edible shareable giftables

When I was little, I remember my dad receiving copious presents from all of his patients and doctor friends, and he'd bring them home to share with us. He'd never open them so as to let my sister and I enjoy opening presents all throughout the month of December. Whenever he came home from work, I'd anticipate a new box. It felt like Christmas every day and I loved it. Some of the presents were weird (at least to my unsophisticated child's eye), like a crystal clock from Tiffany's, a vase from Gump's or a crystal bowl. Well...basically I guess I thought all the crystal gifts were strange. Maybe they were "grown-up" gifts, gifts that I couldn't appreciate back then. But what excited me the most were the edible gifts! The cellophane-wrapped gift baskets filled with fruits and nuts and cheeses, or the Danish cookie tins with all the compartments. My favorite edible gift was a deliciously moist fruit cake that was better than all those urban legends. I waited for that cake every year. And to this day, I still think all those crystal gifts are weird...it's the simple edible ones that are the most fun, especially if they're handmade.

I baked these super-easy and pantry-friendly cookies to give to Matt's parents as a "thank you for having me for Christmas" gift. They literally take maybe one hour total, from start to finish (meaning from the time you pick up a spatula to when you can stuff your face), and the generous dusting of sugar on top reminds me of snow. Except this snow covers a mouthwatering bite of crunchy and crumbly and nutty buttery goodness.

Butter Pecan Cookies
(makes 24)

1 1/2 cups pecans
2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350. On a baking sheet, spread out the pecans so they aren't touching each other, and toast them until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let them cool completely and then finely chop them by hand or in a food processor.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about a minute. Beat in the vanilla, salt and flour and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Mix just until the dough comes together (don't over do it!) and then fold in the pecans by hand.

Separate the dough into 24 pieces and shape into large round balls. Roll the balls in a bowlful of sugar and coat. Place the cookies, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet. Take a glass and press down gently on the cookies to flatten them. You can reshape the sides with your fingers if necessary. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake the cookies until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway. When the cookies are out of the oven and still warm, generously sprinkle with more sugar. Cool them on a wire rack.