3 French hen cookies inspired by '12 Days of Christmas' from the Preppy Kitchen

Christmas is around the corner and the Preppy Kitchen shared a sweet treat to continue our "12 Days of Christmas" cookies theme.

John Kanell joined "Good Morning America" to concoct a pastry that emulates three French hens gifted in the classic Christmas carol.

Check out his full recipe below for the simple shortbread.

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 cookies

Ingredients
For the cookies
3/4 cup pecans coarsely chopped, toasted
10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons dark rum or vanilla
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 180g
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
For the optional glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1 tablespoon dark rum or vanilla1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Toast chopped pecans on a baking sheet until browned.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt at medium until fluffy.

Whisk spices and flour together in a bowl.

Add flour mixture in and beat on low until almost combined then scrape the bowl down and mix in the toasted pecans.

Roll dough into a log then wrap in parchment paper.

Refrigerate for at least one hour. Add parchment paper to baking sheets.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into half-inch thick rounds. Transfer to baking sheet. Space with one-inch between.

Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate baking sheets in the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Move to a wire sheet to cool.

To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar and spices into a medium bowl then whisk in the vanilla, dark rum and milk. Add milk as needed to gat a drizzling consistency.

Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Additional cookie tips and tricks
-- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
-- If you have an empty paper towel roll you can cut it down the middle and place your dough in the roll while it chills. This will help it keep its shape.
-- Chopping the pecans finer will give you an easier to cut cookie dough.
-- Try adding your favorite spices like cardamom or mace to this cookie.
-- If your cookies are a bit misshapen after baking you can corral them into a circle using a round cookie cutter right after they come out of the oven. Just move the cookie cutter around the cookie in tight circles to bring it back into shape.