Easy Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute. Then add the powdered sugar and cream them together, for another minute. Add the maple and vanilla extracts and combine. Then add the ground cinnamon and flour until the flour is mostly mixed in. The dough will be shaggy and that’s okay. Add the chopped pecans with the mixer on the stir setting until evenly dispersed. Expect the dough to be quite thick.

Flour a clean work surface - you can do this on a silicone mat placed on the counter. Dump out the dough and pull it together into a disc without working it too much, sprinkling with a little bit of flour if it’s sticking. Divide the dough if necessary (i.e. if making a large batch) and roll each piece into a log that is about 2 inches in diameter. In a bowl, combine the coarse sugar and chopped pecans. Spread the sugar and pecan mixture over your clean work surface and roll the logs in the mixture until both logs are coated. Wrap each individual log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or longer. It's easier to slice the dough if it's chilled. You can make this up to 4 days in advance and refrigerate. Don't discard pecan sugar mixture; you can sprinkle a pinch on each cookie before baking, if desired.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When the oven has reached 350°F, remove one log from the refrigerator and cut the log into 14 equal pieces using a sharp knife. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet, about 1.5 inch apart. You can sprinkle the cookies with the remaining pecan sugar mixture if you’d like. Bake for roughly 14 - 17 minutes or until golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.