Quick! Name three flavors that remind you of the south. I bet you thought of pecans, praline, and bourbon didn't you?
Southern cooks have long been appreciated for their ability to take what they had and create a miracle. The array of cookies that flow from these gracious kitchens encompasses everything from snicker-doodles to bourbon (or rum) balls. Ingredients are simple, homegrown, country fresh. Silky butter, rich cream, and a multitude of the pecans that seem to grow everywhere in the south are all mixed together and, with a particular alchemy known only to these amazing cooks, come forth in a mouthwatering parade of delights.

A truly southern plate of cookies would hold most, if not all, of the following without exception. There would have to be crumbly snicker-doodles, peanut butter cookies, bourbon balls, fruitcake cookies (or Lizzies), tea cakes, pecan tassies, and rolled sugar cookies. But anyone who has spent anytime in the south would tell you that the perfect southern plate of cookies would not make it traditional, oh no. You see you would need to serve the cookies on Great Aunt's special platter with a story of how cousin Jim nearly broke that thing forty years back when he was using it to hold his fish bait. You would need to have big pitchers of sweet tea close by to refill the icy glasses as many times as they were emptied, and you would need to be able to look your company in the eye and make them feel like they were the most important people in the world.
That, you see, is the crux of southern cooking. The thing few people ever get. Fresh ingredients, imaginative combinations, and a story or two thrown in. Mix together on a warm afternoon, with a breeze just stirring the trees, and let sit on a wide porch for an hour or to to develop the flavors. Served with a heap of friendliness there is just nothing better.
Try this recipe for a true southern experience, but don't forget the tea.

Pecan Tassies
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans
24 pecan halves
melted chocolate for drizzling

1. To Make Crust: Blend softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup unsalted butter and flour. Chill 1 hour.
2. Shape into 24 balls. Press balls into mini muffin tins, making small cups.
3. To Make Filling: Beat together egg, brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter. Add vanilla and salt and beat till smooth. In each little crust bottom, sprinkle chopped pecans, add egg mixture to right before top and top with a pecan half.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes or till filling is set. Cool before removing from tins.
5. Drizzle with a little melted chocolate before serving

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