Pecan Shortbread Easter Cookies

Ingredients

• 2.3 cups flour all-purpose
• 0.5 cup pecan halves 
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 cup sugar 
• 16 tablespoons butter unsalted at room temperature (2 sticks)

Equipment

• bowl
• baking sheet
• oven
• hand mixer
• cookie cutter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Toast nuts on a baking sheet until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes, shaking sheet once halfway through.
2. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then chop finely.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 3 minutes.
4. Mix in flour and salt on lowest speed until just combined. Stir in nuts. Divide dough into 2 portions; shape into 5-inch squares. Wrap in plastic; chill for at least 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
6. Let dough rest at room temperature until pliable enough to roll. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a square of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut as many cookies as you can.
7. Transfer to baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch between each cookie. Set aside scraps. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Combine scraps, re-roll and cut. If dough becomes too soft to roll, refrigerate briefly.
9. Bake cookies until dry on top but not brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
10. Let stand for 5 minutes on baking sheets on wire racks, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.