Easy and adorable hedgehog cookies, made with a spritz cookie (butter cookie) base.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, then add the sugar and mix until well combined. Blend in the egg, vanilla, and salt. Then carefully add in the flour, mixing until a pliable dough forms. (It should be the texture of Play-Doh.) Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least one hour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a teaspoon, scoop out approximately one rounded teaspoonfull of dough at a time. Roll it between your hands to shape it into an oval, then roll one end into a rounded tip. (That tip will be the "nose.") Place the dough balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You should have approximately 20 to 25 cookies.
Bake the cookies at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until very light golden brown on top and golden brown on the bottom. Let cool on the cookie sheet for five minutes, then move the cookies onto a cooling rack.
Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Then take a spatula and gently spread melted chocolate over the bottom half of each cookie (the back end of the hedgehog). Gently roll the chocolate end of the cookie into the ground pecans, shaking off the excess as needed. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Take a toothpick and dip it in the remaining melted chocolate. Gently use the tip of the toothpick to tap two eyes and a nose at the narrow end of each hedgehog. Keep the cookies at room temperature until the melted chocolate hardens.