Pecan Sandies #CreativeCookieExchange

Buttery and rich with a delicious crunch of toasted pecans, these pecan sandies almost melt in your mouth as they leave a trail of sandy crumbs down your chin.

I have a notebook that I keep nearby at all times where I keep track of my upcoming obligations for different blogger group posts. I try very hard to write all the themes in it next to the publish date. Occasionally, if the theme is too long, I’ll shorten it so it fits but so I can still remember the whole thing. Or so I thought. This month’s whole theme for Creative Cookie Exchange is Cookies to Celebrate the End of Summer Vacation. That does not fit in my editorial calendar notebook. So I wrote, End of Summer.

End of summer, end of summer, I thought weeks later as I checked the notebook, the deadline looming. I’m such a Beach Boys fan that Endless Summer naturally popped into my mind. Hmmmm, interesting. And what goes with the Beach Boys but beaches? Now you see how I ended up making pecan sandies, right?

Pecan sandies are classic buttery cookies that are sometimes coated in or sprinkled with powdered sugar after they are baked. As far as I’m concerned, they don’t need the extra sugar at all and, for my purposes this month, the snow white shower would take away from their sandy color.

Going the other direction, I chose to sprinkle mine with the leftover crumbs of the toasted pecans for added color. But you do you, honey boo-boo.

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup or 100g granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons water
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans (about 5 ozs or 142g)
Optional: powdered sugar to decorate

Method
Toast your pecan pieces in a dry skillet on the stovetop. Stir or toss often so they don’t scorch but become a lovely toasted color all over. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat your oven to 325°F or 163°C and line two cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, salt and baking soda.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric beaters or your stand mixer until they are a pale yellow and fluffy – about three minutes. Scrape down the sides of your bowl with a rubber spatula.

Beat in the egg, vanilla and water until fully incorporated. Do not be alarmed when these look curdled. Adding the flour always takes care of that.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and continue beating, adding about a third of the flour at a time and beating until fully mixed and all the flour has been added.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooled toasted pecan pieces into the mixing bowl, leaving behind the smaller crumbs of pecan.

Mix until the pecans are incorporated into the dough.

Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to measure out the cookie dough into about 25-27 cookies. I separated them nicely in the first baking pan but discovered when they came out that they can be much closer together. They don't spread much.

Roll the dough into balls with your hands and then flatten them with the bottom of a glass.

Check the crumbs left behind in the pecan toasting pan to make sure that none of them are little pieces of pecan shell. This can happen in the shelling process with disastrous results when someone bites on shell.

Sprinkle the pecan crumbs on top of the cookies and press down again lightly to make them stick into the dough. This, as you can see, is pan two.

Bake each pan for about 10 minutes then rotate it to make sure the cookies bake evenly. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the pecan sandies are slightly brown around the edges. If you bake both pans at once, you might want to rotate them from top shelf to bottom shelf as well as front to back.

Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool.

Enjoy!

How do you celebrate the end of summer? Might I suggest baking some cookies?

• Apple Shortbread Cookies with Apple Cider Mascarpone Frosting by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Apricot Pochettes by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Blackberry and Cream Monte Carlos by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Black Forest Cookies by Spiceroots
• Blueberry Cookies by The Spiced Life
• Kiwi Thumbprints by Flours and Frostings
• Lemon Basil Cookies with Mint by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Lemon Meltaways by Oven Delights
• Lemon Sour Cream Cookies by Magnolia Days
• Orange Creamsicle Cookies by 2 Cookin Mamas
• Peach Pie Cookies by Live. Bake. Love.
• Pecan Sandies by Food Lust People Love
• S'mores Blondies by A Baker's House
• Strawberry & Cream Cookies by Baking in Pyjamas

Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts at The Spiced Life. We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

Pin Pecan Sandies!

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Spicy Bacon-wrapped Shrimp

These spicy bacon-wrapped shrimp will disappear so quickly that you might want to make a double batch. Serve them with some spicy bacon mayo for extra oomph.

I’m not going to give you a big song and dance story today about me and my avid relationship with bacon because no one should have to wait for bacon! My love of bacon has been fairly well documented, to the point that friends and family often send me links to bacon recipes or bacon roses, for which I am grateful. When I read that bacon was chosen as this week’s Sunday Supper theme, I sat down and wrote a list of possible recipes I’d like to share. SO MANY CHOICES. Then I headed to the grocery store.

My list went out the window when I came across the shrimp. Large and luscious, they cried out to be wrapped in bacon! Because my brain works in mysterious ways, I was already picturing them all lined up and skewered so they'd remain upright and their tails would curl up in the oven, creating the perfect little handles with which to eat them.

