How’s your holiday baking coming along? Are you over cookies yet, or do you have the energy for one more recipe? If you do… this is a very easy recipe.
I’m visiting family in Indiana over the holiday, so I wanted to bake up a bunch of treats to hold Zack over while I am gone. Included: these buttery sliced cookies.
These cookies are simple because after shaping the dough into a log and giving them a good chill, you simply slice and bake them. They’re also great for keeping in your freezer so you can serve freshly-baked cookies on a moment’s notice.
Lots of butter and egg yolks contribute to a melt-in-your-mouth, rich little cookie. And the best part? Our dry high altitude air only makes them better as they sit out. A welcome addition on any cookie plate!
How to make this high altitude adjusted recipe:
Maple Pecan Butter Thins
Adapted from Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Family and Friends, Texas Style by Rebecca Rather
- 1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2⅔ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
- Cream your butter and sugar together until just combined.
- Add the egg yolks and maple syrup. Beat until smooth.
- Add the flour, salt, and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Stir in the pecan pieces.
- The dough will be soft and somewhat sticky. Don't worry, it will firm up.
- Divide the dough into two clumps.
- Pull out a large piece of plastic wrap and place one of the dough clumps on top.
- Fold the plastic over the dough and shape it into a large log, 2" in diameter or smaller, depending on how large you'd like your cookies to be. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight, until very firm.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Slice the rolls into ⅛" thick cookies and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. They won't spread during baking so you can place them close together.
- Bake the cookies until they start to get golden along the edges, about 7-8 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your cookies. They will firm up as they cool.
- Makes about 30 cookies.
Note: This recipe was adjusted for high altitude baking. To make at sea level, increase the flour to 2 3/4 cups. Baking times may vary.
