Orange Pecan Snowflake Cookies

 

I had picked up a Wilton Snowflake Cookie pan after last Christmas in the markdowns at Lobby Hobby. After my success using a cookie mix for the Cranberry Pistachio Cookies, I decided to with experiment  a variation using the same recipe as a base to use in the cookie mold pan. 

This recipe worked perfectly - it didn't puff up out of the pan, stayed tender and chewy, and had a nice golden crust on the outside.  The cookies look so pretty and it was awesomely easy!

Orange pecan snowflake cookies

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

1 box (4 serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 eggs

3/4 cup pecans, chopped fine

peel of one orange, grated fine

3/4 teaspoon orange extract flavoring

Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl stir the cookie mix, pudding, flour, pecans, and grated orange peel together. Add melted butter, eggs, and orange flavoring. Stir until blended.

3.  Take a ball of dough and press into greased cookie pan so that the dough is slightly smaller than the mold (or drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper if you don't have a cookie pan).

4.  Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake or they will not be soft and chewy!  Take them out when when the outside edge is golden. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then remove and let them cool on a wire baking rack.  (I was able to use my fingernail to flip them gently out of the mold - they stayed together perfectly.) Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.