Christmas Cooking Countdown 4 Days to Christmas Cinnamon Pecan Short Bread (and last minute knitting)

Shortbread is a classic Christmas cookie and this is a particularly Christmasy and easy version last year I made it with walnuts and posted it.   This year I had a ton of pecans and substituted them for the walnuts, I like both version

Cinnamon Pecan Short Bread

Cinnamon Short Bread

2 sticks softened butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg, separated *

2 cups all purpose flour

2 to 3 TBSP cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 and grease and flour a 9x11x13 inch pan.

Place everything except egg white and nuts in food processor. Pulse a few times, then mix just long enough to form a stiff dough.

Press dough evenly into prepared pan and prick with a fork.   Whisk the reserved egg white until frothy and doubled in volume,  then brush over surface.   Sprinkle the nuts over top and press in slightly.

Bake on bottom rung of oven for 30 minutes.  Cookies tend to brown and harden a bit around edges, so check after about 20 min.  The batter, if ready, should make a small crumb when pierced in center with a toothpick.

Shortbreads can be cut into squares, triangles and/or small rectangles.  Cut before they are completely cool as they harden.

We've been doing a lot of last minute knitting around here.  Mostly hats:

The hats here are all really easy and quick.   The tan hat on the far left and the green hat are the same pattern, family ribbed hats,  from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts 

just knitted on different size needles and with different weight yarns.   The multi color hat is the Winter Forest Rib Hat which is free on ravelry.  The final brown hat is the Easy Watch Cap  which is also free on ravelry ( I didn't like the decrease so I used the decrease from the family ribbed hats.)

Happy Knitting (don't worry I took the knitting needle away from Weasley right after taking the photo).