Cranberry Pecan Sandies

Today in the Christmas kitchen, here's another recipe:

CRANBERRY PECAN SANDIES

1 package (15.6 oz.) cranberry quick bread mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
2 Tablespoons orange juice
3/4 cup chopped pecans
30 to 36 pecan halves
Sugar for dipping

Orange Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons orange juice

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread mix, butter, egg, and orange juice. Stir in chopped pecans.

Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. [I tend to line cookie sheets with parchment paper even when recipes say “ungreased”. Just seems to work better with my aging cookie sheets.]

Flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar (grease the glass lightly before the first dipping).

Press a pecan half into center of each cookie.

Bake at 350º for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks.

Cool completely before glazing.

For glaze, whisk confectioners’ sugar and 2 tsp. orange juice in small bowl; add additional 1 to 2 tsp. orange juice if needed for drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze decoratively over cookies.

Yield: 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

These are just delicious and super-easy! The recipe came from the Nov/Dec 2006 issue of Simple & Delicious magazine. I was very pleased to discover that these cookies freeze perfectly, glaze and all!