Recipe - 1986 Winner Praline Cookies

One half cup Butter
1 One half cup Packed brown sugar
1 Egg
1 One half cup Flour
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Chopped pecans

Preparation time: 25 minutes Baking time: 10 to 12 minutes

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar and egg. Stir in flour,
vanilla and pecans. Mix well by hand. Shape into balls about the size of
walnuts, place on cookie sheets and flatten to about 1/8 inch.

2. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until brown. Remove from oven and allow to
cool completely and harden.

Winner Jean McGree of Flossmoor "bores everyone," she says, with this
family tale of Christmas praline cookies: "Since the time Mom had been a
little girl, each November Grandma would surround her back yard pecan tree
with sheets to catch the falling nuts. But most of the nuts had to be
knocked from the branches with her longhandled broom. Then she would spend
hours stooped over those sheets, picking up the pecans and sorting the good
ones from the black and hollow shells.

"When her daughter married and moved away, the nuts were carefully picked
over, packaged and shipped 'up North.' Free time in the first week of
December was always marked for shelling the pecans. Sore hands and stiff
backs were repaid with secret nibbling and promises of praline cookies for
Christmas.

"Soon, I'll start looking for a package from GreatGrandma in South
Carolina. Then, as we crack the pecans, I can retell the 'pecan story' to
Michael and Ann, who know that Santa always looks for pralines on Christmas
Eve." from the Chicago Tribune annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest
December 4, 1986
Posted to MMRecipes Digest V3 #340

From: Linda Place placel@worldnet.att.net

Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 11:32:57 +0000