This cookie recipe was originally published in Gourmet Magazine in April of 2005. It is now posted on the Epicurious website.
The only thing that I changed from the original recipe was I reduced the sugar from 1 cup to 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons- it was way too sweet. That is a lot more than my normal 25% reduction! I also reduced the oven temperature from 375 to 350 degrees. 375 was too hot and I threw most of my first batch away!
The original recipe also said that it made 42 cookies- umm- they are already thin, so I think they would look like crackers if you made them that small! They are not that bad for you so I’m sticking with the size that I made them- my yield is 34 cookies.
These cookies are amazing because they are naturally gluten free. The only “flour” in them is 1/4 cup of potato starch. There are 3 egg whites in the recipe that are lightly beaten (don’t overbeat until foamy like I did the first batch, they turned out thin and hard!)
The resulting cookie is chewy right out of the oven then it quickly firms up and becomes crunchy. Gourmet magazine called these cookies addictive and I have to agree! The only other flavor besides the pecans is a little bit of cinnamon which is not dominant.
I shared this recipe with Hearth And Soul Hop at A Moderate Life, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar And Gluten Free, Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades Of Green, Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple, Tasty Tuesday at Balalncing Beauty And Bedlam
6 oz pecans (1 and 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tblsp sugar
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
scant 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 large egg whites, lightly beaten (don’t overbeat!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper
Coarsely chop 1 cup of the pecans and set aside. Pulse remaining 1/2 cup of pecans in a food processor with sugar, potato starch, salt and cinnamon until finely ground (be careful not to pulse to a paste) then stir in egg whites. Stir in remaining cup of chopped pecans.
Drop about 2 teaspoons of batter per cookiel onto parchment paper, 12 per sheet. Flatten batter slightly to smooth because as cookies bake, shape will not change.
Bake 2 sheets at a time until cookies are lightly browned and slightly puffed, about 12 total minutes. Switch baking sheets top to bottom midway through baking time.
Cool cookies completely before removing from parchment (they will be fragile). Bake remaining cookies and cool in the same manner.
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These look absolutely positively “to die for”! I bought the ingredients today and may have to start out with a double batch right away! I love the adjustments with the less sugar too. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Andrea!
Sue
Hi Sue! Thank you for your nice comments! I can’t wait to hear how you like them!
Hi Andy pandy! Seriously, I am a fan of the pecan sandy (I think I must be channeling dr. Suess!) and these look completely divine! It always amazes me how certain nut based cookies need very little in the way of fillers to create the cookie! I also don’t like them all that sweet so would agree with you in the reduction of the sugar. thanks so much for sharing these on the hearth and soul hop! All the best, alex
They look so tasty! I haven’t got into baking cookies…yet, but when I do I shall give these a go
I’m also taking part in the Hearth & Soul hop and that’s how I found your blog.
Hi Aurelia (I love your name!) Thank you for taking the time to come to my blog and comment!
Just stopping by from HearthNSoul. Your cookies look delish! I wanted to invite you to my Iron Chef Challenge which starts tomorrow and the themed ingredient is canned tomatoes. Link up a recipe and you’ll have a chance to win a prize. Hope you can join in the fun!!!
Thanks for the invite- I will look through my recipes that have canned tomatoes!
these remind me of florentine cookies…how do you think they would taste dipped in bittersweet chocolate? would it be too much? thank you for sharing with tuesday night supper club
Hi Christy! Mmm- they would probably be great dipped in chocolate!