Easy Pecan Cookies

On August 10th, I was sitting at a stoplight on my way to pick up the boy from work. My friend and I had just run in City Creek Canyon, near Utah's state capitol building. The breeze carried us softly back down the canyon trail in the dim light, and there was a wedding reception going on in Memory Grove, where the canyon ends and the city begins again. There were people laughing, and the bride was standing outside on the lawn, getting her pictures taken.

At the stoplight, my phone rang. I learned that the director of our summer camp has passed away unexpectedly in a hiking accident. I was totally blown away. I haven't been able to use words to express the feelings in my heart the last few weeks, so I've mostly remained silent.

I was grateful that the day he died, I was hiking and jogging through a beautiful place, just the same as him.

He was 63 years old, and hiking with his son and some friends on Wyoming's remote Gannett Peak. His obituary, published in the Idaho Statesman the next week, beautifully described the life of giving that he led. The memorial service at the Idaho Botanical Gardens was standing room only, with more than a thousand in attendance.

One of the best parts of all of this was being with the people who he touched. All the people in the camp family, hundreds of them, who stood quietly in a ring around the outer edges of the service, listening to the pastor who runs the Bible camp where our camp is held. Afterward, we met in another part of the gardens to talk, hug, and take group photos. One of my young friends, Taylor, had brought a gluten free gift for all of us. Pecan cookies. They have just a few ingredients.
These cookies are terribly simple. They even follow the same basic pattern of the Easy Peanut Butter Cookies, only with pecans. It's best if you buy the pecans already ground, unless you've either got patience or a really good grinder.

Some of the boys had begged her to bring them. We ended up driving home with about 60, left over in a tin, in the back of the car. Thanks Taylor!

And thanks, Don Scott, for the beauty you brought to my life.

Last Year: Gluten and Dairy Free Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: August Co-Op Goods and Quick BBQ Pork Ribs

Pecan Cookies
via Taylor's mom
[Print This!]

1 cup pecan meal
1 cup sugar
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine pecan meal, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Whip in the one egg white until the mixture is thick and combined. Spoon teaspoons of the batter onto a parchment lined sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for anywhere from 5-9 minutes. Don't overbake!