Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups Southern pecans
  • 0.25 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cool room temperature
  • 0.5 cup powdered monk fruit sweetener
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 cup powdered monk fruit sweetener (for finishing coating)

Instructions:

  1. Place 1.5 cups Southern pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes until they smell intensely nutty and look oily.
  2. Transfer pecans to a cutting board and let them cool completely before finely chopping into pea sized bits.
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the cool room temperature butter and 0.5 cup of sweetener together for about 2 minutes until smooth and pale. Mix in the vanilla bean paste.
  4. Gradually add the sifted flour and chopped pecans to the butter mixture, stirring until a cohesive dough forms.
  5. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up the fats for better structural integrity.
  6. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, roll the dough into small spheres and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F.
  7. Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes. While still warm, roll the cookies in the additional powdered sweetener to create the base layer.
  8. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cold, roll them a second time in the powdered sweetener for a pristine white finish.