BEST PECAN SANDIES RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Press mixture on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Beat cream cheese and next 2 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until blended and smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin and lemon juice, beating until blended. Pour batter into prepared crust. (Pan will be very full.)
• Bake at 325° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until almost set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
• Remove sides and bottom of pan, and transfer cheesecake to a serving plate. Prepare Praline Topping; immediately pour slowly over top of cheesecake, spreading to within 1/4 inch of edge. Garnish, if desired.
• Try This Twist! Sweet Potato-Pecan Cheesecake: Substitute 1 1/2 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes for canned pumpkin. Proceed with recipe as directed, baking 1 hour or until almost set.

Steps:

• Place chopped toasted pecans and milk in a small bowl, and let stand at room temperature until milk is mostly absorbed, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with oven racks in the top third and bottom third of oven. Beat butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and beat on low speed just until combined. Add flour and chopped toasted pecans alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Beat on low speed just until incorporated after each addition. Drop by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Press 1 pecan half into top of each cookie. Brush pecans lightly with egg white, and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake in preheated oven until cookies are just set, about 10 minutes, switching pans top rack to bottom rack halfway through baking. Cool on pans on wire rack 5 minutes; transfer cookies to wire rack, and cool completely, about 30 minutes.