Buttery Pecan Rounds The virtues of the cookie recipe are many: It relies on just a few basic ingredients, the dough is remarkably easy to prepare, and as the cookies bake, they fill the kitchen with the most magnificent scent. makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg yolk

3/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans (about 2 ounces)

Pecan halves, for decorating

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Sift together flour and salt into a bowl.

2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg yolk until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until combined. Mix in chopped pecans.

3. Using a 1 '/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 3 inches apart. Press one pecan half into the center of each. 

4. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. 

5. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.