the oven, and the other rack in the bottom one-third position.
- Shape slightly mounded tablespoonfuls of dough into oval shape logs, about 2 ½ -inches long.
- Place them on two baking sheets, about 2-inches apart and curve them into half-circles.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes just until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly golden (if using two racks, rotate the baking sheets from upper to lower rack half-way through).
- Let cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a bowl of powdered sugar.
- Dredge them while they are warm, then transfer to a cooling rack set over a sheet tray to cool completely. Once cool, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired.
- Store in an air-tight container in a single layer, between layers of parchment paper, at room temperature for up to 1 week.
