PECAN BUTTER BALLS

Steps:

• If you prefer, you can substitute the pecans with walnuts, almonds, or filberts. I prefer the pecans to give this cookie a bit of sweetness.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit; high elevation use convection if you can; or bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Sift flour (very important to do this for lighter cookies), sugar, and salt in medium to large bowl.
• Cut up butter into workable pieces, add to flour, and add vanilla.
• Mix as if you were making a pie crust; should look like beads or pea size. Use hand or sturdy spoon to mix well enough to form dough ball.
• Add and work in 2 cups of the nuts.
• Shape into 1-inch balls. You can refrigerate dough for about an hour if you think it will be easier to work with; I have not needed to.
• Roll balls in the remaining 1 cup nuts.
• Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for about 25 minutes; may take 5 extra minutes, depending on the elevation.
• You can remove them right away to a wire rack to cool.
• You can use this same recipe for Wedding Cookies, just omit the 1 cup nuts for rolling and roll in powdered sugar instead. Bake the same amount of time.