A recipe for pecan ice box cookies

 

It is a cold Saturday night here in Kansas City with the temperature below freezing and a slight breeze that make the cold just a bit worse.  Perfect for sitting inside and drinking a warm mug of hot chocolate and enjoying a good cookie.

This weekend's food orders have been rescheduled for two weekends from now.  Nothing terrible prompted the reschedule. I simply had a very busy week that included a two-day trip out of the state.  For the upcoming a holiday weekend, I will not offer anything to order.  So grab a few cookies for the following weekend and that aforementioned mug of hot chocolate.

If you want to make a good cookie yourself, then keep reading.  Here's my recipe for pecan ice box cookies.

You will need the following ingredients:

1 cup of Crisco vegetable shortening (use Crisco sticks for the most accurate measurement)

225 grams of light brown sugar

225 grams of granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of chopped roasted pecans (measure the cupful after roasting and then chopping; roast the pecans at 350 for 9 minutes before cooling and then chopping)

470 grams of all-purpose flour

Now prepare the cookie dough using the following steps: 

1.  Cream together the shortening and both sugars.

2.  Mix in the eggs and vanilla.

3.  Mix in the flour and baking soda on low speed.

4.  Mix in the chopped pecans.

5.  Form the dough into a slab approximately 10 inches long by 4 inches wide.  Wrap the slab in plastic wrap and freeze it overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 F before baking.

6.  Cut the frozen dough (do not thaw) in slices approximately 1/4 inch thick from the 4-inch-width side of the dough slab.

7.  Place the slices on a cookie sheet.  They will spread a little so give them some room.  I place 8 slices on a large cookie sheet, 3 vertically on the top, 3 vertically on the bottom, and 2 horizontally in the center.  

8.  Bake in the 350 oven for 12 minutes for regular (slightly pale) or 13 for crispy (darker).

9.  Let them cool to room temperature.

I usually store the cooled cookies in a plastic Zip-Lock bag.  They will last several days when stored that way.  

Give them a try and let me know how it goes.  And don't forget the milk or the hot chocolate!

Stay warm, everyone!