These Norwegian Pecan Cookies smell like Christmas.  They are buttery and light with delicious pecans scattered throughout.  The perfect finale to 12 Days of Cookies. 

Here we are at the last day of 12 Days of Cookies.  I hope y’all enjoyed reading about these recipes as much as we enjoyed sharing them with you.  I hope you were inspired to get into the kitchen and cook up some of your cookies or some of ours!

Write this event on your calendar for next year so you can come back and enjoy more cookie goodness from us.  I know I’ll be back and hopefully have a full 12 days of cookies to share.  I think I start doing some testing after the holidays…

For my final cookie, I’m sharing a recipes that has been in our family for a while.  I’m not quite sure how long, but it’s been my entire life.  I think it started with my great grandmother?  Don’t quote me on that.  I’m sure Mom will chime in with a comment letting me know just how old this recipe is.

These cookies are just cherished as Mom Lowe’s Steamed Pudding recipe.  I shared that one a few years ago.  I might have to share it again.  And I think I can forego the suet, too.  You’ll just have to read all about it.  I love making it every year.  Of course, I’m the only one that eats it every year.  #Struggleisreal

Mom and I used to make these often for Christmas.  They went along with the peppermint macaroons that we used to make.  I don’t recall us being very big cookie cutter people.  That was Nana.  She had tins and tins of cookie cutters, which I have now.  It’s funny what sets you off about lost loved ones.  For me, it was the cookie cutters.

Anyway.

I saved these for last because they are amazing cookies.  They’re last because there are just some recipes that are mine.  Recipes that just don’t share.  These recipes are very personal to me, have been part of who I am as AKHA, and sometimes I just don’t want to share all of the goodness that is AKHA.  It’s just sharing a part of me as a person and not a food blogger.  Does that make sense?

But, I’m sharing these.  Because they truly are quintessential Christmas to me.  My mother and step-father had to attend a funeral last week in Chicago.  Of course, when they’re on the mainland they try to visit a few people to make the most of their trip.  Mom went to visit my sister.  She’s on the way home so to speak.  Then she went to Seattle via Minneapolis.  It was on this leg of the trip that I started making these.

The timer went off and I went into the kitchen to see how they were doing.  I just stood there.  The kitchen smelled like Christmas to me.  It had an intoxicating aroma of vanilla and pecans and these cookies baking in the oven.  To me, that’s what Christmas smells like.  Not pine trees. We always had a fake tree.  Not spices or buttercream or even sugar cookies, though that is close.  It’s the aroma of these cookies baking.

You see what I mean about sharing a part of me as a person?

I know you know I’m a human being and not just this persona.  But I’m sure you, as a fellow food blogger or even as a reader understand, that there’s just parts of you that you don’t with everyone.  Well, for this final day of 12 Days of Cookies, I’m sharing a part of me with y’all.

Not only do these smell amazing when you’re baking them, but they taste amazing.  They are similar to a butter cookie.  Since they are made with pastry flour and extra find sugar you know they’re delicate.  These cookies almost melt in your mouth.

Then you catch a bite of pecan and all bets are off.  Those little bites of pecan just bring a whole other level of flavor to the party.  To me pecans are almost maple in flavor, which heightens the sweetness of this cookie.  These are, hands down, one of my favorite cookies of all time.

What’s been your favorite cookie recipe for 12 Days of Cookies?  They’re all so good.  I know it’s not easy to pick one.  Please let me know if you’ve made any of the cookies we served up.  And make sure you see what the others are sharing for this last day of cookie fun!

Norwegian Pecan Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

These Norwegian Pecan Cookies smell like Christmas. They are buttery and light with delicious pecans scattered throughout. The perfect finale to 12 Days of Cookies. #ChristmasCookies

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup fruit sugar
• 2 cups sifted pastry flour
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Cream shortening, butter, vanilla, salt and fruit sugar together.
3. Sift the pastry flour before adding to the butter mixture.
4. Stir in the pecans.
5. Drop by tablespoonful onto a baking sheet 2 inches apart and bake at 325 for 15 to 17 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool on pan 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to one week if they last that long.

Day 12

• Bullas (Caribbean Spice Cookie)by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cinnamon Bun Cookies with Cream Cheese Glaze by Cooking with Carlee
• Cranberry Bliss Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Eggnog Snickerdoodles by Palatable Pastime
• Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Minty Dark Chocolate Delights by Family Around the Table
• Norwegian Pecan Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Pecan Ballsby The Chef Next Door
• White Chocolate Gingersnaps by Making the Most of Naptime