And so it was.

Ingredients
For the bacon-wrapped shrimp:
22 large shrimp – about 1.15kg or 2 1/2 lbs - before cleaning and peeling
1 lb or 450g bacon (normal, not thick cut)
3-4 hot chili peppers, cut into thin strips
Small handful chives, cut into pieces about the length of your shrimp

Extra equipment: wooden skewers

For the spicy bacon mayo dipping sauce:
1/2 cup or 125g mayonnaise
1 tablespoon bacon/shrimp drippings from baking pan
1 small clove garlic, grated finely
1 teaspoon or more hot sauce
1 tablespoon chopped chives

Method
Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C.

Peel and clean all the shrimp but leave the tails on.

Use a sharp knife to split the thick part of the shrimp so that they are open enough to put in one or two strips of pepper (depending on your heat threshold) and a couple of pieces of chive.

Cut the bacon slices in half.

Wrap one half bacon slice around each shrimp and secure it with a wooden skewer, cut side up.

Continue wrapping and skewering all the shrimp, cut side up, making sure to leave space between the shrimp.

Place the shrimp in one or more ovenproof pans. The tails should have enough space to curl up as the shrimp cook, creating the little handles I imagined.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is golden and crunchy looking.

When the spicy bacon-wrapped shrimp are done, whisk together all the dipping sauce ingredients.

Serve with warm shrimp.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our event manager, Shelby of Grumpy’s Honeybunch and Erica of The Crumby Cupcake for all of their hard work behind the scenes. Check out all the wonderful bacon recipes my Sunday Supper group are sharing today!

Bacon in Appetizers

• Apple and Bacon Jam Quesadillas by Nik Snacks
• Bacon Barbecue Nachos by Where Latin Meets Lagniappe
• Game Day Bacon & Cheddar ‘Tater Skins by Powered By BLING
• Killer Jalapeño Poppers by Simply Healthy Family
• Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp by Food Lust People Love

Bacon in Beverages

• Candied Bacon Old Fashioned by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Homemade Bloody Mary with Candied Bacon Swizzle by Our Good Life
• Pancetta with Balsamic-Brown Sugar-Pepper Glaze for Bloody Mary by La Bella Vita Cucina

Bacon for Breakfast

• Avocado Toast with Coconut Bacon by Helpful Homemade
• Bacon Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Breakfast Bruschetta by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Candied Maple Bacon by A Mind Full Mom
• Maple Bacon Protein Pancakes by Amee’s Savory Dish

Bacon for Lunch

• Bacon, Fig and Goat’s Cheese Quiche by Caroline’s Cooking
• BLT Bread Salad by The Chef Next Door
• Grilled Manwich Club by Momma’s Meals
• Restaurant Style Double Bacon BLT by The Freshman Cook
• Turkey & Bacon Sliders with ‘Isn’t That Special’ Sauce by Bottom Left of the Mitten

Bacon for Dinner

• Bacon and Pumpkin Pasta by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• Bacon Corn Chowder by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Bacon Fried Rice by Asian In America
• Bacon Wrapped Turkey Meatloaf by April Golightly
• Creamy Blue Cheese Pasta with Steak and Bacon by Magnolia Days
• K.C.’s Award Winning Turkey Bacon Explosion by Cooking With Carlee
• Kimchi Bacon Fried Rice by kimchi MOM
• Spaghetti alla Carbonara by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• The Pigskin Loaded Baked Potato by Sunday Supper Movement
• Triple Bypass Burgers by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes

Bacon as a Side Dish

• Bacon and Cheddar Smashed Red Potatoes by Family Around The Table
• Bourbon Bacon Jam by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Bacon, Beer & Jalapeño Muffins by Wholistic Woman
• Easy Bacon, Beans & Greens by My Life Cookbook
• Greens with Gruyere and Bacon by Cooking Chat
• Peas with Bacon and Crispy Onions by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Bacon for Dessert

• Bacon Brownie Balls by Monica’s Table
• Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies by Desserts Required
• Boozy Bacon Cherry Crumble by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Chocolate Bacon Crack by Brunch-n-Bites
• Flourless Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies by Pies and Plots
• Maple Bacon Truffles by Dessert Geek
• Spiced Apple Bacon Upside Down Cake by The Crumby Cupcak

Pin Spicy Bacon-wrapped Shrimp!

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Cheese Stuffed Peppadew Stuffed Buns #BreadBakers

Cheese stuffed Peppadew stuffed buns are fluffy with a savory surprise on the inside. They are super easy to make and would be a fun addition to your holiday meal or summer barbecue.

