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We’re looking for the best cookie or candy recipes form your collection. All recipes must be original and the ingredients must include pecans. Each entry must be as a separate e-Mail (no attachments please). Include a complete list of ingredients, with the exact quantities in the order they are used. Specific directions (in paragraph form) should include cookware size (example: 10-inch pie pan), cooking time and temperature, and number of servings. By submitting your recipe, you grant us the right to edit and publish the recipe.

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Apricot Pecan Crescents

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 dash sea salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 egg; slightly beaten
6 tablespoons apricot preserves
6 tablespoons Pecan Valley Pecan Meal
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl mix flour, salt, and sugar. With a pastry blender, cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in sour cream and egg. Knead lightly until mixture holds together. Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Divide dough into thirds. On a lightly floured pastry cloth, roll each third into a circle 11-inch in diameter.
4. Spread each circle evenly with 2 tablespoons of apricot preserves and 2 tablespoons ground pecans.
5. Cut each circle into 12 pie-shaped wedges. Roll up each wedge, starting at the wide end. Place seam-side down about 2 inch apart on greased cookie sheets.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Place on wire rack.
7. Dust with powdered sugar when completely cool.

Buttery Pecan Brittle

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup corn syrup
¼ cup water
½ cup unsalted butter (no substitutes)
1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ teaspoon baking soda

1. In a saucepan, cook sugar, corn syrup and water until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil.
2. Add butter; cook until mixture reaches 280ºF on a candy thermometer.
3. Stir in pecans; cook until 300ºF (hard crack stage). Remove from the heat and stir in baking soda.
4. Spread immediately into a greased 15-inch-by-10-inch-by-1-inch baking pan.
5. When cool, break into pieces.

Yield; 1¼ pounds

Chocolate Maple Pecan Praline

1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate; chopped into

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Toast the pecans on a baking sheet in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
2. Heat the maple syrup in a 1½-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When the syrup begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and allow the syrup to continue to boil and thicken for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a metal spoon.
3. Remove the very hot syrup from the heat. Immediately add the pecans to the syrup and stir to combine.
4. Transfer the glazed pecans to a baking sheet with sides. Use a metal spoon to spread the pecans evenly over one half of the baking sheet. Set aside.
5. Place the sugar and lemon juice in a 3-quart saucepan. Stir with a whisk to combine (the sugar will resemble moist sand). Caramelize the sugar by heating for 10 to 10½ minutes over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk to break up any lumps (the sugar will first turn clear as it liquefies, then light brown as it caramelizes.
6. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the unsweetened chocolate and stir to dissolve.
7. Immediately and carefully, pour the caramelized mixture over the pecans, covering all the nuts. Allow to harden at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
8. Invert the praline onto a clean, dry cutting board (it should pop right out of the baking sheet); this will keep the shiny side looking shiny after cutting. Use a sharp serrated slicer to cut (use a sawing motion) the praline into desired size pieces.
9. Store the praline in a tightly sealed plastic container until ready to devour.

Cinnamon Pecan Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; divided
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3 eggs; divided
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; toasted
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon water

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Grease and flour baking sheet.
2. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt in a large bowl until blended.
3. In a small bowl, whisk 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, vanilla and orange zest. Add egg mix to flour mix; continue beating until a soft dough forms.
4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Add pecans and knead 3 minutes or until pecans are evenly distributed.
5. Divide dough in half. On baking sheet, shape each piece of dough into a 2½-inch-by-10-inch loaf, flouring hands as necessary. Allow 3 inches between loaves on a baking sheet.
6. In a small bowl, combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon.
7. In another small bowl, beat remaining egg and water. Brush loaves with egg mixture; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mix.
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned.
9. Cool 10 minutes on baking sheet. Cut loaves diagonally into ½ inch slices. Lay cut cookies flat on a baking sheet.
10. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, turn cookies over, and bake 15 minutes longer.
11. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 2½ dozen biscotti

