Butter Pecan Cookies

I've been thinking about what Priya said — about building a curriculum. This week I sat down with a legal pad and mapped out what I've actually taught in the past year: knife skills, broth from scratch, dried beans, roasting vegetables, roux and gravy, quick breads, pie crust fundamentals, batch cooking and freezing. Add in the soup variations, the preservation classes, the Provo pantry sessions. There are eighteen distinct topics. That's almost a semester.

I don't know what to do with that yet. But naming it changed something. It went from "videos I make in my kitchen" to something with architecture.

December is here and the house is in full holiday mode. We got the tree up Saturday — the same ritual we've had forever, ornaments brought out one by one, the kids getting to hang the ones that are theirs. Noah is old enough now to really participate and he took it seriously, finding the right branch for each ornament with a level of deliberation that had everyone slowing down to watch him.

I made a big batch of gingerbread this week. Cookie cutters passed down from Gary's grandmother, shapes that are slightly battered from decades of use. We decorated after dinner Thursday and it lasted two hours and nobody fought and that's the kind of miracle you don't take for granted.

The year is winding down. I'm already feeling the turning of it — the place in December where you look back and then look forward, trying to decide what you're carrying and what you're setting down.

The gingerbread we made Thursday reminded me why I keep coming back to simple, handed-down baking during December — there’s something about cookies that makes a house feel like itself again. Butter Pecan Cookies are another one of those recipes I reach for when the season calls for warmth and something that comes together without fuss, the kind of thing that fills the kitchen with a smell that does half the work of slowing everyone down. After a week of mapping out curricula on legal pads and feeling the year turn beneath me, this is exactly the baking I needed: unhurried, a little golden, and completely worth it.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped and lightly toasted
Flaky sea salt for finishing (optional)

Instructions

Toast the pecans. Spread chopped pecans in a single layer on a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from heat and let cool.
Preheat and prep. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
Mix in the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture, stirring just until the flour disappears — don’t overmix.
Fold in pecans. Gently stir in the toasted pecans until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Portion and bake. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. If desired, press a pinch of flaky sea salt onto the top of each cookie. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly underdone.
Cool on the pan. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They firm up as they cool — don’t rush them.

Nutrition (per serving)

Butter Pecan Cookies — The Holiday Baking That Slows Everything Down