If I'm going to write about cookies, it would be nice if I actually provided a recipe for one. It's nearly the least I could do.

So why this recipe? Well for one, members of my household love the flavor of butterscotch, both the real and artificial kind (and yes, there is a huge difference between the two). Second, with a name like "Butterscotch Sundae", I was intrigued as to how close the recipe could get to an ice cream flavor. Finally, it was a simple drop cookie, so I didn't have to sweat things like cookie cutters or press guns.

The recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. The more I go through this book, the more I find myself falling in love with it. This isn't a bad thing. Romantic love of course, and very much unrequited.

Part of my love affair comes from the fact that it provides the amounts of key ingredients in both weight and volume sizing. As I dig further into the realms of baking, I'm finding that the American preference for measuring cups lends itself to inconsistencies in results.

Speaking of results, keep an eye on these cookies when in the oven. The use of dark brown sugar in the recipe makes it difficult to see if the cookie is overdone. Twelve to thirteen minutes is really all you need, eleven if you like moister cookies.

Do the cookies taste good? Yes. Very much so. But they don't taste a thing like an ice cream sundae.

• 3 oz. (by weight) unsalted butter
• 8 oz. (by weight) chopped pecans
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz. (by weight) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 10.875 oz. (by weight) dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. dark spiced rum
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 8.5 oz. (by weight) all purpose flour, sifted
• 6 oz. (by weight) butterscotch chips

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a skillet over medium-low heat on your stove top and melt the 3 oz. of butter. Add the pecans and coat with the melted butter.

When the pecans begin to brown and start to smell toasty, add your 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix well, and then remove from heat. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the 6 oz. of butter, brown sugar, and rum. Add to this mixture the eggs, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Once thoroughly incorporated, slowly add the flour, pecans, and butterscotch chips.

On a baking sheet that has parchment paper, drop 1 tablespoon of the dough repeatedly until the sheet is full, keeping between 1 to 2 inches between each drop of dough.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and allow to bake between twelve and thirteen minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies