Mavis’ Famous Cinnamon Sticks

Cream butter and sugar together.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, and chopped pecans.

Combine the butter/sugar mixture with the flour mixture, adding the egg yolk. Thoroughly incorporate to form the dough. It is a somewhat stiff dough and is best mixed by hand (Holly cheats and uses a Cuisinart). Press dough very flat into a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan, ungreased.

Beat egg white with a little water and brush over the dough. Bake at 325º for 35 to 40 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Cut quickly into narrow sticks before they cool. Using a thin knife, cut rows the length of the pan, about a 1/2-inch wide. Next, cut across the width of the pan, making each cinnamon stick about 2 inches long. Maintain uniformity in cookie stick length by using something to guide you like a toothpick.

Place sticks on paper towels or a cooling rack to cool. Store in cookie tins between layers of wax paper, one layer each, so they won’t crumble.

If you are making several batches of cinnamon sticks, it is easiest to mix this all together in a Cuisinart as the dough is thick and your hand could get tired! But, be careful to not overmix as it could make the cookies a bit tough.

Personal Notes: I have been somewhat protective of my cinnamon stick recipe, always saying I wanted to wait to put it in my own cookbook. Well, here’s the cookbook … so I’m finally sharing it! My grandson Ryan is allergic to nuts so I make a batch for him without them. They are still great, but they don’t taste quite the same without the pecans.