Double-Treat Pecan Cookies

1 cup whole-wheat flour
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
¼ cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cups shortening*
1¼ cups brown sugar; firmly packed
1 egg
¼ cup frozen orange-juice concentrate; thawed
1½ cups uncooked quick oats
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ cup chopped raisins
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, milk, wheat germ, salt, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside.
3. In another bowl cream shortening, brown sugar and egg until fluffy; add orange concentrate. Stir in flour mixture, then oats, pecans, and raisins.
4. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 4 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Press with bottom of glass dipped in sugar to 3¼ inch diameter.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until cookie springs back when pressed lightly. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to rack to cool completely.

Note: For richer flavor substitute unsalted butter for half the shortening.

Jon Stewart’s Pecan Pie Bars

1½ cups flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar; firmly packed
½ cup unsalted butter; softened
½ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
2 eggs
½ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
⅛ teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a small bowl mix together the flour and brown sugar to make the dough. With fingers, work in softened butter until dough begins to hold together. Press into bottom of 9-inch square pan.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until firm.
4. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, pecans and salt. Pour over baked crust.
5. Continue baking for 25 minutes or until edges are light brown.
6. Cool and cut into bars.

Lemon Pecan Fudge

3 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup cocoa
Dash of sea salt
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
12 ounces evaporated milk (not skim)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon lemon zest; grated
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Combine the sugar, cocoa and salt in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. Stir to mix and break up any lumps of cocoa powder.
2. Add the corn syrup, milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Stop stirring; cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid for about a minute to steam off any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Watch closely so the fudge does not boil over.
3. Uncover and continue to cook (without stirring), swabbing down the sides of the pan from time to time with a pastry brush dipped in water, until the temperature reaches the soft-ball stage. Use a candy thermometer or the old-fashioned method of dropping a bit of the hot candy into a cup of cold water every so often. When it forms a cohesive puddle on the bottom of the cup and can be formed into a ball that flattens when lifted out of the water, that’s “soft-ball” stage.) immediately swab down the sides of the pan. Pour (do not scrape) the fudge onto a slab of marble or a large platter or into a flat baking dish.
4. Heat the lemon zest, juice and vanilla to boiling and pour over the hot candy.
5. Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Let the mixture cool to room temperature without disturbing it.
6. Stir the fudge with a spatula or plastic scraper until it becomes thick and starts to lose its gloss.
7. Add the chopped nuts just as the fudge becomes too stiff to stir.
8. Spread the fudge onto a buttered plate or sheet of plastic wrap. After a few minutes, it will solidify and you can wrap and store it for several days.

Yields 2⅛ pounds

Mom’s Pecan Bars

1 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
1 cup unsalted butter
1½ cups all purpose flour
2 cups light brown sugar; lightly packed
4 large eggs; well beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the sugar and butter together until well creamed then add the flour; mix thoroughly.
3. Spread evenly in a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch pan.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 5 minutes. It will look bubbly with holes all over, but this is fine. Let cool while making the top layer.
5. In a large mixing bowl, cream the brown sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy.
6. Add the vanilla.
7. Sift the salt, flour and baking powder together in another bowl and add to the egg mixture.
8. Fold in the nuts and pour over the baked bottom layer.
9. Return to oven and continue baking for 20 minutes or until light brown on top and firm to the touch.
10. Cool and cut into bars. Do not cut them too thin or they will crumble. These keep well if stored in an airtight container.

Yield 3 to 4 dozen 1-inch-by-2-inch bars

Pecan Bourbon Balls

2½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1 cup powdered sugar; sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Meal
3 tablespoons corn syrup; light
¼ cup bourbon
Powdered sugar

1. Mix vanilla wafer crumbs, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and pecan meal until blended.
2. Add syrup and bourbon; mix well. Roll into one inch balls, being sure to pack each ball tightly.
3. Roll in sifted powdered sugar.