Sift or mix together the flour, soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Put the softened butter in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer and cream by hand or using the mixer.
Add the white and brown sugar - or whatever sugar you are using - and cream together thoroughly.
Add the eggs and flavouring and beat together well.
Add the flour to the creamed mixture gradually, mixing thoroughly to blend.
Stir in the chopped pecan nuts or any add ins. Be sure all the flour and add ins are throughly incorporated in the batter.
Take a larger piece of greaseproof paper or baking parchment and sprinkle with a little flour. Flour your hands a bit as well.
Divide the cookie dough in half and put one half in the centre of the greaseproof paper.
Using the paper to help you, shape the dough into a roll or log about 11 or 12 inches (28 to 30 cm) long.
Repeat with another piece of greaseproof paper and the rest of the dough.
Wrap the dough rolls up tightly in the paper or baking parchment.
Place the cookie dough rolls/logs in a plastic bag and put in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
You can now either freeze the dough rolls/logs or keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days to slice and bake.
When you want to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) or 165°C for fan or convection ovens.
Remove the frozen cookie dough from the freezer and allow to thaw a little so it can be sliced or remove the raw cookie dough from the fridge and place on a cutting board ready to slice. If the log has lost its round shape, roll it with your hands a little to help re-shape it to a round roll / log.
Slice the dough rolls / logs into slices just over ¼ inch (about ¾ cm) thick and place on baking sheets about an inch apart. Each cookie dough roll will make about 18 to 24 cookies depending on how thickly they are sliced.
Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes from chilled or 11 to 14 minutes from frozen until they are slightly golden. Be sure to keep an eye on them the first time you bake them as they can suddenly brown up quite quickly.
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and place on a heat proof surface to cool for about 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the cookies from the baking sheets using a slice, egg lifter or spatula and place them on a wire rack to cool.
Eat the cookies warm or allow to cool and store in an airtight container for at least 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies.