Aunt Mary Dillon's praline cookies

“Funny Games” opens today here in Sao Paulo. I know it’s a frame by frame remake, like Gus Van Sant’s hugest mistake, and there are some harsh reviews about it going on here, but I don’t care – any movie with Tim Roth and Naomi Watts has my undivided attention. Have you seen this poster? It’s absolutely fantastic.

I can’t say the same about the photo of these cookies, though. It’s OK, but not as beautiful as the other pictures on Martha’s website.
I ended up making the recipe anyway. And the cookies turned out very tasty, even though I found the icing a bit too sweet.

One more lesson learned: don’t judge a recipe by its photograph. :)

Aunt Mary Dillon's praline cookies

Cookies:
1 2/3 cups (234g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups (262g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Praline icing:
1 cup (175g) light brown sugar, packed
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream, plus more if necessary
1 cup (140g) sifted confectioners' sugar
1 cup (about 100g) pecan halves, toasted and broken into large pieces

Start with the cookies: preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until fully combined. Add dry ingredients, and beat on low speed until combined.
Make balls using rounded teaspoons of dough and place onto prepared baking sheets about 5cm (2 in) apart. Bake until firm and barely golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies from pan to wire rack.

Now, make the icing: in a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add confectioners' sugar, and whisk until smooth. (If frosting thickens, thin with cream.) Add pecan pieces.

Place cookies on a cooling rack over a lined baking pan – I placed them on a large piece of baking paper on the counter. Spoon about 1 leveled teaspoon praline mixture onto each cookie. Let icing dry before storing the cookies.

Makes 3 dozen – I got 50 cookies