Pecan Tea Cookies

Hello Friends! Sorry I've been so quiet this month. It is beginning to be a beautiful fall season in Tennessee. All of the colors on the trees are just gorgeous! I had the pleasure of staying home all day yesterday. I cleaned house, made a huge pot of soup and craved shortbread cookies all morning. While I did not make any shortbread cookies I did pull out a different, semi-similar cookie recipe that I thought I would share. Please don't shy away from making these because of the kind of lengthy directions. They really aren't a bother and they are well worth it.

Pecan Tea Cookies

2 sticks butter - softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar (and more for later)

1 3/4 cups pecans (finely chopped)

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange two racks in oven to first (bottom) and third (middle) positions. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

In a medium bowl combine flour and salt with a whisk.

Using a stand mixer (if you have one, if not a regular mixer will work) whip butter sticks on medium high for 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and whip for 2 minutes on medium high. Add half of the pecans and mix well. Gradually add flour mixing well. Stir in remaining pecans and chocolate chips. Roll by tablespoons full and place on baking sheet one inch apart. I like to give mine a little pat down so they're not so much a ball shape. You can get a lot on each sheet because they don't spread.

Place one baking sheet full of cookies on lower rack in preheated oven and the other on the middle rack. Bake for 25 minutes alternating baking sheets halfway through. I time mine for 12 minutes then switch the sheets and time for 13 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on pans for 5 minutes. As you remove the cookies, drop into powdered sugar and coat well. Place cookies on cooling rack and let cool completely then drop in powdered sugar again.

Hope you enjoy them!