Growing up in south Louisiana, there was one cookie I always looked forward to eating. It was baked by nearly every “Maw-Maw” around and definitely a treat for the grandkids! This pecan cocoon recipe is definitely worth saving, as it’s not just a dessert for the holidays.
Cocoon cookies might also be called wedding cookies, ladyfingers and pecan cookies, though “cocoons” are well known in the south.
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
½ cup of powdered sugar
2 cups of flour
2 cups of chopped pecans
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for rolling (about 2 cups, but maybe more.)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and ½ cup of the powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the flour, nuts and vanilla and mix until combined.
Roll small balls of dough into cocoon shapes about the size of your finger and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. I’ve seen these baked as balls, I’ve seen them baked as a butterfly’s cocoon shape and I’ve seen them baked as straight lines.
I usually bake them into standard cocoon shapes, but as shown in these pictures, we went for more of a “c” shape to go with the letter of the week at my son’s school. Trust me when I say shape has nothing to do with the overall taste.
Bake for 12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Let cookies cool for only 8 minutes before rolling in powdered sugar — you still want them to be warm. Place each cookie on a rack or baking sheet to cool.
After cookies have completely cooled, roll in powdered sugar again.
Sometimes, and most often, I save some of the powdered sugar from the 2nd roll and place in an air-tight container to actually store these cookies in.
This recipe makes about 50 cookies, though quantity depends on size and shape.
1 Comment
My mom made these every Christmas and now I do too. So good. Will use your recipe this year!