pecan nut shortbread... memories from my granny

These are my favourite biscuits ever!  Not only are they a delicious short bread with a dusting of icing sugar for sweetness and pecan nut for crunch, but they are also the biscuits my granny used to make for me when I went to spend holidays with her on her farm.  I remember the old biscuit tin they were kept in, drinking sweet hot tea out of my "small" Spode teacup, the cool feeling of slate underfoot and the smell of hot, dry, dusty highveld air.  Treasured memories of the place I most loved being when I was small.

Recently I made them with Miss J for the first time, you can see her "helping" me with the butter.  It is a great recipe to make with children because the dough is rolled into little balls, perfect for little hands.  To make you own follow the simple recipe below, and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of plain flour
• 250g butter - softened to room temperature
• teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1 packet (80g) pecan nuts - broken into pieces
• 4 heaped tablespoons of icing sugar
• icing sugar for dusting (around 2 cups in all)

To make:

• Cream butter and sugar until well blended 
• Add vanilla essence & blend
• Add flour and mix until a rough dough forms
• I do all the steps above in my food processor
• Add the pecan nuts and mix the dough gently until all flour is blended.  Be gentle, this dough doesn't like to be overworked.
• Roll into bite size balls.
• Place in an oven preheated to 200C and bake until they are golden but not brown - around 20 minutes.  
• Allow to cool
• Once totally cool roll in icing sugar and store in a well sealed jar or tin

Now simply enjoy with your tea or coffee.  Mmm mmm

Found the lovely birdie cookie jar at my favourite $2 shop.  I am going to take it to the cottage on our farm to store holiday biscuits for my own children, hopefully creating the holiday biscuit memories all over again.