Pecan Sandies

The end of August is a busy time for Corcoran Street Kitchen. It is mega important birthday season. The grand daddy of them all (or grand mama really) is my gmom's birthday. Gmom is undoubtedly the coolest lady I know. She grew up deep in the heart of Texas on a ranch. If you blindfolded my gmom and dropped her off in the wilderness she would easily survive and set up quite a nice life for herself. I can't just give her lotion from Bath and Body Works for her birthday. The only problem is...my poppy is a hoarder. A lovable one, but a hoarder none the less. Gmom doesn't want one more material possession to enter the house. What to do...what to do. Another thing to know about gmom is that she is a pecan NUT. They had pecan trees on the ranch and she's always loved them. I figured I would make her a big batch of pecan sandies and stuff them extra full of pecans. Win-win. I made a gigantic batch and was able to make birthday treats for gmom and the other two late August birthday gals in my life and they were a big hit. If you want to make a reasonable amount of cookies, cut the recipe in half. I adaped this recipe from Allrecipies.com (a great website for reliable recipes) and it is total melt-in-your-mouth pecan goodness. I wish I made MORE so I had extras leftover for myself.
Pecan Sandies (adapted from Allrecipies.com)
Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup confectioner sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tarter
1 tsp. salt
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup halved pecans

1. Start by creaming together the butter, vegetable oil and sugars.
2. Add the eggs and almond extract. Continue to cream together until smooth.
3. Slowly add the baking soda, cream of tarter, salt, and flour until incorporated. You don't want to over-mix.
4. Add the 2 cups of chopped pecans and stir in until fully incorporated.
5. Roll into 1 inch balls and set on a baking sheet.
6. Press a pecan half into the top of each cookie.
7. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until they just begin to brown around the edges.
8. Cool on the racks and then store in an airtight container for a week or two.
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