We are fortunate enough to have a Costco store near us.** If you are familiar with Costco, you know that nothing comes in small sizes. So that is the story here.
I had heard about Pecan Butter – Peanut Butter’s cousin. I also had discovered Costco’s Pralines. Both of these items came in a size that was too big for our family of two to use anytime soon.
So… I decided to make cookies. I used Fannie Farmer’s recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies as a base, and I made up this variation.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together:
1 stick butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecan butter*
1 egg, beaten
Separately, mix together dry ingredients
1-1/2 cups flour
1/16 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Add to other ingredients. I don’t have a stand mixer, so I used a pastry dough blender to do this. They are available at Bed, Bath, and Beyond; Williams-Sonoma; Amazon; Target.
Lastly, measure one cup of pralines and place them in a zip-lock bag. Use a mallet to smash them into small pieces… the size of a dime or a bit smaller…not into dust. You'll want some praline pieces in the cookies. Add the pralines to the dough using a large spoon. This was my idea, and it really adds to the flavor and the texture of the cookies.
Roll into balls the about 1-1/4 inches across. Place on a cookie sheet and press with a fork in two directions.
This recipe makes enough cookies for two cookie sheets. I flip the two sheets so the top one becomes the bottom and vice versa. For my oven, I flipped them after 6 minutes and cooked them another 7… so 13 minutes total. You want them to be browned but not burned or dried out.
Cool cookies on a rack.
*Note: Pecan Butter has a tendency to separate so you have to stir the oil into the rest of the product. The pecan butter can be stiff so use a sturdy spoon.
**If you don't have a Costco near you, Amazon carries these products: Purely Pecans Sea Salt Y'All Pecan Butter and Kirkland Praline Pecans. These sizes will enable you to make multiple batches. Enjoy!
