The Recipe Corner - Almond Delights

Today's Thursday treat comes from WhimseyFish.  An artist with a range of talents. From large jewelry to tiny knitted sweaters. She has wonderful sense of color and texture which is well represented in her cooking.
Enjoy.

Almond Delights
Makes 50

The Cookie:
½ cup Slivered Almonds
1 cup Butter, softened
½ cup Confectioners' Sugar
2 tsp. Almond Extract
1/8 tsp. Salt
2 cups Flour
Chocolate-Almond Filling

1. Bake the almonds for 5 minutes in a 350° oven until they are lightly browned. Let cool, finely chop and set aside.
2. Mix butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add almond extract, salt and flour. Mix well.
3. For each cookie half, roll a rounded ½ tsp. of dough into a ball the size of a marble. Place 1½ inches apart on an ungreased
baking sheet and bake in a 350° oven for 10 to 12 minutes until firm, but not browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Put together 2 cookies with about ½ tsp. of the filling. Don’t skimp, as you want the frosting to ooze out the sides so the nuts have something to stick to.
5. Generously roll the exposed chocolate frosting edge in the chopped almonds.

Chocolate-Almond Filling:
2 tbs. Butter
2 tbs. Heavy Cream
3 oz. Semisweet Chocolate Chips
½ tsp. Almond Extract
1 cup Confectioners' Sugar

1. Bring the butter and cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
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The Recipe Corner -Cheesecake Cookies

Preheat oven to 350

1 box cake mix, yellow or butter
1 8 oz pkg cream cream or reasonable substitute
1 stick butter or reasonable substitute
2 jumbo eggs (if you don't have jumbo or extra large you might add an extra egg)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring (optional)

Soften the cheese and butter to room temperature, blend with the eggs and sugar. add cake mix a little at a time until thoroghly blended.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes depending on oven and how brown you like your cookies. The less done they are the more they taste like cheesecake.

Let cookies cool on sheet until they can be removed without scrunching up or tearing.


Recipe compliments of TexstyleTextures.

The Recipe Corner - Tea Party Cookies

Prep time about 30 minutes plus freezing.

Bake time: 10 minutes.

Makes about four dozen cookies.

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter

1 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 large egg yolks

1. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, cinnamon, and salt.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and lemon peel together, starting on low speed and increasing to medium high, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks. Reduce speed to low and beat in the flour mixture just until combined. The dough will be crumbly.

3. Press the dough together with your hands and divide in half. Place the halves on a sheet of wax paper and form into 2 equal sized logs; smooth with damp fingers. Wrap the logs in the wax paper and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 400̊. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut each log into 1/4 inches slices and arrange each circle 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time, moving the pan from the back of the oven to the front about half way through, until the cookies are lightly browned.

Recipe compliments of Beachcomberscove.

The Recipe Corner - Santa's Little Helpers

There won't be any bailout for Santa this year, but when he needs a pick-me-up while delivering all those presents, this does the trick. Try leaving some out Christmas Eve and look forward to a nice morning!

Topping:
1/2c brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon 
2 level tbsp sour cream
1tbsp Kahlua or rum
1c coarsely chopped pecans

Dough:
1/2c butter, softened
1c brown sugar, packed
1 egg 
1tsp vanilla
2c flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt

Icing:
1/4c confectioner's sugar
1 1/2tsp water

Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Save some Kahlua for the chef.

Preheat oven to 375f. In medium mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla until fluffy. In a small mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture one half at a time, mixing until smooth.

Roll dough into roughly 2 dozen balls and place on cookie sheets. Make a wide shallow depression in each ball. Heap a small spoonful of topping on each cookie. Bake about 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Remove cookies from baking sheets to wire cooling racks. When completely cooled, mix confectioners sugar and water together and drizzle lightly over cookies.


Recipe compliments of zephi.

The Recipe Corner - Cornmeal Raspberry Cookies

Makes 40

The Cookie:

1 cup Butter, softened 

1 cup Sugar 

1 Egg

11⁄4 cup Flour 

1 cup Cornmeal

 1 tsp. Baking Powder

 1 tsp. Salt 

Raspberry Filling 

Confectioners' Sugar

1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy with an electric beater. Beat in egg, flour, cornmeal, baking powder and

        salt.

2. Transfer dough onto a floured surface and divide in half. With floured hands, shape each half into a block 

        7 inched long 11⁄2 inches wide and 11⁄2 inches high. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least two hours 

         until well chilled.

3. Cut dough into 1/8 inch slices and arrange one inch apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with

        non-stick spray. The cookies will spread a bit. Bake in 350° oven for 8 minutes or until edges are 

        beginning to turn gold. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

4. Sandwich two cookies together with raspberry filling and sift confectioner's sugar over the tops.

Raspberry Filling:

2 cups Raspberry Jam 

2 tbs. Cornstarch

1. Place jam and cornstarch in a small pan. Cook, stirring, until the cornstarch is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Set aside to cool before using.

Enjoy this recipe compliments of Whimsy Fish. 

Check her holiday sweets book in her shop for other great cookie recipes: CD or PDF