Pecan Shortbread

These awesome cookies utilize a technique that Dorie Greenspan uses in rolling out the sticky dough. She places the dough in a gallon ziploc bag and rolls it out with a rolling pin. Absolutely brilliant in my opinion!

I first blogged about these incredible cookies on August 11, 2012. This is an updated post with new photographs and re-written text.

Ingredients For Pecan Shortbread:
I used the following ingredients for the Pecan Shortbread: Room temperature unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, and roasted pecans.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (4 ounces) toasted pecan pieces (See Note 1)
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting Optional

Instructions

1. Place butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat together on medium speed until the mixture is very smooth, about 1 minute. Do not beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour, and mix on low speed only until the flour disappears into the dough, about 1 minute. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the toasted pecans with a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula. (See Note 2)
2. Using the spoon or spatula, transfer the dough to a gallon-size ziploc bag. Put the bag on a flat surface. Leaving the top open, roll the dough into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle that completely fills the bag. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so that it doesn't cause creases. Seal the bag, and place in refrigerator or freezer for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days. (See Note 3)
3. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
4. Put the ziploc bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough onto a parchment lined board or counter; discard the bag. Using a ruler as a guide and a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-1/2 inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the baking sheet. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. (See Note 4)
5. Bake at 325° F for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from the top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cookies will be very pale - they shouldn't take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.
6. If desired, dust the cookies with confectioners' sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Recipe Notes
Note 1: Spread pecan pieces in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350° F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Note 2: The reason that you don't want to overheat the dough is that the more you beat, the more air is incorporated into the cough. This causes the cookies to puff up when they are baking and to sink when they are cooling.
Note 3: I tend to put the prepared dough in the freezer, primarily because I tend to have more room in the freezer. You want the butter to become hard, whichever method you use.
Note 4: Pricking the cookies with a fork is termed docking. Docking allows the steam to escape while the cookies are baking. This prevents the cookies from puffing up during cooking.

for complete method please clikck : https://pudgefactor.com/pecan-shortbread/

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