Maple Pecan Thumbprint Cookies (My friend Chris)

1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 TBS vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 ¼ cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat to 375. Combine 1 cup butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour and
salt. Beat till well mixed.

Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into one inch balls. Dip each ball into
the beaten egg white; roll in pecans. Place one inch apart onto GREASED
cookie sheet. Make indentation in center of cookie with thumb. Bake for
11-13 minutes (mine were done in ten) or until very lightly browned and set.
Cool completely on cooking rack.

Frosting:
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
3 TBS butter softened
2 TBS milk
¾ tsp maple extract (this stuff is heaven)

Combine powdered sugar, 3 TBS butter, milk and maple extract in a small
bowl. Beat at low speed till smooth. Fill center of each cooled cookie
with ½ tsp of frosting. (I use an icing bag with a star tip and pipe the
filling on. It looks SO pretty this way) I like to put them on a cookie
sheet and freeze them until the icing is firm and then I can bag them and
stack without messing them up.