Maple-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

In preparation for the (hopefully soon) arrival of our little one, I have been cooking and baking things to store in our freezer to (ideally) make hosting all of the visitors and feeding ourselves a bit easier after we return home.

First I made a few lasagna's to put in our freezer, then I whipped up 8 freezer meals that can be tossed into the crock pot anytime for easy, healthy suppers.  Thank you Pinterest for the crock pot recipes! After all of that cooking, my freezer looked like it needed some treats.

So I decided to whip up some cookies and freeze those as well. That way we would have something tasty to put out when people stopped by meet the baby without too much hassle on our part.  And let's be honest, we will appreciate the easy access to some homemade treats too!

These Maple-Pecan Shortbread cookies are from Martha Stewart's Cookie cookbook, or the recipe can also be found online on her website here.  I knew that shortbread freezes really well, so these easy cookies were perfect to add to my list.  I made 4 1/2 dozen cookies out of the original recipe (I have no idea how they only got 2 dozen!), so that was plenty to freeze and still have enough to enjoy while I impatiently wait for the upcoming rush to the hospital :)

I also this these would be the perfect addition to a Christmas cookie platter, they are delicious!

Maple-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups flour (plus more for dusting your counter)
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup pecan halves, finely chopped
• 24 - 48 whole pecan halves, for decorating
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 tsp maple extract
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• sugar, for sprinkling

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, salt, and chopped pecan
2. In a second large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy
3. Add the maple syrup, egg yolk, and maple extract to the butter-sugar mixture and mix well
4. Slowly add the flour, and mix until a soft dough is formed
5. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight)
6. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper
7. Flour your counter, and then roll out the dough until 1 cm thick
8. Cut out your cookies using a 2" round cookie cutter (or any shape you like!) and place them on the cookie sheets
9. Brush the cookies with the beaten egg yolk, decorate with a pecan half, and then sprinkle with sugar
10. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until golden on the edges
11. Let cool completely before storing or serving
12. Enjoy!