I love baking. Pies, breads, tarts, cakes-you name it, I'll bake it. Well, everything except cookies. I know this will probably sound silly, but I have never had the patience to bake cookies. I won't even bother with that pre-packaged cookie dough that you just break into squares and plop onto a cookie sheet. My mother, on the other hand, was the chief cookie baker in our family. Every Christmas, she'd make dozens of cookies for family and friends. One particular cookie was a huge hit with our family and was requested every holiday season. My mother affectionately called them
Pecan Dusties: buttery pecan shortbread rolled in confectioners' sugar.
It has been three years since I've tasted my mom's beloved pecan dusties, two years since I lost her one week after Thanksgiving in 2007. This holiday season, I decided that I would carry on my mom's tradition and prepare batches of her pecan dusties to share with the family. I'm so glad that I asked her how to make these before she passed, and I am happy to share the recipe here. Warning: these cookies are very addictive (seriously). Be prepared to make a few batches because these cookies will be gobbled up in no time.
