Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies

I used to work for Starbucks in California. In the pastry case, full of terrible-for-you and not-even-that-good-tasting pastries (I guess I would rather have homemade), there was one treat that stood out. A scone. A maple oat nut scone to be exact. This scone had a wonderful maple flavor, was studded with pecans, and iced with a perfectly sweet glaze. So many delicious flavors converging in one little pastry!

But, I moved to Oregon and, alas, the Starbucks in Oregon do not carry the delectable maple oat nut scones. Sad, sad day.

These maple pecan shortbread cookies have been on my to-bake-soon short list ever since I opened my copy of Martha Stewart's Cookies. I've made many wonderful cookies from that book in the intervening years before finally getting around to these. I'm sorry it took me so long.

These cookies knocked the socks off of everyone I've shared them with. They really are a perfect winter cookie. As I've already established, maple and pecans are a natural and particularly tasty pairing. The shortbread here only compliments and highlights these homey and satisfying flavors.

In fact, these taste just like a cookie version of my favorite and now distant scones. These cookies will more than suffice in their absence. I will definitely curl up with a small stack of these and a cup of Starbucks coffee. I will once again know maple pecan bliss. Thanks, Martha!

Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies

~Print Recipe~

• 2 3/4 cups flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon pure maple extract
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 24 pecan halves, for decorating
• Turbinado sugar (or regular sugar) for sprinkling

1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Whisk in chopped pecans.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about 1 minute. Add maple syrup, egg yolk and extract. Beat on medium until well combined. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. The dough should be smooth and pliable. 
3. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk, wrap it up and refrigerate until firm, 1 /2 hours to overnight.
4. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. (I had to let my dough warm up a little before it would roll out.) Cut out rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter. (The only cookie cutter I had was heart shaped, though the hearts didn't really turn out in the end.) Place on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with beaten egg and place a pecan half in the center of each cookie. Sprinkle cookies with sugar.
6. Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until golden around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Makes about 2 dozen

Roasted Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

Ever have a recipe that you know you want to make, but it takes you a little while to actually get around to making it? Ever have one that took you two years to finally make? Well, this is mine.

I first saw this recipe while I was at the gym. I've mentioned before that watching the Food Network was basically my main reason for going to the gym. (I don't have cable, OK?!) If my timing was wrong, I'd get stuck with Paula Deen or Sandra Lee. But if the stars aligned in my favor, I'd get to watch Ina Garten's show, The Barefoot Contessa.

Ina's recipes always look delicious and she seems like she'd be a sweet person to have as a next door neighbor. So there I was one day, all sweaty and whatnot, and Ina comes on and makes this wonderful looking pear salad. It's got blue cheese and walnuts and dried cranberries, and all manor of delicious ingredients. And it doesn't look hard to make. I put it on my mental list of recipes I really want to try.

Subsequently, I went so far as to bookmark the recipe on my laptop. It languished there for two whole years. I never forgot about this recipe, but somehow I never went out of my way to get the ingredients, either. Then last week, somehow after all this time, it happened.

Pears were on sale at my normal supermarket, so I bought two. Later, on a whim, I stopped at a Grocery Outlet--which by the way has an excellent cheese selection if you didn't already know. I got a big hunk of blue cheese for next to nothing. I knew I had nuts and cranberries on hand. This was finally coming together! I picked up some spinach and lemons and I was ready to go.

Or so I thought. As I started making this salad, I realized that I used up my dried cranberries making some cookies recently. I dug around and found some dried blueberries--sometimes you have just have to substitute. Then I got to the part about apple cider, which I never have on hand and forgot to buy. "Oh man, I really blew it now," I thought. Just when I thought I had it! I was trying to come up with something I could use in place of apple cider...

when Mark reminded me that I randomly happened to have some on hand, probably for the first time ever. I am working in a fifth grade class and after their Christmas party we had extra Martinelli's left over. The teacher gave me a bottle. I had completely forgotten about it. But there it was in my refrigerator--a veritable Christmas miracle, if you ask me!

Long story not-so short, this recipe finally came together (in adapted form) two years after it initially piqued my interest. It was oh so worth the wait.

Roasted Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

~Print Recipe~

• 2 pears, ripe but still firm
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
• 3 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (plus more for sprinkling)
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries or cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans (plus more for sprinkling)
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons red wine or port
• 1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. baby spinach or arugula

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the pears and slice them in half lengthwise. Chop off a little of the rounded sides so that they will be sit steadily in the baking dish. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon or melon baller, leaving a well for the filling. Toss the pears in the lemon juice, to help them from browning. Arrange the pears, core-side up in a small baking dish and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the blue cheese, berries and nuts. Divide the mixture among the wells in the pears, compacting it into the wells and mounding it up a bit. (If you have extra, sprinkle it on the salad.)
3. In the same bowl, mix the apple cider, wine and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over and around the pears in the baking dish. Bake pears, basting occasionally with the liquid, until tender--about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, just before the pears are done, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. After you take the pears out of the oven, add 1/4 cup of the basting liquid to finish the dressing. In a large bowl, toss the greens with the desired amount of dressing. Pour rest of dressing into a serving vessel.
5. Separate the greens onto 2 large plates. Place 2 warm roasted pear halves on each bed of greens and sprinkle with desired about of blue cheese and nuts. Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side.

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as an appetizer