Over the past century, pecans have become closely associated with the South. However, walnuts were actually the pecan's predecessor in the Low Country, and were far more popular in earlier times.
Cookies can be made 2 days ahead and kept, layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hr
Yield
Makes about 80 small cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Step 2
Beat together butter, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then beat in egg and vanilla until just combined. Sift flour over batter, then fold in. Fold in walnuts.
Step 3
Drop level 1/2 teaspoons batter about 2 inches apart onto well-buttered baking sheets and pat into 1 1/2-inch rounds with back of a fork. (To keep fork from sticking to batter, dip fork in water, then tap off excess water onto a paper towel.)
Step 4
Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until pale golden around edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully loosen hot cookies with a metal spatula and transfer to a rack to cool. (If cookies become too firm to remove without breaking, return to oven for a few seconds to soften.)
