Prep time
40 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
Course
Dessert
Skill level
Beginner
Season
Fall, Winter
Serves
15 cookies
The sandie was the first cookie I ever seriously coveted. When I was a kid, my mom would get pecan sandies as her one private indulgence, and they were placed on a shelf out of my reach, leaving me destined to pine for them forever.
Mom had good taste, too, as I came to find. They’re kind of the perfect cookie—lightly crisp outside, addictively crumbly, tender inside from the ethereal pairing of butter and sugar, with a helping of toothy, fatty nuts hefty enough to make them feel substantial—all things worth pining for. Luckily (I learned as an adult), they’re really easy to make.
While pecan is the most common version, the sandie is welcoming to any nut. I’ve never had a sandie I didn’t love, but I find myself partial to acorns. They give you something to chew on while the rest of the cookie melts in your mouth. Plus, I have access to more acorns than any other nut, and there’s a good chance you do too.
This recipe uses hot-leached acorns, but I also love sandies with hazelnuts, pecans, black walnuts, and hickory nuts. These cookies come together so quickly but disappear just as fast, making them a favorite all year round. In the warmer months, I like them bare-skinned, but for the holiday season, I love to roll them in powdered sugar for a festive coat and that extra layer of melt.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. water
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract (I use nocino)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely chopped hot-leached acorns, dried (For extra flavor, you can toast your acorns, candy them, soak them in booze, or sprinkle them with warm spices, but they have a rich flavor all on their own.)
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Put your dried, hot-leached acorns and pinch of salt into a food processor or mortar and pestle and process until finely chopped or coarsely ground.
- In a large mixing bowl or your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in water and vanilla extract (or nocino).
- Lower speed and stir in flour and acorns until combined.
- Shape dough into 1½-inch balls (a cookie scoop helps with uniformity). Place about 2 inches apart on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Place shaped cookies into the fridge for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes until cool enough to handle comfortably and roll lightly in powdered sugar. Return to cooling rack.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, roll again in powdered sugar.
- You should try a few immediately, but they also store for many days in Tupperware. And they’re durable enough to make a great addition to the holiday cookie tin to mail to friends and family.
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Prep time
40 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
Course
Dessert
Skill level
Beginner
Season
Fall, Winter
Serves
15 cookies
The sandie was the first cookie I ever seriously coveted. When I was a kid, my mom would get pecan sandies as her one private indulgence, and they were placed on a shelf out of my reach, leaving me destined to pine for them forever.
Mom had good taste, too, as I came to find. They’re kind of the perfect cookie—lightly crisp outside, addictively crumbly, tender inside from the ethereal pairing of butter and sugar, with a helping of toothy, fatty nuts hefty enough to make them feel substantial—all things worth pining for. Luckily (I learned as an adult), they’re really easy to make.
While pecan is the most common version, the sandie is welcoming to any nut. I’ve never had a sandie I didn’t love, but I find myself partial to acorns. They give you something to chew on while the rest of the cookie melts in your mouth. Plus, I have access to more acorns than any other nut, and there’s a good chance you do too.
This recipe uses hot-leached acorns, but I also love sandies with hazelnuts, pecans, black walnuts, and hickory nuts. These cookies come together so quickly but disappear just as fast, making them a favorite all year round. In the warmer months, I like them bare-skinned, but for the holiday season, I love to roll them in powdered sugar for a festive coat and that extra layer of melt.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. water
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract (I use nocino)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely chopped hot-leached acorns, dried (For extra flavor, you can toast your acorns, candy them, soak them in booze, or sprinkle them with warm spices, but they have a rich flavor all on their own.)
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Put your dried, hot-leached acorns and pinch of salt into a food processor or mortar and pestle and process until finely chopped or coarsely ground.
- In a large mixing bowl or your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in water and vanilla extract (or nocino).
- Lower speed and stir in flour and acorns until combined.
- Shape dough into 1½-inch balls (a cookie scoop helps with uniformity). Place about 2 inches apart on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Place shaped cookies into the fridge for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes until cool enough to handle comfortably and roll lightly in powdered sugar. Return to cooling rack.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, roll again in powdered sugar.
- You should try a few immediately, but they also store for many days in Tupperware. And they’re durable enough to make a great addition to the holiday cookie tin to mail to friends and family.