FOODjimoto: Butterhorns!

I got this recipe from my friend Laura, who is an expert baker.

We've been making cookies together every year for Christmas since we were in high school.

That's a lot of years!

At our house, Butterhorns are, hands down, the most favorite cookie.

So much so, that when Karen and Mitchell got married last year, Butterhorns were what Mitchell wanted as their table favors.

He said he wanted them so much, he would even be willing to make them.

And that's what he did.

We all helped, of course, but Mitchell made all the dough and rolled out all the cookies himself!

I was impressed.

We packaged them in a cellophane bag with a sticky label that was stamped with the 'Spearrin' stamp Karen bought, a library-type stamp with the wedding date, and tied with strings of burlap.

Karen also wrote each person's name on the tag, they were also the table place cards.

Butterhorns.

Enough said.

Let's start baking!

Ingredients:

Dough

2 cups flour

1/2 lb. butter

1 egg yolk

3/4 cup sour cream

Filling

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped pecans

For years, I made this dough by hand by cutting the butter into the flour and mixing the egg yolk and sour cream into the butter/flour.

But you can make it so fast with a food processor.

Pulse the butter and flour for 15 to 30 seconds, until the butter is evenly cut into the flour.

Separate one egg yolk.

Put the egg yolk and 3/4 cup sour cream into the food processor bowl.

Pulse for another 15 to 30 seconds until the dough comes together in large chunks.

It doesn't need to be in one ball, just large chunks.

Separate into 5 balls and wrap in waxed paper.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Chop the pecans to a small, uniform size.

Mix the pecans with 3/4 cup sugar and a generous teaspoon of cinnamon.

It really helps if you have a marble rolling pin, the weight of it makes the rolling much easier.

A pizza cutter works well for cutting.

But if you don't have them, don't worry. I've seen a friend roll out the dough with a drinking glass, and a sharp knife works well for cutting.

If you're making several hundred cookies for wedding table favors, invest in these tools, it's worth it.

You want the dough really firm, so chill thoroughly.

Roll the dough out on the waxed paper.

It makes it easier to handle.

Sprinkle a little bit of flour on the top and bottom of the dough ball.

Roll the dough out between two pieces of waxed paper, to about the size of the paper--about an 11 inch circle.

Remove the papers.

If you have helpers, keep the bottom paper--it makes it easy to slide the dough onto another board so someone else can put the sugar & nuts on and cut and roll the cookies.