My neighborhood grocery store has a decent deli counter for such a small place. You can walk all the way around it, cheeses on one side, whole smoked turkey breasts and salami, etc. for slicing on another side, along with hot and cold prepared dishes sold by weight. My favorite side by far offers a colorful assortment of marinated stuff: olives, baby octopus, roasted artichoke hearts, lemons, anchovies and peppers, just to name a few.

Even the tasty Peppadews come in three versions, filled with Parmesan, feta or blue cheese. This month my Bread Bakers are creating delicious breads with peppers and it occurred to me that a festive Peppadew peeking from within a soft bun would be a very good idea. I was not wrong.

This recipe is adapted from one on the King Arthur website, meant to make 24 relatively quick yeasty dinner rolls.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yeast, instant preferred
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup or 60ml warm water
1 cup or 240ml warm milk
3 to 3 1/2 cups or 375- 440g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
12 cheese stuffed Peppadews

Method
Measure the yeast, butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl or into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add in the warm water and milk and set aside for 6 to 8 minutes or until you see foam forming in the bowl. If you don’t see the yeast foaming, throw the whole thing out and go and buy some new yeast.

Add the salt and 2 1/2 cups or 312g of the flour to the bowl and mix in well. It’s going to be quite wet still.

If you are using a stand mixer, switch over to the dough hook and add a tablespoon of flour at a time with the mixer running, until you have a soft dough. Otherwise, add it and mix in with a wooden spoon.

Knead with the machine or by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. Make a ball with the dough and drizzle the olive oil into your bowl.

Put the dough ball back in and turn it around a couple of times to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with some cling film or a damp cloth and set in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Lay a couple of layers of paper towels out on a small plate and line the stuffed Peppadews up to drain, first cheese side down, then cheese side up. You don’t want to lose your cheese filling, just to get rid of most of the marinating oil.

Bonus: Use the marinating oil that’s left behind in your deli container as a salad dressing, mixed with a little lime or lemon juice.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into 12 equal pieces. You can, of course, eyeball this but I have a digital scale I love so I weigh the whole dough ball, then divide by 12 to figure out how big each piece should be and weigh the bits as I cut them off.

Roll your dough pieces into balls.

Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a circle and place a stuffed Peppadew cheese side down on the circle.

Gather up the sides of the dough circle and pinch them together to enclose the pepper securely.

Put the bun pinched side down on your baking pan. Which means, that the Peppadew is cheese side up again inside the bun. I lined my baking pan with a silicone mat but you could also use baking parchment.

Continue rolling and filling and pinching until all 12 buns are done.

Cover the baking pan lightly with cling film and allow to rise at room temperature for about 20 minutes. (Assuming your room temperature isn’t too cold – if you are baking in the dead of winter and your house is cold, find a warm spot to leave them.)

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°F.

Bake the buns for about 20-25 minutes or until they are nicely risen and golden brown all over.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. If you choose to serve these warm, keep in mind that the Peppadew and cheese will be very hot and might burn you as you bite into them.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our host this month, Sue of Palatable Pastime. I know folks who grow their own peppers are enjoying an abundant crop this time of year so I’m sure they’ll welcome our creative recipes for using those peppers up. Check them out!

• Bellpeppers and Cheese Scones by Basic N Delicious
• Bellpepper and Paneer Stuffed Lattice Bread by Seduce Your Tastebuds
• Bell Pepper Stuffed Whole Wheat Buns by Sara’s Tasty Buds
• Capsicum Onion Pizza with Wholegrain Base by Ambrosia
• Cheddar and Jalapeño Scones by Herbivore Cucina
• Cheese Stuffed Peppadew Stuffed Buns by Food Lust People Love
• Crushed Red Pepper Grissini by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Fatayer Jebneh by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Green Chile and Cheddar Biscuits by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Hatch Chile Zucchini Bread by Magnolia Days
• Jalapeño Bread by Cook's Hideout
• Jalapeño Flour Tortillas by Hostess At Heart
• Jalapeño Sourdough Corn Bread by Baking Sense
• Msemen Maamer - Moroccan Flatbread Stuffed with Peppers by The Bread She Bakes
• Parmesan Cracked Pepper Beer Bread by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Pepper Pav Buns by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Roasted Red Pepper Bread by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse by Spiceroots
• Spicy Herb Monkey Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Whole Wheat Spicy Rolls by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Vegetable Stuffed Braided Bread by My Cooking Journey
• Zucchini and Pepper Cornbread by Palatable Pastime

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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