Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets or use silicon baking pads (Silpat). The dough can be made by hand in a bowl or in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. Combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and 1 cup of the pecans in a bowl and stir to mix. Add the softened butter to the flour mixture and mix until the dough sticks together. Add the expresso and stir until the dough forms a ball. Using lightly floured hands, form the dough into two flat rectangles. On a lightly floured surface, take one piece of dough at a time and roll it out into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle that is 12 inches in length and 3 inches wide. Slice the dough into 1×3 inch rectangles. Place on a prepared baking sheet about two inches apart.

Bake the cookies for about 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges, don’t overcook them! Cool the cookies for about 10 minutes and then transfer them to cool completely on a rack.

While the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave. Dip one end of each cookie in the chocolate and place on the rack. Sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans onto the warm chocolate. Let the cookies sit until the chocolate hardens and the pecans adhere. You can freeze the cookies before dipping. Defrost and dip cookies before serving.