Butter Pecan Cookie Recipe

by Don Bell
(Peterborough, Canada)

McIlmoyle Family Picnic - 1956

When I was young, the McIlmoyles had large family picnics attended by all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. While our parents sat beneath the shady trees and caught up on the latest family news, we kids played a game of tag or tossed a ball around, and eagerly looked forward to the coming picnic supper served on a long row of tables. That's me, second on the right, next to my Dad in the above 1956 photo.

You could always count on there being platters of wonderful picnic-style food and plenty of delicious dessert items - all homemade, of course. We enjoyed frosted cakes, pies, chocolate-iced brownies, jellied fruit salads, cinnamon rolls, and cookies.

Mom usually contributed a casserole, fancy sandwiches, and at least a couple of dessert items. If my memory serves me right, she once took a tin of her delicious butter pecan cookies made from the following old recipe.

Mom's Butter Pecan Cookies Recipe

1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream the butter, add vanilla, and sugar, and gradually beat till light. Sift flour with salt, then add to sugar mixture. Finally, add pecans and mix well. Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie pans. Flatten cookies and bake about 20 minutes in a 325°F oven.

Enjoy.