Butterscotch Pecan Chews Recipe

Butterscotch Pecan Chews. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

A perfect excuse to bake (as if you need one): Here's an easy blondie recipe with a surprise ~ no butter. Four eggs hold the brown sugar and flour together and pecans add texture. These bars can be assembled and baked up in under an hour. If they're not gobbled up still warm from the oven, wrap them up tight, refrigerate and send in school lunches throughout the week. Guaranteed lunchtime friend-maker.

Butterscotch Pecan Chews

Non-stick baking spray

4 large eggs

1 pound dark brown sugar

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch square pan with baking spray. 

2. In a bowl, stir together eggs, brown sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth and nearly lump-free. Stir in the pecans.

3. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove to cooling rack, and cut into squares when barely warm.

Adapted from "Treasured Recipes of the Charleston Cake Lady" by Teresa Pregnall (Hearts Books, 1996)

Text and images copyright 2013, Lucy Mercer.

Let the baking begin!

Miss Abbey's fruitcake cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Each December, I pull down my Christmas baking books and decide on which cookies to turn out each year. There are the tried and true, like the 100 cookies and the shortbread with candied cherries. I will make a pan or two of tassies, because I'm a Southern gal, after all. And no Christmas is complete without Christmas cut-out cookies - the ones my girls plead to make and decorate. The fruitcake cookies from my Mom's kitchen are the very best - you can't eat just one!

Christmas cutout cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Here's a round-up of my favorite cookies, with links to the recipes (just click on the name in the caption). In the comments below, tell me what your favorite holiday cookies are.

Ginger cookies with raspberry jam. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books.

100 Cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Dried cherry biscotti. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Lemon Glazed Cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Tassies with macadamias and rum. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Shortbread with candied cherries. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

An old-fashioned favorite: Orange-Pecan-Coconut Candies

Orange pecan coconut balls. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Here's another goody from last week's kitchen marathon. I wrapped these up to give to friends and family and tuck into the teachers' goody bags, too. This is an oldie-but-goody that I remember from my childhood Christmases - vanilla wafers and pecans pulverized in the food processor and combined with orange juice concentrate and butter and confectioner's sugar. The mixture is shaped into balls and rolled in coconut, or crushed pecans. I boosted the citrus flavor with a bit of orange extract from the spice shelf. Did I mention that no baking is required? Call the kids and let them help in the kitchen. Give these treats a try - I'm sure they'll become a family favorite in your house, too.

Orange-Pecan-Coconut Candies

1 (12 oz.) package vanilla wafers

1 cup pecan pieces

1 cup confectioner's sugar (10 X)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

2 cups flaked coconut

1. In food processor, add vanilla wafers, pecans and sugar to food processor bowl and blitz into fine crumbs. Add room temperature butter and pulse until combined. Add orange juice concentrate and orange extract (if using) and pulse until combined. Scoop mixture into 1-inch balls and roll in coconut. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week.

For more teacher gifts from the kitchen, see here.