Pecan deliciousness, i.e. cookies

A few years ago my mom, sister, and I were at a loss of what to give my grandparents for Christmas. They're in their mid-80s and are more interested in giving things away rather than accumulating anything new. Previously we had given them food gift baskets, which they really liked. We investigated a "pie of the month" club, but couldn't believe how expensive it was! So, we devised a cookie of the month club instead. My mom, sister and I all love to bake, and my favorite part of it is that the cookies don't stay around long to tempt me.

Anyways, this month it was my turn, and I randomly stumbled over these crispy praline cookies from Southern Living.

These were delicious and very quick to make. I added semi-sweet chocolate chips to half of the batch. I preferred them without the chocolate - too sweet!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl, blending well. Drop cookie dough by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
2. Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute; remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
3. Crispy Praline-Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels; bake as directed.

Even though I don't have a picture of my cookies, I did get a picture of my dog Phoebe eating some of the popcorn I made to insulate the delicious morsels for their journey to Michigan.