I've been baking slice-and-bake cookies more often than usual during the pandemic, because the fact that you can make and form the logs of dough in advance and just leave them in the fridge until you're ready to bake is so convenient. Each week I've been making a selection of baked goods -- generally three different items -- to distribute to friends and colleagues. It's always a bit of a push to get everything baked and ready on a single day, but the prep schedule becomes a lot easier if I include at least one item can be prepared ahead of time.
That was one reason I decided to try Joanne Chang's recipe for "Pecan Sandies" from Pastry Love. Another is that I absolutely love BraveTart's recipe for Homemade Pecan Sandies and I was curious to see how Chang's version would compare.
The recipe is simple and requires only a few basic ingredients. You beat butter with powdered sugar until creamy and light; add vanilla, baking powder, and salt; and incorporate flour and ground toasted pecans. You form the dough into a log and chill it for at least four hours. I left the dough in the fridge for a day before rolling the log in roughly chopped toasted pecans and slicing the dough into rounds that I baked until golden.
I was pleased with the sandies' neat, consistent appearance. The cookies were surprisingly light and delicate, practically melting in your mouth. They were quite different from BraveTart's pecan sandies, which are compact and crunchy, although they dissolve into sandy crumbs as you eat them. I have no criticism of Chang's cookies, which definitely delivered buttery pecan flavor in a dainty package. But my personal preference is for BraveTart's more assertive and intensely-flavored version (and I'm undoubtedly biased because I love crisp/crunchy cookies). But both recipes are worth making, and I would happily eat either version!
Recipe: "Pecan Sandies" from Pastry Love by Joanne Chang.
Previous Post: "Brown Butter Makes the Sandies Just Dandy: Homemade Pecan Sandies," March 8, 2018.
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