Makes About 5 Dozen
4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1½ Cups Finely Chopped Pecans
½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
2 Cups (1 Pound) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
4 Teaspoons Heavy Cream
2 Cups Confectioners Sugar (10X)
Preheat oven to 350°F. with rack placed in the middle of the oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl whisk the flour, pecans and salt together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and heavy cream. Set the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour/pecan mixture. Set the speed to medium and beat until well blended and dough comes together, about 30 seconds.
Using a small ice cream scoop (Tablespoon Size) measure out the dough onto the baking sheets. Roll each ball into a crescent shape, spacing each cookie about an inch or so apart. You should be able to fit 7 rows of 3 on a standard size half-sheet pan.
Bake one sheet pan at a time for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan half way through the cooking time. Bake until slightly golden on the edges and bottoms. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Keep your eyes on the cookies, as every oven is different. You may have to adjust your cooking time.
Place the confectioners sugar on a flat plate and, VERY CAREFULLY, dredge the warm cookies into the powdered sugar to coat. Do this carefully as the cookies are quite fragile. It is best to coat them while still warm so the confectioners sugar melts into the cookie. Place on a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, store in a airtight cookie tin for several days.
Dust with more powdered sugar before serving.
Hints and Tips: Finely chopping the pecans in a food processor is your best bet.