Procrastination Recipe: Pecan, Pumpkin Spice Cookies (NOT Gluten free)

Yesterday I found myself alone at my dad's house. Just me and three cats. I was waiting for my father to get home so he could help me build a belated Hanukkah present for a friend so instead of just sitting around I decided to make some cookies for my father and sister. Neither of them has a gluten allergy and since I would be leaving a few hours later I decided to just make them with wheat flour.

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup chips of choice (I decided to use a Pumpkin Spice chips that my sister had)

I was scouring the cabinets for what to throw into this batter and found a bag of about to expire pecan halves and a bag of Pumpkin Spice chips (my sister goes a little overboard with pumpkin in the Fall). So I had her throw the pecans in a baggie and crush them with a rolling pin until they broke into smaller pieces.

Meanwhile, I melted the butter in the microwave in thirty second intervals until it was completely melted. Not just softened, like recipes usually call for, but completely melted (as in the milkfats separated). Then I creamed the butter, both sugars, the vanilla and then added in the eggs (which I like to beat separately before adding; I find it makes it easier to incorporate them). In a separate bowl I combined the flour, salt, baking soda, oats and pecans. Then I added the dry ingredients to the wet one cup at a time, thoroughly folding it in each time.

I ran out of parchment paper so one tray had it and the other didn't and both batches came out the same so you don't need parchment if you don't have it (it just makes cleanup easier). I baked the cookies (they spread so don't crowd them) at 350 degrees for about ten minutes or until they started to turn brown at the edges. Then, I set them on top of the oven and let them hang out another two minutes before moving them to a cookie rack to cool. This way they continue to cook because of the residual heat from the tray without overbaking.

Happy Eating!!

~Stephanie