This month's issue of Cooking Light has a recipe for Pecan Sandies that have the best taste ever for a (relatively) healthy cookie. However, they cool hard as rocks. There is absolutely no way to bite into them without first dipping them into a hot drink to soften them up. (And I know that's not so terrible, but I'd like them to be cookies, not really hard biscotti-like morsels.) It's not just me, every person who has reviewed them at the Cooking Light website has the same problem. I finally ended up putting the remainder of the dough into a quiche pan and baked it like shortbread wedges.

So, I'm posting the recipe and if you have ideas on how to soften them up while not adding extra fat (shortening, eggs, etc.) - I'd love to here them!

Pecan Sandies (Cooking Light, December 2005)

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
9 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, pecans, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.

Place granulated sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in vanilla extract. Beating at low speed, gradually add flour mixture, and beat just until combined (mixture will be crumbly).

Shape dough into 34 (1-inch) balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Place dough balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

While cookies are still hot, sift powdered sugar evenly over tops. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire racks.

Yield: 34 cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 81(41% from fat); FAT 3.7g (sat 1.6g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 0.9g; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 3mg; SODIUM 30mg; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.1g

I am sure that adding more butter would do the trick....but the helathy cookie goes out the window! I would do about 3/4 cup of the butter instead of the 9T. they call for and see how they turn out with that.

Maybe shorten the baking time? I have found this helps with some sugar cookie recipes.
Just a guess...

Ok, I watched Alton Brown last week on Good Eats and he was doing a show all abut cookies. He said that if you want softer cookies, use brown sugar instead of white sugar.

Thats a kewl hint!

I love him, btw. He is very funny!

MisDawn, was Alton talking about the soft brown sugar or the granular brown sugar and do you use the same amount as if you were using regular granular white sugar....
Thanks for sharing....

You could try adding some applesauce ... it's often used as a substitute for part of the oil when baking to reduce the amount of fat, so instead of adding fat, try adding applesauce!

We make these, but use a different recipe. It's a recipe we have used for years. They do come out hard, but not super hard. They aren't a soft cookie, but you can definetely bite into them with out soaking them in something.

Sandies

3/4th cup soft butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 T water
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour (I used regular)
1 cup toasted coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Combine and mix well. Form into 1in balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 mins in a 300* oven.

Roll while warm in powder sugar.

Thank you all for your thoughts!!! I'm going to try all of them (not together, of course!!). I did try baking for less time, but it leaves a consistency that I'm not nuts about, so that doesn't seem to work for these, but it certainly has for other cookies!

I second the applesauce addition! I use it a lot in baking to reduce fat and it always yields a moister product (sometimes too moist so I need to compensate with other ingredients). So, I definitely recommend trying it. Pecan Sandies are supposed to be a very crisp cookie though, so I would start out with only adding 1-2 tbs unsweetened natural applesauce or apple compote.

HTH

I just found this, too...maybe its worth a try?

lecithin Notes: Derived from soy beans or egg yolks, nutrient-rich lecithin is a wonder ingredient. It's used in cooking as an emulsifier, preservative, lubricant, and moisturizer. It's a healthful substitute for fat in baked goods, adding moisture and improving texture.

Alton substituted regular light brown sugar in equal amounts. Since brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added, I suppose the molasses is what makes them softer.