Gluten Free Pecan Sandies
When it comes to Christmas cookies… or any cookies, for that matter… one of my absolute favorites is Pecan Sandies (sometimes called Mexican Wedding Cookies). My favorite cookies are usually “nutty” and always extra-sweet and these cookies more than fit the bill.
When I had to give up gluten/wheat (my body’s decision, not my mind’s), I was pretty sure the days of being a cookie monster were behind me. Fortunately a lot of food companies have been busting their rears perfecting All Purpose Gluten Free flours and have, as a result, opened up a whole new world to the gluten free crowd that we once thought was closed for good.
Granted, some of these “1 to 1” all purpose gluten free flours can be pretty expensive, but the one I recently discovered is, shockingly, just a bit more than regular flour. The fact that I’ve used it in A LOT of old favorite recipes as a substitute for traditional flour with spectacular results just blows me away.
Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour is a a dream come true for this gluten free cookie monster and the fact that it’s also affordable is even sweeter.
I used my favorite Pecan Sandies recipe, from my favorite cookies cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens Cookies for Christmas, 1985. You should see this cookbook! I’ve used it so much over the years (throughout the year, like any self-respecting cookie monster would) that the pages are discolored, stained with who-knows-what and filled with notes like…
- Brittany’s favorite cookie!
- Emily loves these so much, they’re worth the extra effort..
- Michael’s fave..
- Stephany can’t get enough of these…
It’s pretty easy to tell my favorite cookbooks from the rest.
Below is the recipe, as it appears in the cookbook EXCEPT that I replaced “all purpose flour” with Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. If you have another gluten free all purpose flour you’d like to use, by all means, give it a try! I personally haven’t tried other gluten free flours so I can’t promise they’ll be as great as these were.
Needless to say, if you don’t have to eat gluten free, simply switch out the gluten free all purpose flour for the traditional one. Either way, you’ll have a cookie that’s as delicious as it is pretty.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2-1/4 cups Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixer bowl, beat butter or margarine till softened.
- Add sugar and beat till fluffy.
- Add water and vanilla and beat well.
- Stir in flour and nuts.
- Shape into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake in a 325 degree oven about 20 minutes or till done.
- Remove and cool.
- In a plastic bag, gently shake a few at a time in powdered sugar.
